Page 45 of All The Ways to Miss You

Will Evan avoid me on purpose because we slept together? I’m irked by the thought, but I shake it off in search of answers.

In the bathroom, I find Mr. Gusterson already working. I can tell by the confident way he chooses his tools and his practiced movements that he knows what he’s doing. Sometimes when I watch Evan, I’m not sure he does.

“How did Evan wrangle you into this?”

Mr. Gusterson doesn’t answer me, per se. Instead, he mumbles to himself, words and phrases strung together in a garble of unrelated information. I listen closely, but the few words I can identify during his mini rant are, “Evan, lazy, dumb shit, a good deal, Mrs. Venti’s hot,” and then, “do I need suntan lotion in Alaska?”

“Okay.” I scrunch my face and cock my head, wondering if one does need suntan lotion in Alaska.

He pauses from his task, removes a flask from his pocket, unscrews the top, and lifts the container skyward. “Cheers to the youth. It’s wasted on the dumb.” He throws back a long gulp.

My brows pop high. This explains the alcohol fumes surrounding him, his bloodshot eyes, the messy nest of gray hair, and the fact that he resembles a bear awoken from hibernation, rather than a functioning human. In a word, he’s trashed.

He rises and teeters. I jump out of his path like he’s a wild animal. He passes and beelines for the front door.

“Everything’s fixed,” he slurs.

“What about these tools?”

“Evan. Useless. Be up directly. I love muumuus.”

Mr. Gusterson pauses before leaving. He motions me forward with a wobble. As if this movement may send him toppling over, he steadies himself with one hand anchored to the door.

“Come here,” he says.

I take wary steps in his direction. Even in his intoxicated state, he must sense my hesitation because he waves harder. When I close in, he latches his bony fingers over my shoulder and leans near.

“A secret,” he says.

I wince at his breath.

He places a single finger to his lips with a shhh noise and confides, “He’s lying.”

“Who?” But I have a sinking suspicion.

He steps back, releasing me, and waves his index finger, pointing. “That’s a freebie. No need to take off your top, kid.”

Feeling embarrassed at the memory of accidentally being topless in front of him, I wrap my arms over my chest and step back. Conversely, Mr. Gusterson seems pleased with himself as he staggers across the hall and disappears into his apartment.

I stand frozen, staring at his closed door, transfixed by this unusual encounter. I shouldn’t care about a mysterious secret from a drunken man I’ve never properly met, but I do. What could Evan be lying about, if we’re even talking about him?

Determined to find out, and perhaps to have a reason to see Evan again, I pack the tools into the toolbox, latch the top, and lug it down the stairs to his apartment. Apparently, he’s returned from wherever he’s been hiding. The backlog of UPS notices are gone from his door.

I knock three times.

Footsteps stomp across the floor on the other side of the door. A shadow crosses the peephole where someone studies me. The door opens and Evan appears. Shirtless. Of course.

A bead of sweat dribbles between his defined pecs. It travels the contouring ripples of his abs, down his navel, and beneath the waistband of his lacrosse shorts. They sit dangerously low and snug across his sculpted hips. I attempt to swallow, but my throat is too tight.

“What’s up?” He appears amused at my reaction. It’s how he acted before I gave him my one-night-stand playing card. Smug. At least I know he’ll be acting normal, whereas I’m not sure if I can.

I clear my throat. “I just—” On my way downstairs, I formulated a plan to mention the odd conversation with Mr. Gusterson, but now my mind registers nada. Zero. Zilch.

“Hey,” Evan says.

It takes a moment to understand he’s not talking to me. His gaze has moved beyond my shoulder. I turn to find a bombshell with sepia brown skin and long dark braids, stroll across the lobby to my side.

She says, “Hey,” to Evan, sidesteps me, and kisses him on the cheek before entering his apartment.