Page 11 of Hide and Sneak
“Still a night owl,” she teases, and he grins at her.
“And you’re still a squawky early bird.” For the first time since we showed up, she smiles at him and seems to relax a little.
“I’d love to sleep until about nine if I had a choice.”
“Do you always get home this late?”
I listen as she talks about her day and they joke around a little. Maybe she isn’t going to be constantly uptight and unpleasant after all. After dinner, Lila says she’ll clean up since I cooked, and after finishing, she goes out to walk Dusty.
“Did you really get hired?” I ask Amos. “You didn’t say anything.”
He shrugs, texting on his phone. “Yeah, you don’t ride my ass like she does. It’s a shitty job but better than nothing.”
“The dumpster is going to be delivered Friday. We can get that shed cleaned out next weekend.”
He leaps to his feet. “Sure, sounds good. I’m going to go get laid. Don’t wait up.”
I’m out the door right after him, but not for the same reason. I’m not seeing anyone right now. The last woman I dated killed the appeal for a while. Everything was fine at first but only a few months in she started following me, checking my phone, questioning me endlessly. I’ve never cheated on anyone and never gave her a reason to think I was. That kind of insecurity isn’t something I can deal with anymore.
My life is pretty simple right now. Go to work, then work on my new property. Go to the gym, then maybe read or play a video game. Tonight, I’m headed to the gym.
People assume it’s my job that keeps me in good shape, and it helps, but I work out at least three times a week. I’m not a health nut or anything. It’s more of a hobby and stress relief. My friend, Camron, meets me here a few times a week but he can’t make it tonight so I run through my routine on my own then head back home.
Home. It’ll be nice when I get my place done and somewhere will actually feel like home. After years of cheap apartments and trailers, I'll have something of my own that no one can take from me.
Lila is curled up on the couch with her laptop when I return. She doesn’t look up as I grab a cup of water and guzzle it down. As soon as I place the empty tumbler on the table, Dusty grabs it and darts off down the hall.
“Hey!” I laugh, pursuing him.
“Oh no, did I close the bathroom door?” Lila calls out. “He’s going to drop it in the toilet. It’s his new favorite activity.”
Yep. That’s what he tries to do. Luckily the lid is closed so it only falls to the floor. I pull Dusty out of the bathroom and shut the door. “What else did he dunk in there?” I ask, taking the polka dotted cup to the kitchen sink.
Lila watches me. “A comb and Amos’s sandal. What are you doing? Throw that away.”
I can’t help myself. Instead of telling her it didn’t get contaminated, I open the dishwasher. “Your dishwasher has a sanitize setting.”
The look of horror on her face is hilarious. “Gross. No.”
“Do you want to keep it to use for watering plants or something?”
“No.” She walks over, takes it from me, and drops it into the trash.
“You touched it. Are you going to throw your hands away?”
“I’m going to throw them at you if you don’t shut up,” she says, washing her hands.
It feels like I’ve gone back in time. That little line that appears in the middle of her forehead when I annoy her is the same as it was when we were teenagers. “Why do short girls always have an attitude? Does low altitude make you mean?”
She sighs and glances down at my bare feet. “I don’t know. Why does your little toe look like it’s afraid of the rest of them?”
It takes so much effort not to laugh. “You’re really into feet, huh? Are you picturing them covered in chocolate sauce?”
I’m saved from an early death by Amos coming home. He sees her glaring at me and stops short. “What? What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” she says quickly. “Are you high?”
If not, he has one hell of an allergy problem.
