Page 108 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
This place ismy version of hell. Untamed children run in every direction while lights, bells, and whistles from video games scream above us every five seconds.
“Never take me to a…” I glance around the place. “Jillian’s ever again.”
Boone laughs next to me while his architect friend, John, rolls out another set of paperwork. At least someone has a normal enough name.
John hands over a baby with grabby hands to Boone, who takes the child without questioning it.
“Here’s what I was envisioning. Boone told me you’d need a couple of home offices, four bedrooms with en suites. All fabulous ideas. The current blueprint of the old place won’t allow for all this, but you can pull new permits.”
I crane my neck, attempting to find Kara, who ran off with John’s oldest child. I didn’t like the way that little fuck-face JJ was making googly eyes at my baby sister though, so I’m two seconds away from pulling the plug on this godforsaken meeting and dragging her out of here.
“Uncle Boo. Uncle Boo.” John’s third—or is it his fourth?—child runs at Boone with a lollipop the size of her head in her hands.
Boone swings to me and shoves the drooling baby into my lap, as if I have any fucking idea what to do with a baby.
“Hey, squirt.” He lifts the sticky little girl into his arms.
“Sorry about this, Thane. My wife was supposed to grab them from my office, but she got stuck at work. I’m thankful for the opportunity though. Especially given the…” John waves his hand in the air. He has lead or charcoal covering the entire bottom of his hand, and now I’m picturing that shit everywhere. “Unusual nature of our meeting.”
“It’s fine, John,” Boone says. “Kara needs to get out and meet more kids before school starts, so we were happy to meet you here.”
Boone can speak for himself.
“I thought you said you lived in Charbrook Falls?” The more space between Kara and JJ, the better.
“Oh, we do. But the schools are done by county here. All the middle schools filter into the same high school, so Kara and JJ will probably have a class or two together.”
Over my dead body.I mentally high-five my narrator. At least we’re on the same page about Kara.
Something wet and sticky slides down and over my fingers. The child I’m holding peers up at me with a toothless grin, and another giant glob of goo slips down her face and coats my fingertips.
I’m going to be sick.
The little girl in Boone’s hands squirms in his lap, and he sets her down. Thank God. I wait expectedly for him to grab the goo goblin, but he simply goes back to eating his burger while I’m left holding Slimer.
“Boone.”
He ignores me and points to something on blueprints that I’m ninety percent sure is also covered in syrup.
“Is that where the outdoor fireplace will go?”
“Yeah. If he wants an outdoor kitchen, we can add it here. It’s really going to depend on what kind of permits he can get for the lot.”
The two of them go back and forth while I watch in silent horror. Boone and I never even had a conversation about rebuilding, but here he is with an architect.
“What the fuck?—”
“Hey,” John scolds me. “Language.”
Boone makes a tsking sound, but I know he’s laughing at me.
“Do I get any say in this home you’re building?”
“You could.” Boone pops a french fry into his mouth. “Or you could sit there and listen while John explains Lottie’s dream home to you.”
My mouth snaps closed, and the asshole laughs. “That’s what I thought.”
“How do you know about Lottie’s dream home?” The volcano in my chest has been dormant the last couple of weeks, but it fires and bubbles now.
