Chapter 8
Felix sat at his mother’s kitchen table with his head in his hands. It’d been two hours and Liam still wasn’t back. God, he’d known it would be a mistake to rely on him, but what else could he do? His heart ached with disappointment, already too invested.
And where had that gotten him? Stuck here when he needed to pick up the urchins from school in forty-five minutes. He would’ve called an Uber, but hello, no cell phone, and the house phone was useless without any contact information.
He sighed and stood, resigned to walking—
Liam’s Jeep pulled into the driveway. The were bounded out of the driver’s door with a shit-eating grin on his face and walked into the kitchen like he owned the place. Felix’s heart leapt along with his anger.
“Where have you been?” he demanded, his arms crossed over his chest and his foot tapping.
“Oh, hey. Sorry. I got your car all squared away, and then I stopped to get your phone repaired.” He pulled it from his pocket and held it out. “That took longer than expected.”
Felix stared at it, then at Liam. “You what?”
“Um, I got it repaired? I kept the receipt in case it’s under warranty.”
“I…” Well, shit. Felix took it from him and ran his fingers over the new screen. It flashed on, good as new. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, no problem.” Liam scratched the back of his neck. “I figured you’d be dying without it. You want to pick up your car now, or get the kids first? School’s out soon.”
Felix just blinked at him, his pulse racing. “Why are you doing all this for me?”
Liam kicked at the floor. “Because I’m serious about making things right between us. I know it’s not the time to talk about it, but I fucked up. Jenny was never…It’s you Felix,” he blurted, his cheeks crimson. “It’s always been you. I was just too wrapped up in all the rest of it to see that.”
Felix took a deep breath, his heart three sizes larger than it had been, the way it was pounding against his ribs. “And now?”
“Now things are different. I’m still scared, but…I-I want to try again. To do it right. To treat you like you deserve. I know I shouldn’t get a second chance, but—”
“Okay.” The word shot out of Felix’s mouth before he could stop himself, and the blood drained from his face. Had he really just said that?
Liam’s jaw dropped. “Okay?”
Shit, he had. Felix blew out a breath and gave a slow nod.
“I’m open to being, um, friends.” God, he was such a liar.
What was that Larry Wall quote? “Down that path lies madness. On the other hand, the road to hell is paved with melting snowballs.” And damn it if Felix wasn’t sick and frickin’ tired of being cold.
“Friends.” Liam’s face fell for a spilt second before he recovered. “Yeah, uh, cool. That’s great. Friends.” He dragged a hand over his jaw. “So, car first or kids? Car will be cutting it close.”
Felix glanced at the time on his repaired screen. It would be. Too close. “Urchins, and hey, speaking of them, do you think there’s any chance Kelsey could babysit for a couple of hours tonight?”
“Uh…I can ask.” Liam pulled out his phone. “What time?”
“Six to eight or so, latest. I’m not sure how long the manifestation spell will take. Tell her I’m springing for pizza,” Felix said, grabbing his parka and heading out the door with Liam. He glanced askance at the were. This was so freaking weird.
“Sent.” Liam pocketed his phone.
Felix rounded the front of the Jeep and got in, shivering. “Thanks. What do I owe you for the car?”
“You really wanna know?” Liam put the Jeep into reverse, turning to look over his shoulder as he backed out of the driveway.
A pit opened up in Felix’s stomach. “Oh God, is it that bad?”
“It’s not good.” Liam chewed his lip. “Fifteen hundred.”
Felix blanched. “The car’s not even worth half that much!”
“So I heard. Don’t worry, I know you’re good for it. Just hit me back when you can.” What was one more drop in the ocean of debt he was swimming in? Might as well max out his cards before they pulled them.
“I have it,” Felix grumbled. “I’d just envisioned spending it on daiquiris somewhere tropical, not on stupid parking tickets.”
“You do know most of that was late fees, right?”
Felix glowered at him. “It was the principle of the thing, and besides, I’m the mayor. I should be able to park wherever I want.” Lord knew there weren’t any other benefits to the miserable position.
“Pretty sure handicapped parking and in front of fire hydrants is a federal thing.”
“I’ll have you know it was raining and I was wearing sueded silk.”
“Oh, well, then exceptions should’ve been made.” Liam grinned.
Felix fought the urge to return it, cursing the man’s good looks. It was bad enough he was enjoying their banter. “Exactly. You can park in the town hall lot,” he said as they turned onto Main Street. “Wouldn’t want you to get a ticket.”
Liam laughed and headed in that direction. A couple of minutes later, he pulled into the lot and idled the engine. “If it’s okay with you, I’m gonna wait here.”
