“Just what every person wants to hear.”
“Fine, some guidelines. Regulations? Boundaries?”
I shrugged. “Number one, you stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
“Easy. Done. Number two, this”—she gestured to my living room—“needs to be cleaner.” She ran a finger on a bookshelf as if she were Mary fucking Poppins in gloves and raised it so I could see how the dust and wood shavings had accumulated.
“I used a table saw in here once.”
“Well, since it was just once.” Her tone wasn’t appreciated.
“It was a rainy day, and it wasn’t until afterward that I realized it was a mistake.”
She pointed to the fireplace and the paper around it. “That’s a fire hazard.” The vehemence in her tone had me questioning if either of us would be safe with her under the same roof. Nat turned, then she saw her beloved keychain sticking out from under a pizza box on the coffee table. “And Bernice is sitting under garbage!”
I squeezed my hands into fists to hold back from saying something I’d regret.
“Jesus, is that paint thinner, Jack?” Shit. What was that doing here?
“I’ll get rid of that,” I said dumbly. “Anything else?”
Nat took in her surroundings, leaving me hanging for a long moment. “TBD.”
FOURTEEN
Nat
“So how are you doing?”Hazel’s voice was doing that worried thing it did sometimes.
Leo must have told her everything after our quick phone call, where he’d checked on me before jokingly asking if he had to rename the place Camp Natalie to prevent me from suing.
While her question was of concern and care, there was also a weariness in her tone that advised me against venting about the prospect of living with Jack. Part of me wanted to let the dam break and tell her that Jack was becoming a little too distracting. That I might be in trouble. But her voice was smaller than I’d ever heard it, and it was clear she was going through something much bigger than I was. So I gave her the sanitized answer.
“It’s a mess, but we’re handling it. Everyone banded together after it happened, and I got out, so it’s nothing to worry about.” I hoped she didn’t use her superpower to read between the lines. While everything I’d said was true, it was also… lacking.
Hazel hummed, letting the moment stretch out. It was one of her tactics that always worked on me, leaving me no choice but to fill the silence.
“It was a little bit scary.”
“I bet it was.” She let out a sigh, and I wondered how much she wished she were here. “You went to Alyse, right? What did she say?”
“She said I’m good. No stitches, just a little sore.”
It was obvious she wanted to focus this conversation on me, not her, and while it was a signature Hazel move, I needed to redirect the conversation. Take a page out of her book.
“Enough about me. What’s going on with you?” I asked.
Hazel sniffed hollowly. “There’s just a lot going on, and I’m not handling it as well as I would like.” There was a plea in her brittle tone confirming she was just barely keeping it together. So I didn’t press.
I expected anI’ve got to go.What I didn’t expect were the next words out of her mouth.
“Jack isn’t being mean, right? If he is, you’ll let me know?”
Mean definitely wasn’t the word I’d use. Challenging? Exhausting? Getting under my skin? Those all seemed much more fitting.
“No more than before.” And while I had my doubts about living with the man, I was also very resourceful. I already knew how I’d be dealing with him.
“Well, good. In that case, let’s call this penance for that double date.”
