“You’re not.” And then he smiles, penetrating my will, including the ones begging me to right the lie before it ends this. Knee deep in the haze of him, I feel our souls grabbing at one another. Begging us to listen. And when I stare into his eyes, it’s as if my heart is screaming at me. Look here, listen up, it’s this one. The one we’ve been searching for.
Of all the times for parts to be on time.
BARRON
I have to think of another way to draw this out longer. Friday is coming too fast. But, I also have work to do. It’s easy to forget you have a job when pussy is all you can think of. I do get some work done though. It takes up the majority of the day. With the help of the guys, we get the side of the building repaired too. Which is nice because it’s fourteen degrees outside and having a hole in the building is inconvenient.
As I’m packing up for the day, Camdyn comes into the shop with bright red lips. “Hi, Daddy.”
I glance down at her, confused. “Why are your lips red?”
She shrugs. “I found Kacy’s lipstick.”
I lean into the side of my toolbox, fighting off laughter. “And you thought you’d put it on?”
“I look pretty.”
“You look like Aerosmith.”
“Who’s that?”
“The Joker from Batman’s brother.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Go wash your face before we leave.”
She leaves and I shake my head. Jace approaches, grinning. “Why does Camdyn have lipstick all over her face?”
I hand him a repair order for the backhoe in his stall. “She got into Kacy’s lipstick.”
Tipping his hat with grease smeared all over his face, he glances at the repair order and then me again. “Hmm. You know what they say about red lipstick.”
“No. What do they say?” I stare at his hair oil-soaked hair. “And why are you covered in oil?”
“Slutty.” He winks, stepping back away from me. “Oil was hot when it came out and soaked me.”
I know he’s talking about changing the oil in the backhoe, but I laugh, thinking it’s fitting. “She’s not slutty.”
A gruff laugh rumbles through him. “You don’t know anything about her.”
“Not true,” I point out. “Her dad’s the drummer for Final Code.”
He stares at me blankly. “No shit?”
“Yep.” I gesture to his phone in his other hand. “Did you call Abbi?”
“No,” he mumbles, his voice barely heard of the sharp ping of a revving two-stroke sound in the shop.
I turn to see Rhett on the mini bike. “You’re going to let her marry that pediatrician?”
He shrugs, watchful of Rhett riding through the shop on a mini bike with Sev. At least she’s wearing a helmet. “Dude, do something. The wedding is coming up.”
“I have plenty of time. It’s not for a couple months.”
“Still….”
“Still what?”
“I don’t know. Just do something or you’re going to be miserable.”
He reaches for a towel on my toolbox and wipes his face. “You’re one to talk.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re miserable.”
He has a point. “Which is why I’m telling you to do something. Don’t be like me. What does Josie say?” Josie is Jace’s twin sister. She’s also best friends with Abbi and has no idea that Abbi and Jace had been fucking each other all through high school. How, I’m not sure.
“Nothing. She’s too caught up in planning her best friend’s wedding to know I’m losing my shit over it.”
“You could have said something before she left,” I point out.
He clicks his tongue and throws the towel he had at my face. “And you could fuck that girl in there and marry her, but you probably won’t because you’re a pussy.”
I shoot him a warning look, partly because he’s right, and the other, obviously. “I sign your paychecks, asshole.”
“Whatever.” Sighing, he pockets his cell phone and then leaves. I think about what he said. I’m miserable. Am I? I’ve spent the last three years raising kids and working my ass off. I wouldn’t say I’m miserable, but these last few days with Kacy have proven to me that I don’t have much of a life outside of my kids.
Or privacy.
All that gets me thinking about ways to get Kacy to stay longer. And not get a hotel room.
The day I had kids was the day they became my allies for lying. It’s called parent code. Look it up. It’s a thing. I shouldn’t have to ask them to lie for me. They’re my kids. I can make them do what I want. And that includes lying for me.
I also knew after the tire incident Camdyn would be no help. Damn kid had a conscience.
Sev, on the other hand, she tried to cut my hair with a knife the other day. She doesn’t give a fuck about consequences.
With her sweaty hair matted to her face and smelling like gasoline, I level Sev a serious look, hoping she picks up on it. “What’s the one thing you want more than anything in the world?”
Her eyes widen. “A sword.”
“Done.” Don’t freak out. I never said it’d be a real one.
She holds out her hand to shake mine. “Done.”
“Now act like you broke your ankle.”
“How do I do that?”
“Limp.”
“Like this?”
“No. I mean like Nana Mel when she threw her back out.” She tries again, and it looks as if someone detached her leg from her body. “What are you doing? I said, your ankle. Not your hip.”
She throws her hands up in the air. “Where’s my ankle?”
“There.”
She points to her hip. “I thought dis is.”
“What the fuck have they been teaching you in school?”
“I not go to school.”
“Right. So this is your elbow.” I tickle her elbow and then slide my hand to hers. “Hand.” I touch her hip playfully. “That’s your hip and this is your knee. And this, crazy, is your ankle.”
“Got it.” She cackles, trying to pry herself from my arms. “Stop, Daddy. That tickles.” When I don’t stop, she squishes my cheeks together so hard it actually pinches. “Stop.”
“Now, help me steal this battery.” I point to the door. “Don’t let anyone come through that door, and then act like you hurt yourself.”
“Deal.”
While Sev watches the door to the office, I take the battery out of Kacy’s car, hide it in the parts room, and then carry Sev into the office. “Little girl hurt her ankle.”
Immediate attention from Kacy and Lillian. “Oh no.” Kacy reaches for her. “What happened?” So clueless. Or she’s playing dumb for the sake of letting me have my fun. I don’t know.
Sev immediately goes to Kacy, resting her head on her shoulders. If you look close enough, you can see the smirk she’s keeping at bay.
“I need to order a battery too,” I tell Kacy, kissing Sev’s forehead, inches from Kacy’s face. There’s a good part of me that nearly kisses her too. But I don’t. “It’s missing.”