Felix tensed, but of course Liam was going to wait there. Friends or otherwise, why would he want to be anything but discreet? Felix went to open the door, fuming, and Liam caught his arm.
“Hey, it’s not what you think. The last time I showed up at the school, that whole thing at Cups happened. But if you’re up for it…” He wet his lips. “M-maybe we can go to trivia tomorrow night at Snaps? You know…as, um, friends.”
Felix’s heart skipped a beat, his mouth answering before his brain caught up. “I—yeah. Sure. I’d like that.” Not because Liam had asked, but because he was due for a night out.
Sure Felix, keep telling yourself—Damn it. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “As long as I can get a sitter.” How was this his life now?
“You know…” Liam drummed his fingers against the steering wheel.
“My parents might be up for watching them. Jenny won’t let the kids see them anymore, and my mom’s pretty torn up over not having them around for the holiday.
I mean, I can ask, if you’re okay with it?
It’s Friday night, so you don’t have to worry about getting them up early for school the next day. ”
Okay, so that hadn’t even been on his radar, but yes. One thousand times, yes. “Um…let me think about it,” Felix said, not wanting to sound too eager to pawn the little blighters off on someone else. “But feel free to ask and see if it’s a possibility.” Dear God, please let it be a possibility.
Liam nodded, and Felix got out of the Jeep, feeling like he was in another universe again. Somehow, he managed to get across the street without being flattened and made it to the front of the school just as the urchins were clearing the double doors.
“Uncle Felix!” Sway yelled, barreling toward him. She pushed through the crowd taking down a toddler with her obnoxious backpack and lunging at him.
“Oof! Hey, you’ve got to be careful. You knocked that little girl down,” he said, pointing at the sobbing child. Her mother glared at them.
“Survival of the fittest.” Sway shrugged. “We’re learning about Darwin.”
Felix’s brow rose. “In first grade?”
“I’m in advanced classes,” she huffed, throwing a frizzy pigtail over her shoulder.
“I don’t care. Advance your skinny bottom over there and apologize.” She looked at him like he’d asked her to lick a public toilet. “Now, Sway.”
“Oooh, someone’s in trouble,” Axle sang, waggling his fingers as he came up beside them.
“You can go with her for being a jerk,” Felix said. God, he wasn’t a big fan of discipline, but he wasn’t going to live with little assholes for the foreseeable future either.
Axle gave him the same look as Sway. “Are you serious?”
Felix raised his brow and returned it with his best impression of a Joan Crawford glower. The two of them glanced at each other, then goose-stepped back to the toddler to mutter an apology.
“Thank you,” Felix said when they dragged their sorry rears back to him. “And if you don’t like apologizing, be more careful next time.”
Sway lunged for him and wrapped herself around his leg, sobbing. “I’m sorry, Uncle Felix, please don’t be mad and go away!”
Go away? “What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere. In fact, you’re stuck with me for the next two weeks. Gran and Gramps had to go help Great Aunt Helen. They left me in charge until they’re back.” Actually, she was more like great squared for the urchins, but whatever.
Sway wiped her snotty little nose on his parka. Oh God, that was disgusting. Felix forced a smile and detached her from his leg. She shot him a look like he was lying.
“Then where’s Poe?” Axle asked. He sounded nervous.
Poe? Oh right, the screamer. “They took her with them because I’m only rated for urchins toilet-trained and up.
Come on, let’s go before we freeze, and aren’t you lucky?
I’m staying at the house with you. Tonight’s going to be a little weird because I still have to get my stuff, so my friend Kelsey is going to hang out with you for a few hours. ”
“Is she your girlfriend?” Sway asked. She had a death grip on Felix’s hand like she expected him to bolt.
“No, stupid,” Axle muttered. “Uncle Felix doesn’t like girls, remember?”
“You don’t?” she looked up at him, her eyes brimming again.
He scoffed. “Of course I like girls. My best friend is a girl.”
“You don’t like kissing them.”
Felix shot a glance at Axle. “Do you?”
“Ew, no, that’s disgusting.”
“I don’t like kissing girls either,” Sway said, pulling a face.
“Then it’s unanimous. No kissing girls.” Felix stopped at the corner. “You guys ever ride in a Jeep?”
“Like an Army Jeep?” Axle asked, suddenly rapt.
“Um, yeah, kind of like that. I have to go pick up my car—”
“Why? Where’s your car?”
Felix looked down at Sway. “At the shop. My friend Liam’s going to drive us over, and I need you two on your best behavior.”
They looked at him blankly.
“Yeah. Just sit there like that,” he said, herding them across the street. Heaven help him, but this was going to be the longest two weeks of his life.