Page 36 of While the Sun Shines

“What was that sigh?” Cooper asks.

“What?”

“That horribly miserable sound you just made?”

“I did?”

“Dude.” Cooper jogs a step in front of him and places a hand on Drew’s forehead and another in his hair, and gently twists his head side to side. “Let’s get this screwed on right. What’s wrong with you?”

Drew dodges away and keeps walking. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.” Drew shrugs. “The sheep.”

“They’re grazing. They’re happy.”

“Cheese.”

“My special touch. Those stickers have never looked so good.”

“The house,” Drew says.

“Okay, fair, but at least you’re not the one living in fear that Penny will murder you in your sleep.”

Drew tries for a smile. “Scared to wake up with her standing over your bed?”

“I would be, but she’d never come in our room. It’s not like I sleep with clothes on.”

“Thanks for that image.”

“You’re welcome. And c’mon, I obviously charm Whit out of his jammies every night too, and that sight would definitely make her vomit.”

“I’m going to vomit.”

“Besides, I feel safer with Abelardo here. I don’t think she’d eviscerate me in front of a houseguest.”

Drew shoves his hands deeper into his pockets. “Yeah.”

“I mean, unless he wanted to help her. Gotta be polite, you know?”

“Course.” Drew frowns. “This is a weird conversation.”

“And he’d totally help. He’s been a real champ about giving us a hand since he got here. Total natural with the sheep.”

Drew kicks at a pebble. Right, of course he is. When they were terrified of Drew himself. How fucking fitting.

“Drew?”

“Yeah?”

“You just sighed again.” Cooper kicks the pebble back at Drew, hitting the side of his boot. “C’mon, get it off your chest. You don’t like him?”

“No, he’s great. Of course he is.”

“You don’t love secret friends showing up out of the blue? Let me tell you, it’s a good damn thing he’s straight, ’cause he and Whit get along way, way too well.”

This time, Drew knows he sighs. Feels his chest lift on the breath and then deflate again. Well, there goes that sliver of hope.