Chapter 20
TWENTY
Late afternoon has settled in, and a chill fills the air as I sit in my van, wrapped in Nash’s hoodie and cocooned in my blanket.
My trusty Nintendo Switch rests in my hands, but it’s failing to distract me from the whirlwind of thoughts swirling through my mind.
The fact that Saylor is still not back does nothing to help.
Tally and Tim left to check with the bank after I provided them with more details from Robert. It seems like there’s enough money waiting for them to help a lot with the house renovations, and it makes me so damn happy for them.
If anyone deserves it, it’s them.
Playing Zelda for the hundredth time does little to ease my restless mind. Thoughts keep circling back to everything that’s happened in the past few hours—Nash coming to hold me in my sleep, North and I going for our run, and Hunter… Hunter being a rock for me, having my back with Phyllis.
It’s overwhelming, and I’m thinking about going for another run to clear my head because my heart is a fucking mess and doesn’t let me think straight.
But just as the idea forms, I’m jolted from my thoughts by the crunch of gravel as a car pulls up beside my van.
The engine cuts off, and car doors slam shut, followed by a knock on the sliding door of my van.
It’s probably nothing bad. Right?
I peer out the curtain of the window, my Switch temporarily forgotten. Three heads with wavy brown hair greet me, and I let out a breath.
They’re trouble for sure, but at least not the dangerous kind.
I slowly open the door to find North, Nash, and Hunter all there, and in front of them stands Lio.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice tinged with concern as I look at the group gathered outside my van. Why would all of them be here?
Lio grins up at me and exclaims, “We’re going to Calais, Sloany. Wanna come? It’s fun!”
Hunter smiles and strokes over Lio’s hair. “It’s late shopping today, and we need some stuff. We thought maybe you need something too and want to join?”
Nash chimes in, “Yeah, maybe some warmer clothes.” He looks me up and down, and my eyes follow his gaze. I realize I’m wearing his hoodie again, and a blush creeps onto my cheeks.
Fuck.
Crossing my arms over my chest defensively, I glance at Hunter and North, who sport similar smirks.
Nash takes a step closer and reaches out to tug at the seam of the hoodie, murmuring, “Although I very much enjoy seeing you wearing this.”
I swat his hand away, and he chuckles, stepping back again.
Sadly, I’ve absolutely no money to spare on anything. I hope to buy the used heater for Van-essa with my next paycheck since searching for a room or apartment seems futile. Tally told me earlier today that she and Tim looked and asked around for me, but I can’t afford anything.
Living is expensive.
Even if I had the money to go shopping, I wouldn’t just join them to go to Calais. It’s a one-hour drive, one way, and sitting in that small space with all of them, without an out…
Nope, not gonna happen.
“It’s nice of you to ask…” I focus on Lio while answering, “… but I don’t need anything, and I’m not really in the mood for shopping.”
Lio looks thoughtful before he announces, “Yeah, I don’t wanna shop either. Can I stay with you until they come back?”
I laugh at how fast his opinion just changed. Cute as fuck.
The idea of spending time with Lio and having him distract me from my thoughts for the evening is more than appealing. It would only leave the night for me to overthink, which seems manageable.
And I miss him.
I look to Hunter, silently asking for his approval. However, it’s North who answers, concern in his voice, “Sure, he can stay if he’s not bothering you. But it’ll take us at least three hours until we’re back. So it’s more than fine if that’s too much. Lio can come with us as planned.”
“But I wanna stay with Sloany,” Lio protests.
I smile at Lio and tell him, “No problem, I’d love to have you here.”
“Are you sure?” North asks again, even more concerned.
“Why? Worried to leave him with me?” Once more, North has managed to make my hackles rise with just a few words.
“No, that’s not it, really. I don’t know, I just… I don’t want him to be too much for you.”
I laugh. “Too much? Have you hung out with your son before? He’s freaking amazing. I love spending time with him.” I know that was a low blow, but Lio’s chest puffs out like he’s super proud that I think of him that way.
North shakes his head while looking at the ground with a smile and mutters, “Yes, I’m learning that too lately.”
Hunter hands me his house keys and explains, “If you guys need anything or if Lio gets tired, you can bring him home. There’s food, too, if he gets hungry.
He already had his meds, and since taking them, he hasn’t had a coughing fit, but just in case…
” He reaches into his jeans pocket and gets out Lio’s inhaler.
Fuck, I hope I’m capable of doing this if I have to.
Hunter seems to see my insecurity and adds, “He’s not gonna need it, but you saw how it’s done. It’s easy. And you can always call me.”
