When I pulled up to a house smack dab in the middle of a normal looking street in a normal looking neighborhood, my heart sank.
I thought Josh was having me meet him for a drink or for something to eat.
But this was a house.
A normal looking house.
Before I could reach for my phone to text him - or better yet call him and ask what the hell was going on - the front door opened, and Josh stepped out and waved.
I smiled, but that faded when I saw a little boy step up next to him.
Josh put his hand over the little boy’s head.
I still got out of the car and approached the house.
My facial expression must have asked the obvious question as Josh smiled as big as I’d ever seen him before.
“He’s my nephew,” he said. “Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“My best friend, Aaron. It’s his kid. This is Toby.”
“Toby,” I said. “Hey.”
“Toby, this is my friend Amelia.”
“Your friend is a girl,” Toby said.
“Don’t worry, little buddy, she has no cooties or whatever it’s called these days.”
Toby shrugged his shoulders, turned, and went back inside.
“You coming in or what?” Josh asked.
“What is this?” I asked.
“I’m babysitting.”
I laughed. The words Josh and babysitting did not seem to belong in the same sentence.
“I know that look,” he said.
“What?”
“The shock. You’re wondering how stupid could the parents be to leave their kid with me.”
“No. I didn’t say that.”
Josh leaned down and softly kissed my cheek. His stubble tickled me yet sent tingles through my body. “You didn’t have to say it. Come on in.”
I followed him into the house and the entire thing was crazy.
“Is this okay?” I asked Josh.
“It’s fine,” he said.
He led the way to the kitchen and Toby popped out from behind the island and let out a yell. Josh jumped back.
“Damn, little buddy,” he yelled. “You got me.”
Josh took a breath and touched his chest.
“Yes,” Toby said. “I always win.”
“Yeah, you do,” Josh said.
I stood and watched, trying to contain my smile. My mind kept playing the images of Josh with a baseball bat, smashing up a van. Or throwing rocks through windows. Or drinking and smoking. And here he was as a babysitter. As Uncle Josh.
This was a very different side of him. One I had never seen before.
“Can I have more chocolate milk?” Toby asked.
“I don’t know, little buddy.”
“Come on,” Toby yelled. “We’re having fun.”
“That we are,” Josh said. “You’re tough. Let me think about it.” He rubbed his jaw. “Let’s ask Amelia.”
“Me?” I asked.
“Go ahead, Toby,” Josh said. “Ask her.”
Toby looked at me. His eyes were big and blue. His little round face had pinchable cheeks.
“Can I please have chocolate milk, Amelia?” he asked.
Heart. Exploding.
“How do I say no to that?” I asked Josh.
“You don’t,” he said.
Josh turned and got a cup out of the cabinet.
“Yes!” Toby said to himself.
Josh made Toby sit at the kitchen island to drink the chocolate milk.
“Early shift, huh?” Josh asked me.
“Yeah. I was covering for someone. Glad I got out of there when it started to get busy.”
“You wanted to hang out with me.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“How’s your roommate?”
“Josh…”
“I won’t say anything inappropriate around Toby,” he said with a devilish smile.
“She’s fine. She’s emotional.”
“Unlike you?”
“Thanks.”
“What? You two don’t seem to match up as roommates.”
“It matched when I needed a place to stay.”
“Panic decision?”
“Something like that.”
“Bad breakup?”
“What?” I asked.
“I figure most panic moving decisions are because of a breakup. Right? You were with someone. Moved into his place. Things go south. Now you’re out on your ass.”
Toby giggled.
“Sorry,” Josh said. He pointed at Toby. “You didn’t hear that.”
“You’re painting quite the story, Josh,” I said.
“Is it true?” he asked.
“Does it matter to you?”
“No. I’m just making conversation. You don’t seem like you enjoy living where you’re at. So I’m finding out why you live there. And why you stay.”
“Well, it’s simple, but not simple at the same time.”
“Meaning a guy is involved,” Josh said.
“I’m sensing jealousy.”
“Not even close, love.”
“Well, if you must know the truth,” I said.
I started to open my mouth when the door behind Josh opened. In walked a man and a woman.
“Well, the house didn’t burn down,” the man said.
“Who the hell is that?” the woman asked, pointing at me.
And Josh being Josh…
He just laughed.
“Oh, god, please say you’re not sleeping with him.”
“What?” I asked, my cheeks feeling suddenly warm.
“Damn, Rae,” Josh said. “Take it easy.”
“It’s my house,” Rae said.
“Everyone, freeze,” Josh said. “This is Amelia. She’s an old friend of mine. We go way back. Way, way back. Okay? She’s a writer. She was doing a piece on my artwork. We were going over some notes and ideas. That’s all.” He looked at me and winked. “And Amelia, this is my best friend in the world…. and her husband.”
“Ha,” Rae said. “Very funny.”
“I’m Aaron,” the man said as he reached for me.
We shook hands. “Sorry to be here. I didn’t, uh… Josh…”
“Say no more,” Rae said. “Should have known we’d come home to either the house trashed, Josh drunk, or a woman walking around.”
“At least she’s clothed,” Josh said.
“Josh!” I yelled.
Aaron started to laugh. “This is too much.”
“Is that chocolate milk?” Rae asked.
“My second cup,” Toby said.
“Are you kidding me?” Rae asked.
She was almost as tall as Josh, skinny, dark hair, and her eyes narrowed and tilted just enough to make her look like an evil villain from a movie. But I liked her. The way she looked at Josh and the way Josh looked as though he was going to back down from her.
“She did it,” Josh said and pointed to me.
“I did what?”
“Gave the kid chocolate milk,” he said.
“Do you want her to write the truth about you?” Aaron asked.
“Oh, I know the truth already,” I said. “I’m trying to dig through it to find something nice to say.”