Page 24 of Aperture

I nod my head in agreement. “You’re so wise,” I tell her.

“Well, fucked up situations with dudes are my specialty,” she deadpans.

“OH! I almost forgot. I am fostering a dog and I’m thinking about keeping him.” I proceed to tell her about Milo and the weird situation with his barking the other night.

“It was probably just a small animal like a squirrel or raccoon. Raccoons are dicks.”

“They are dicks,” I agree. “This stuff going on with the Sierra Falls Strangler had me freaking out a little bit.”

“I think about it, too. I mean, the chances of being murdered have to be astronomically low, but still,” she visibly shudders.

“Yep, and Wyatt says he’s very smart and we, as single women, should all be on alert.”

“Noted. Now, let’s change the subject. This subject is gonna ruin my calorie fest,” Gwen hops off her stool and goes to the counter to order another coffee and cinnamon peach muffin. Gwen points to me and raises her eyebrows in a nonverbal ask if I want another coffee and muffin. I nod accepting another round of carbs and caffeine.

We talk for another forty-five minutes about how her social media stuff is going and my work. At the end of our visit, I feel more relaxed and like that I have a plan moving forward.

I’m going to talk to Wyatt.

Chapter 17

“Uncle Theo!” The kids screech as they run at me full speed once I am inside the door.

“Hey, kiddos!” I beam. I love these tiny people. Being away from them is the most challenging part of what I do. Ellie reaches me first and runs into my arms. I pick her up and swing her around as she squeals happily. I kiss her cheek and then set her down.

Emmett looks up at me but doesn’t raise his arms for a hug. He is getting to that age where he wants to be treated less like a little kid, so I put my fist out for him to bump.

“Hey, Little Man. How’s it going?”

He bumps my fist and smiles. “It’s good, Uncle Theo.”

My sister walks in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a hand towel.

“How was Texas, Sweetie,” she asks as she kisses my cheek.

“Texas was Texas,” I reply. There is not really much to tell. My work is not very exciting and how I spend my extracurricular time with women is not exactly family-friendly conversation. I meet women, use them for the hour, or sometimes the night, and leave before they wake up. Sometimes I do not even tell them my real name. There is never any real connection.

I know deep down that I am fucked up, but no one else needs to be burdened with my issues. I can pay a therapist if I want to talk about it.

“Come get a cup of coffee,” Sarah says.

The kids settle on the couch with their phones and happily block out the rest of the world, and I take a spot at the counter while Sarah pours me a cup of coffee. She leans against the counter sipping her own coffee as she talks.

“So, what’s new, little brother?”

“Not much,” I tell her. “Just the usual. Work, gym—”

“You need to meet someone, Theo,” Sarah cuts me off.

And there it is. My sister is always on my case about “settling down.” It is not that I am opposed to it, but it just doesn’t fit my lifestyle. I’m not sure I am built for it. I like Millie a lot, and it still took me days to respond to her, because the concept of being involved with someone for more than an evening is completely out of my realm.

“You know I can take care of myself, Sis,” I say for the millionth time.

“I know,” she nods her head in agreement. “You’re just such an amazing person and you deserve someone wonderful.”

“I have several someones wonderful,” I say, as I gesture to her and the kids, now arguing over the game they are playing on their respective phones. I can tell she wants to say more, but knows it’s for the best if she just lets it go.

“Oh, I ordered some prints online from that photoshoot we did,” she says as she reaches over to the stack of mail and grabs a thick, white mailer. She withdrawals several pictures and sets them in front of me. I start to go through the pile, smiling at each one. Millie has a great eye. Our family looks great, but not posed and unnatural.