Chapter 10
Simon
I have no idea how to deal with Boris. He might be a crazy person I've allowed into my home. What if he's dangerous? My warning bells went off when I found him in my kitchen. I should've listened to them.
I try to pull my hand out of his grip, but he tightens his hold once again. My heart speeds up.
I'm not a physically strong person. I think I'm pretty average for a forty-something man, but I don't hit the gym.
I haven't gone for a run for seven years.
I used to love to run, and I went swimming regularly before Ira.
The gym was never my thing, so I've never been bulky, but now I'm...nothing.
There is no time to work out when you work full-time and are a single parent, and if one more entitled asshole tells me I have to look after myself, to set the alarm an hour early and go for a run before Ira wakes, or install a home gym or something, I might strangle them.
Society isn't built for single parents.
When Ira walks into the kitchen, I almost tell him to run.
Boris smiles at him and lets go of my hand, not in a hurried way as if we were doing something wrong, but he lets go nonetheless. I don't think Ira noticed.
"What are you up to, my man?" Boris' entire focus is on Ira now.
Ira shrugs. "Nothing."
"What do you normally do on Saturdays when Dad does boring laundry?"
Ira says nothing, and I swoop in to save him. "A little of everything. Ira likes to draw and paint."
"Oh, awesome. Do you like photography?"
"I like the one of the wolf you have."
The air freezes in my lungs.
"Yeah? You wanna see some more?"
I'm about to object when Ira gasps. "You have more?"
"No, but have you ever been to Beantopia in Rutchester?"
Ira shakes his head.
"What is it?" I don't think I've ever heard of it.
"Oh, it's a cafe. Conan owns it. Everything on the walls is for sale, and Zahrah has a few standing spots there. A few others in the pack do too. Atlas may be an utter ass, but he sure can paint, the fu--"
"The pack?"
Boris freezes. "Eh...the gang, my family. The ones on the cookie order." He waves in the direction of the hallway. "We should go! Come on." He knocks on the table.
"What? No." We can't up and go without a plan.
"Why not? We'll have coffee and a slice of pie and look at the art. It's like a cafe and art exhibition combined, and I'm sure at least one of Zahrah's photos will be of a wolf."
Ira takes a step closer to Boris, and I can tell he desperately wants to go.
Shit. I can't afford trips to cafes, but.
..But if someone asked what he'd done over the weekend, it would be something he could tell his classmates about.
I don't know how much they talk about what they do in their spare time, but I always feel like a failure whenever I imagine the teacher asking about their weekends.
"If you want to stay here instead and fix your laundry, Ira and I can go."
Something close to panic claws at me. "No, I'll come."
Boris grins at me. "Awesome! Let's go." He pushes to his feet. "I'll drive."
Ira rushes toward the front door.
"Bathroom first, Ira. It's quite a drive."
Ira changes course without a word, and I head to my bedroom to change shirts. When I emerge, both Boris and Ira are waiting for me. This might be a stupid idea, but Ira is buzzing, so I can't back out now.
Before we cross the street to Boris' car, I grab the booster seat in mine. Boris looks at it and gives me a small nod. I don't know why, but he looks pleased for some reason.
Ira straps himself in, and I'm eternally grateful that the days of having to wrestle a kid while trying to strap them in are over.
"All systems go?" Boris checks on Ira in the rearview mirror.
"Yes, I think we're ready."
Boris turns the key in the ignition. "And off we go!" He gets us out of the residential area and onto the highway. Then he fiddles with his phone, and the sound of a call spreads in the car. I can see on the dashboard display that he's calling Zahrah.
The call connects, then a wry female voice fills the air. "Are you in prison? Indecent exposure?"
What the fuck?
"Zahrah! I'm in the car with Simon and Ira. You're on speaker."
Silence.
"Zahrah?"
"Oh, hello, Boris." The voice is so sickly sweet, I have to smile.
"Behave! Ira is impressed with the photo of the wolf you gave me, so I figure I'd show him the ones you have at Conan's."
"Oh, cool."
"Are there wolves? We won't come if there aren't wolves."
She snorts. "Yeah, there are wolves."
I can't help the shiver slithering down my spine.
Who is this woman who photographs wolves?
There weren't supposed to be wolves this far south.
Did she go on trips up north to catch them?
I have no idea what she looks like, but my mind provides me with an image of a young Jane Goodall who sneaks around in the forests trying to make a pack of wolves grow used to her presence.
I know Goodall worked with chimpanzees, not wolves, but it's the image my brain is creating.
"Good. Wanna come join us?" His invitation surprises me. I'm not sure if I'm pleased or not. In a way, I am, since it would take the pressure off Ira and me, but some small part of me is unsure if I'm up for meeting his friends. I hardly know him.
"You sure?"
"If you want to. We're leaving Hillden now and plan on coffee and a slice of pie."
"I could go for a slice of banana pie."
Boris snorts. "Apple. We're going for apple pie."
"I'm having banana caramel, and that's that."
"Fiiine, but you can't be a bad influence on Ira. Everyone knows apple pie is the right option."
"Watch it or I'm bringing Maia."
"No!" He turns to me. "She'll have the carrot cake every time. Never trust a woman who has carrot cake."
Zahrah chuckles. "See you there, babycakes." Then she disconnects.
"Who is Maia?" I think she's his mother since they share their surname, and he talked about his mother.
"A crazy person. She lives in the middle of nowhere and grows veggies in November." He looks in the rearview mirror again. "Do you like chickens, Ira? Ducks? There might be turkeys too, I'm not sure."
I turn to look at him, and he nods, his gaze glued to Boris' in the reflection.
"Great, I'll take you one day. Maybe next weekend."
I stare at him. "You're taking my son to see a crazy person?"
"Hey, don't talk about my mother that way!" He grins at me, and my heart speeds up. Stupid.
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