Page 49 of In The Dark
“When you finish, can you place a big grocery store order for pickup? Anything and everything you can think of: vegetables. Fruit. Snacks. Meat. Bread. Eggs, no matter how fucking expensive they are these days. My card is still saved under your Apple Pay. Charge it all to my AmEx.”
“Am I bringing them to the house? I just bought a ton of shit two days ago.”
“It’s for Max. I’ll text you the address.”
“We should change your name to Hunter Loverboy Wilder, because you’re fucking smitten, dude,” Leo sings. “Give me an hour, and I’m there.”
“Add paper towels and napkins to that list.” I open the pantry and shake my head at the bottle of soap that stares back at me. “And toilet paper.”
“Can I throw in a candle? Oh! How about Oreos? Girls love Oreos.”
“Only if they are Double Stuf. They’re superior.”
“What about the Halloween Double Stuf? Talk about festive.”
“Get whatever you want. Thanks, man.”
We hang up, and I head for Max’s room. I grab the laundry basket tucked away in her closet and search for the laundry room, finding it in the back of the house next to a small half bathroom that smells like flowers.
I separate her items and dump the first load of clothes in the washer, starting the cycle and flipping off the light before making my way back to the living room. Knowing I have some time to kill, I go into deep cleaning mode.
I scrub down all the surfaces throughout the house. I empty the trash from the bathrooms and bedrooms, taking two garbage bags outside and tossing them in the barrel on the side of the house. I only stop working to open the door when I see Leo struggling on the porch.
“My arm is going to fall off,” he whines, showing off the dozen bags he’s carrying. He sighs in relief when he sets them on the kitchen counter and touches his skin that’s turned pink from the weight of the groceries. “I’m pretty sure I spent your entire paycheck on this stuff.”
“Worth it.” I pull out a carton of eggs and slide them in the fridge. “This place is barren. You saw how much Max ate at dinner last night. I’m stocking up so she and Skyler can have plenty of food.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that.” Leo hands me a gallon of milk, and I lift an eyebrow in warning. “Calm down. I was going to say I fuckingloveher, Hunt. She’s perfect, and she’s so into you.”
I grin. “You think so?”
“It’s so obvious. She couldn’t stop giggling at your stupid jokes that weren’t even funny, and I swear she looked at you all night.”
“Shucks.” I run a hand through my hair, glad to know these feelings aren’t one-sided. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Hot. Goddamn gorgeous. You two are going to have very adorable fucking kids, and I can’t wait to be the lonely godfather that sneaks them candy when your strict ass isn’t around.”
“That might be moving a little too fast.” I laugh and unload a bag of carrots and some green peppers. “I’m all in, but all we do is fuck. I haven’t taken her on a date.”
“Maybe you should’ve started with a date instead of trespassing.”
“Too late for that now.” My phone chimes, and I tap the screen. “Lovely. The mattress delivery just arrived.”
“Mattress delivery?” Leo almost drops a jar of salsa. “Christ on a fucking cracker. How many times have you been here? Please don’t tell me you sleep in her closet.”
“This is only the second time.” When he glares at me, I give him an innocent shrug. “Okay, maybe it’s my fifth, but it was only to make sure the cameras I set up were still working after some technical difficulties. But thanks for the closet idea. That sounds hot.”
“A mattress. Unbelievable.” He unloads the rest of the groceries and shakes his head. “As if she’s not going to noticethat.”
“I’m sure I’ll think up something to tell her.” I jog to the front door, welcoming in the delivery guys and directing them to Max’s bedroom. “I’m going to switch the laundry. I’ll be back in a second.”
By the time I make it back to her room, the old mattress is out in the hall. I help the guys position the new bed on the frame then hand over a hundred bucks to each of them to thank them for their quick delivery.
I don’t want to push my luck by sticking around for too long, and Leo and I make the bed with her same sheets so the switch isn’t obvious right away. I’m banking on her assuming Skyler took care of the food and her clothes, but a mattress is trickier. I don’t think I’m going to be able to fool her with that one, but I’m going to try.
An hour and a fully stocked fridge later, I fold the last of Max’s clothes. I set the shirt on top of the neat pile I’ve made in the middle of her bed and smooth my hand over the wrinkles, hoping everything looks okay. I track down a sticky note and draw a heart on it, placing it on the toe of a white sock and smiling at my handiwork.
“You should put the candle on her desk to really bring the insanity all together.” Leo hands me the last of the purchases and taps the top. “Crisp leaves is the scent, and it smells like cozy fucking sweaters and apple cider.”
