Page 19 of I Knew He Was Trouble
Beautiful pieces of abstract art are perfectly placed on the walls throughout the home. The only thing out of place is Evie’s art on the fridge, filling the space with an array of colors it would otherwise be lacking.
Evie groans, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall. “His room is boring.” She points to the next room on the left. “So is this one. I’m not allowed in there.”
I know what’s behind the door before I even open it. His workout room—therealenemy territory. The room where he blasts his hip-hop music and wakes me up every morning like the class-A jerk he is. I push the door open and find exactly what I expected: a treadmill, a weight bench, dumbbells, and the like. I have no idea what the weird fabric covering all the walls is, but I don’t work out, so maybe that’s a normal thing.
Through the open curtains, I can see the window to my bedroom. A shiver makes its way down my spine, and I quickly pull the door shut.
“Myroom is fun.” Evie leads me to the other side of the hallway. With an air of drama, she throws open a door and flips the light switch. A queen bed sits on the opposite wall with a blush pink bedspread. The entire space is a pink haven, from the curtains and rug to the pom poms hanging from the ceiling.
Even though it may not seem like it from her personality, my roommate Mallory is obsessed with all things pink. But I think even she would be a little overwhelmed by its abundance.
Gesturing to the space, I say, “Your uncle did a great job decorating. You must love pink.”
Evie shrugs. “It was my favorite color yesterday.”
I smile at her honesty. “What is it today?”
“Yellow.” She reaches a pinky out to me. “Don’t tell Uncle Ty. I don’t want him to be sad.”
I wrap my pinky finger around her small one. “I promise.”
He might’ve gone a little overboard, but even I can admit that it was sweet of Tyler to decorate for her.
“Let me introduce you to my stuffies.” Evie leads me to her bed, and there’s an entire lineup of stuffed animals on her mattress.
I smile politely through all theintroductions, knowing I’ll be lucky if I remember any of their names. Let’s just say I lost count after thirty-seven.
After what feels like an eternity, Evie points to the final stuffed animal in her lineup. “And this one is Snuffykins.” Evie hops up on the bed, looking tiny on the queen-sized mattress. “So, what do you think?”
“Snuffykins is the perfect name for a stuffed elephant.”
She nods. “I thought so.”
“What do you want to do until your uncle gets home from work?”
She looks thoughtful before a smile covers her face. “Maybe we could play a game and then make dinner for Uncle Ty.”
I expected a suggestion like playing a game, but I would’ve never guessed she’d suggest we have a meal waiting for Tyler when he gets home.
I raise a brow. “You’d rather cook than go for a walk or ride your bike?”
Evie nods. “Mama said he was nice to let me stay with him. I’m only five, so I can’t cook, but I figured you could. You have to be at least fifteen, right?”
I laugh. “Try twenty-four.”
Her eyes go wide. “You’re almost as old as Uncle Ty.”
“Really?” I ask, running a hand through my hair. I’ve always been curious about how old he was…just because he’s my neighbor, and I feel like I should know those things. No other reason. “How old is he?”
“Thirty. His last birthday party was called ‘Death to My Twenties’. My mama put a bunch of fake tombstones and skeletons in our backyard. Isn’t that scary?”
“Very spooky.” I smirk. “Let’s go find a game to play.”
Evie jumps off the bed and runs out into the hall. Her feet pound down the stairs before I’m even out of her room.
When I reach the living room, Evie already has Trouble set up on the coffee table.
“Oh, I loved this game when I was your age.”