Lio jumps into the van, landing on my bed with excitement. “Oh wow, a Switch!”
North’s eyes find mine again. “You’re a gamer?”
Why does he care?
I shrug. “Not much to do in a van without a TV or Wi-Fi.”
North seems concerned again as he asks, “Three hours is a long time when you can’t sit him in front of a screen. Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes. Is he for real? Father of the Year.
Without missing a beat, I tell him, “Yes, I like Lio even more than your car, so we’ll be fine without a TV, and as Hunter said, we can go home if we need one.”
I regret calling their house home the second it leaves my mouth, but Hunter grins from ear to ear.
North raises an eyebrow, and I can’t help but use my slip-up to tease him further. “So it’s Lio, your car, your house, nothing for a long time, and then comes you.”
Hunter laughs, and Nash tries to stifle his laughter with a hand over his mouth.
North just shrugs, a small smirk on his face, and comments, “Except for Lio, all of the things on the list are yours anyway, and it seems you have him wrapped around your finger too.”
Lio yells, “Bye, Daddy! Bye Uncle Hunt and Uncle Nash,” from inside the van. The theme song for Zelda follows, filling the moment of awkward silence.
Nash grins and winks at me. “Hint received. Let’s go, guys. See you later, pretty girl.”
They all pile back into the car, and as the BMW pulls away, Lio jumps up from the bed and rushes toward me with a beaming smile. “Yay, it’s just you and me, Sloany,” he exclaims, his excitement infectious.
Well, let’s hope I can take care of a child for a few hours.
I chuckle and ruffle his hair. “That’s right, buddy. It’s just you and me tonight. What do you want to do?”
Lio’s eyes sparkle with enthusiasm as he thinks for a moment. “Hmm, how about we play Zelda?” he suggests, holding up the Nintendo Switch.
“Sounds like a plan,” I agree, and we settle on the bed with the console.
It’s basically Lio playing and me watching until he encounters a point where he can’t seem to make it through and hands it to me to do it. It’s amazing how quickly time passes and how easily he distracts me whenever my thoughts run away with me.
After a couple of hours of gaming, Lio’s stomach rumbles loudly, reminding me that we haven’t eaten dinner yet. “Are you hungry, buddy?” I ask.
Lio nods eagerly. “Starving!”
I get up and open every drawer, but there isn’t much left. Not being hungry the last few days and always having been brought food hasn’t made me go grocery shopping.
“I have instant soup?” I announce as I turn back to Lio, and he gives me such a stern look that a laugh bursts out of me. “So that’s a no?”
“You don’t even have cereals? Even Uncle Nash can make cereals,” he accuses.
Well, it seems like I’m worse than Nash.
“Nope, not even cereals,” I agree, thinking about whether it would be okay to go into the closed restaurant to hunt some food down, but I’d rather not mess with Mac, who would definitely notice.
Lio’s tummy grumbles again, and I let out a sigh.
“Come on, let’s go get you home and see if there’s anything for you to eat. ”
“For us,” Lio corrects as he struggles to slide off the bed, and I grab my bag and jacket before heading out to the Jones’ house.
The walk is short, and Lio bubbles about what we could cook, but since I’m not a good cook and have no idea what’s waiting for us in their refrigerator, I just nod and let him talk.
As I open the door with the keys Hunter gave me, a strange feeling settles in my stomach.
Having a key to such a house?
It’s a heady feeling.
And the fact it’s their house isn’t helping my messed-up feelings.
We take off our jackets, and I help Lio pull off his shoes before I head to the kitchen, with Lio trailing behind me.
We raid their well-stocked refrigerator and pantry, pulling out ingredients.
There is so much food that we could easily make a five-star meal, but I teach Lio how to make grilled cheese sandwiches, and he’s a quick learner, helping where he can.
Sitting at the dining table, we enjoy our sandwiches, and Lio looks up at me with a curious expression. “What movie do we watch now?”
“Oh, we watch a movie?” I reply, taking a bite of my sandwich.
That’s news to me, but it’s still early, so why not?
Lio hesitates for a moment before continuing, “We do. What’s your favorite movie?”
I sigh softly, thinking about Saylor, my heart clenching, wishing so hard he was here. “Casper.”
“I don’t know if we have that.” Lio scrunches up his little nose in thought.
“Don’t worry, I’m not in the mood to watch it anyway. What’s your favorite movie? Spider-Man?” I ask, already having finished my sandwich.
“No, that’s Daddy’s favorite,” he shares, munching some more.
Huh?
“Is it?” I ask, my brows going up to my hairline.