Page 81 of Just Like That

“Charles?” My molars ground together. “Attwater?” He was an out-of-town transplant weasel who was always sniffing around the single women at the Grudge.

She lifted a shoulder as she climbed the porch steps. “Yeah, that sounds right.”

A low gruntedhmmwas all the acknowledgment I could muster. I didn’t enjoy the very unfriendly thoughts I was having. Frustrated, I stepped inside and headed toward the stairs.

Hazel smiled, and mischief danced in her soft brown eyes. “Good night,friend.”

I offered a sad salute. “Bestie.”

Hazel’s nose scrunched as she grinned. She scurried down the hallway toward her room. From the doorway of my room, I watched her as she waved good night one last time and closed the door behind her.

I shook my head. Something about Charles Attwater screamedI’ve got a fancy car and a big dick to match.

Yeah, well, he wasn’t the only one, and I already didn’t fucking like him.

TWENTY-SIX

HAZEL

The somber cloudssurrounding Outtatowner had just barely started to lift. Whispers about Maryann King had only intensified after it was confirmed that she had finally been found. After I read an exposé on her and saw the photograph of her smiling, I would catch myself thinking about JP’s sweet little face and feel a sad tug of emotions.

He often carried that same sullen expression on nights he came home from work and I would find him staring off into space.

Maybe the guy really did need a friend.

Sadly, I did not want to be his friend. I wanted something ... different. I just didn’t know exactly what that was yet.

I exhaled, shaking my fingers and bouncing on my toes to bring more-positive life to my body. Stagnant energy wasn’t serving anyone, and it was on me to find a bit of happiness every day. Getting out of JP’s house and breaking my routine of stressing about Teddy was exactly what I needed.

I turned from behind the steering wheel of the skoolie to look at my nephew. “Ready to roll?”

Teddy bounced in his seat, clutching his overnight bag. “You bet!”

He was out-of-his-mind excited for his first sleepover with “big kids” Ben and Tillie. He’d even picked out a tuxedo T-shirt to wear after I’d convinced him anactualtie was a little formal for a sleepover.

The tires of the skoolie groaned as I pulled an awkward, eighty-seven-point U-turn in the driveway. “I don’t know, kid. Maybe I need a daily driver if we’re going to be here for a while,” I joked as the bus struggled to make the wide turn, trampling some of JP’s manicured lawn in the process.

“Yeah,” Teddy agreed. “Gas mileage on the bus is terrible too.”

I barked out a laugh. “You’re a pretty weird kid, you know that?”

We shared a cheesy grin as I pulled out onto the road and headed toward town.

“Only a few more days before school starts. Excited?” I asked over the bouncing rhythm of the radio.

“Yes.” Teddy tapped his fingers against his knees. “Dad said he also had Mr. Fromidge as a teacher, and even though he smells like cheese, he’s really smart and nice.”

Dad.

My chest still pinched every time Teddy called JP that. I worried my lip between my teeth. “You know, until we find out for sure ... um ...” I glanced at him again and Teddy’s brows were pitched down. A nervous laugh tittered out of me. “You know what? Never mind. So the guy smells like cheese, huh?” I pinched my nose. “Pee-yew.”

“Dad said they called him Mr.Fromage—it’s a fancy type of cheese.” Teddy’s eyes went wide with glee, and we both dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Aww.” I tried to breathe between bouts of laughter. “That’s really mean. Poor Mr. Fromage!”

“You mean Mr. Velveeta!” Teddy squealed.

The joke was silly, but he was seven, and I had the sense of humor of a child, so we laughed again.

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