“There were onions in that concoction,” I replied loftily.
“God forbid,” he teased.
“Plus, beer.”
“I like when you taste like beer.”
“Noted.”
“Reminds me of our first kiss.”
“That was a good kiss,” I said, getting settled next to him. I crossed my legs like a pretzel and put my hands in my lap to hold my nightgown down.
“It was a fuckin’ great kiss.”
“Who would’ve guessed that a week later I’d be sitting in your bed after banging you on the couch?”
“I wouldn’t have guessed, but I was seriously fuckin’ hopin’,” he said with a laugh. “Until you disappeared.”
“Yeah, well…” I sighed.
“What was that all about?”
“I told you,” I reminded him uncomfortably. “I thought you and Lou were together.”
“You climbed on my lap when you thought Lou and I were together?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Okay, maybe not together, butsomething,” I clarified. “I felt like a complete asshole.”
“Shoulda just asked.”
“Yeah, I should’ve paused in my grinding, pulled my tongue out of your mouth, and demanded to know what your relationship with Lou was.”
“Woulda saved you a whole lot of worry,” he pointed out. Suddenly, his jaw gaped wide, and he yawned for a full ten seconds. “Fuck, sorry,” he said after a moment. “Long day.”
“And I kept you up late last night,” I reminded him, scooting over to tuck myself against his side.
“Worth it,” he replied. “Haven’t been sleepin’ good anyway.”
“Why not?” I asked, tipping my head back to look at him.
“You remember I got that appointment with the lawyer Saturday?”
“Yeah. In Portland.”
“Right. I’m a little nervous,” he said, almost like it was a question. “I know it’s not anythin’ bad. I’ll go in there and sign some paperwork. Not a big deal. But, I can’t figure out what she woulda left me.”
“In a couple days you’ll know.”
“Yeah. A couple months back one of my old foster brothers came to town and found me,” he said, his arm tightening around my back. “Couldn’t figure out why he was here. Didn’t really give him the chance to talk. Now, I’m wonderin’ if he was tryin’ to warn me about Bernice bein’ sick.”
“You didn’t give him a chance to talk?”
“Swung first,” he said dryly. “Asked questions never. We didn’t part on good terms. I wasn’t happy to see him.”
“Clearly.”
“It’s just all bringin’ up shit I woulda rather left behind me.”
