Page 25 of Love It or List It
“So, you’re stealing his looksandhis sexuality?”Alex snarked.
“Young one,” Joe said seriously, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
Austin nearly snorted cream soda out his nose.
“Excuses,” Gavin said.He waved his pizza in the air while he spoke.“You just don’t have any game.”
“It’s true,” Alex agreed.“No game.”
“I’ve never even seen you flirt.”
Joe stared.“Did you want to?”
Alex made a face, and Gavin shrugged.
“Aren’t you supposed to model healthy adult relationships for us and shit?”
Joe looked at Austin.“I regret my life choices.”
“But they’re so entertaining.”Austin wiped a smear of pizza grease off his chin.“Being a single dad must be so hard.”
“If it is,” Gavin said sagely, “he’s taking care of it by himself.”
“Ugh.”Alex threw down their pizza.“Gross.Really, Gavin?While we’reeating?”
Where had his paper towel gone?It took Austin a moment to locate it, stuck with cheese to the bottom of his paper plate.“Kid,” he said, meeting Gavin’s eyes across the room.“You say he’s got no game.”
“He categorically has no game,” Gavin proclaimed.“He’s been single forso long.It’s sad.”
Austin glanced at Joe, who had taken the teasing with good grace, mostly, but now looked kind of miserable.Austin could only guess he was thinking of his last relationship and its untimely demise, and Gavin’s well-meaning interference wasn’t helping.
“He owns his own business,” Austin said.“He plays piano.Good body.Greatass.His face is okay.”
Alex cackled.Joe said, with furrowed brow, “Thanks?”
Gavin only raised his eyebrows and gestured for Austin to continue.
“From where I’m sitting, he’s got plenty of game.”He paused for dramatic effect and threw his napkin at Gavin’s head.“He just ain’t playing.”
It would’ve been a good mic-drop moment, but Joe ruined it by clapping once and then pointing, like a dad.“Yes,” he said.“Exactly.”
Austin sighed and shook his head.“Never mind.”
They packed the rest of the pizza into the trailer fridge and split up to go back to work.Joe and Gavin stayed downstairs to start moving boxes out to the garage or the pole barn or the dumpster, and Austin and Alex went upstairs.
“Keep an eye out for any little typewriter bits,” Austin said as he unfastened the headboard for the twin bed.“I’m missing a couple keys.”
Alex peered at him from where they were holding the wood steady so it didn’t crush Austin’s noggin when the bolts came out.“I thought it didn’t work.”
He snorted, then grimaced and put a little more elbow grease on the wrench.“Yeah, but I can fix that if I find the letters.”The nut finally eased, and he picked up the drill with the socket attachment from the floor beside him to finish the job.
“Cool.”
He looked up.“Yeah, it is.I like saving things from being junk.”
They grinned.“This house is really testing you, eh?”
He laughed and started work on the second bolt.“You’re not wrong.”
