Page 45 of The Other Guy

He stands up and moves in front of me, placing his hands on my shoulders and bending down a little so we’re eye-to-eye. “Sure thing, honey. You gonna be okay?”

I nod and offer up a smile before giving him a tight hug. Uncle Kyle gives the best hugs ever. None of that limp noodle arms banded around me. “Better than. I’ll tell you the story but first I want to change clothes and take a quick shower. I’ve been wearing this since last night.”

“Go right ahead. You know where everything is. This is your home now. For however long you need it to be.”

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I head upstairs, stopping briefly in my new bedroom to grab some clothes and my toiletry bag then go across the hallway to take a shower.

Clean, lotioned up, hair washed and towel-dried, I get into some of the comfiest clothes I own. Bulky hoodie, sweats that have definitely seen their better days, fuzzy socks, and best part? No bra.

I make a quick stop back in my bedroom to look around. I have boxes and suitcases all over the plush tan carpeting. The full-size bed is simple. No headboard. White and tan comforter and sheet set. A plain dresser sits across from it. A mirror hangs from the wall. It’s not fancy, then again, neither is Kyle. And I’m not either. It suits me fine. It’s not permanent, but it’s warm and inviting and exactly what I need.

Tomorrow I’ll tackle getting settled in.

Tonight I plan to get a stomach ache eating my weight in pizza and brownies.

“Say what now?”

“You heard me right. The texts that Jack has been receiving were because of my cheating ex-boyfriend Jeff.”

“No.”

“Oh, yeah,” I say, laughing lowly as I mix the brownie batter. I find Kyle’s secret (well, he thought it was) stash of candy and chop up some M&M’s, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and extra chocolate chips before spooning the batter into the baking dish he set out for me.

“That’s not right.”

“I know. It was crazy. This Whitney girl was about to go crazy but when she dumped a full glass of beer on Jeff’s head, I kind of wanted to bow to her. It was great.”

He watches me as I slide the pan into the oven, shaking his head. “Fuck, I wish I could have seen that.”

“Tsk, tsk, Uncle Kyle. You with your naughty words. Are we gonna need a swear jar?”

“That thing would be filled by Monday. And not just from me.”

“Touché.”

I set the timer on the oven so I don’t forget to get the brownies out and move the bowl and spoon to the sink to give them a quick wash.

“And does Jack know this?”

I look over my shoulder at him with a sly grin. “Not yet.”

“You little shit. What did you do?”

“I texted him. After Jeff was kicked out of the bar, I stayed and finished my meal because… duh, I’m not an idiot…”

“Of course not…”

“And then I had a few more beers and they flowed pretty well through me. So I marched over to Whitney Big Boobs and asked for her phone. Then I memorized the number and texted him to let him know what a good time I had that night.”

“You were drunk?”

“Mm hmm.”

“You really think you memorized the right number?”

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