Page 45 of Ella Gets the D
“Thank you!” he all but squeals.
“It’s my pleasure, and please, call me Julian.”
Jackson and Haile join Julian at the kitchen island to prepare their pizzas. The front door slams before Morgan and Duke appear through the living room. She drops onto a barstool with a huff. “Today can crawl back up wherever it came.” The breath she blows out is long and comes with a quick look between me and Julian. “What’d I miss?”
Chapter 18
Julian
Asoundproof basement comes in handy, and right now it’s a barrier between my neighbors and the sore winner screaming her head off after she beat my ass twice inMortal Kombat. My gut hurts from laughing so hard at Ella, who’s now dancing a weird mix between a twerk and the funky chicken.
We came down here after the kids conked out and Morgan went home. El took one look at the bed I bought Haile and almost lost it. I wasn’t sure if I overstepped until she turned to me with her sleeping daughter in her arms and tears in her eyes to say, “Thank you.”
A thanks wasn’t necessary. I’ve seen her stretch herself to maintain normalcy for her kids, even in the short time I’ve known her. A bed doesn’t scratch the surface of all she’s done and all she will do to ensure they have what they need.
The impulse to hug her won out over my need to kiss her. I ran my mouth about arcade games to pivot from her crying over a mattress and wooden frame. One simple challenge led to sore thumbs and a gloating woman who won every battle with the same character.
In fairness, Ella warned me not to talk shit. She spent hours inside her local arcade when she was younger. How was I supposed to know classic fighting games are like riding a bike for her?
“You done yet?” I’m messing with her. Ella’s playful side comes out when she’s not overwhelmed or in mom mode, constantly carrying the weight of two parents. Her eyes sparkle, and her mouth hasn’t lost its grin.
She hops onto the L-shaped sectional with a giggle. “I guess you could use a break. Does that butt feel better after I handed it to you so many times?”
I snort. “Maybe I let you win.”
“Right,” she deadpans and reaches for the remote. “That’s why you stood up to concentrate like you had to defuse a bomb. Step up your game and get back to me.”
I shake my head with another laugh. “So damn vicious. Hey, let that play.”
Full Force’s “Ain’t My Type of Hype” sets in motion one of the greatest dance-offs for the culture.
“What doyouknow aboutHouse Party?”
I lean back and shrug. “It’s a classic.”
“You weren’t even born when it came out!”
“And that means what?” My eyes narrow. On cue, I stand and pick up the choreography on the screen. It’s a muscle memory at this point. “Fix that bottom lip!”
Ella’s gape becomes a shriek when I jump into a jazz split. Morgan clowned me for rewinding the VHS over and over again to learn the dance. It was a go-to during house parties (ha) in high school and undergrad. Outside of the Kid ’n Play kick step, no one matched my energy.
Until now.
It’s my turn to stare as El dances Sydney and Sharane’s part before picking up my steps. She doesn’t glance once at the screenand smirks at my wide eyes. “What’s the matter, junior? Can’t keep up?”
The verbal jab and the nickname I loathe send me into overdrive. I hit a backflip on principle, not missing a beat with the choreography. We can take this from friendly toStomp the Yardif she wants.
Our feet connect on the first kick step. She lines up her next sarcastic shot and fires. “Did you practice this when you were in diapers?”
Her feet leave the ground when I toss her over my shoulder and spin. She grips my slacks with a startled laugh. “Not another age joke from you, do you understand?” I smack the back of her jean-wrapped thighs and jog around the room.
“You’ll make me sick!”
“Should’ve thought about that before you ran your mouth.” I spin in another circle.
“Julian! I’ll pee!”
Her grip pinches my skin. Does she really think I’ll drop her? I stop to set her down but lose balance when she grabs the back of the sectional and pulls with a force that sends us flying over the edge. I flip to the ground with her on top.
