Page 41 of Craving Theodora
I paused on my way across the kitchen as Finn stopped abruptly in front of me, his arms wrapped around a gallon of milk. He twisted to look at Curtis.
“Hey, where’s Dylan?”
Chapter 7
Curtis
After three nightsof making myself scarce until I knew Teddy was asleep, I was done hiding out in the bathroom. Using long-ass showers as an excuse only went so far. The woman probably thought I had some kind of issue with shitting.
She was already in bed, her back to the headboard and her knees pulled up under the comforter, when I walked into the room.
“Oh,” she said, straightening. “Hey.”
“You cool if I turn this off?” I asked, walking toward the light switch.
Apparently, she’d had the same idea as I did because every other time I’d come out after my shower, she’d been curled up on her side in the dark.
“Yeah, go ahead,” she replied with a nod. “I was just going through my mental list.”
“Your mental list?”
“You know, the list of things in your head that you know you have to get done?” She watched me move back toward the bed, trying and failing to act unconcerned. “I’ve gotten most of it done. I called the kids’ school and got their stuff transferred—”
“Did you know Kara is a counselor at the high school?” I asked, sliding into bed. “She can help with any of Jesse’s shit.”
“Yeah, she told me yesterday.”
Yesterday, my brother and his girls had ambushed us at dinner time. The house had been loud as fuck while the little kids ran around. Thankfully, Jesse seemed more than comfortablehanging with the adults, because with Dylan holing himself up in his room, they’d had no one their age around.
“Oh, good.”
“The fridge is full,” Teddy continued. “I called and quit my job. All that shit. Now I just need to find a new one and figure out some furniture for the kids so they can stop sleeping on the damn floor.”
“My uncle, Leo, said they’ve got a twin mattress they don’t need.” I’d forgotten all about it until she said something. “They had a bunk bed in one of their rooms that they’re not usin’ anymore, so I think the mattress is pretty new.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Should be a good one too. Their place is pretty nice.”
“Damn. That’s awesome.”
“He said they’ll bring it on Saturday. We can put it in the back of Dyl’s truck.”
“Is he actually going on Saturday?” she asked doubtfully.
I sighed as I lifted up onto my elbow. “I’m not givin’ him a choice.”
“Good luck with that.”
“He knows he gets to fly out to see Isla in six weeks. We agreed to that shit. He can stay with his mom or one of his buds.”
“Six weeks is an eternity when you’re seventeen.”
“Gonna be a lot longer than six weeks if he doesn’t pull his head out and stop poutin’.”
“Fair enough.”
“I get it,” I said with a huff. “He’s bummed. But he couldn’t have seriously thought that their little plan was gonna work out. He’s an idiot, but he’s not stupid.”
