Page 88 of Love It or List It
Austin grunted.
“Though we can’t test that when Will’s home.You’re also a screamer.”
Another grunt, and Austin flailed a limp arm in Joe’s direction.Joe caught it and laced their fingers together.
“Asshole.”
“You’re great too, darling,” Joe crooned and kissed his cheek.
In a moment, he would drag himself out of bed so he could start the cleanup.Gavin had texted earlier to say he’d drop Will home around nine, so they only had a couple of hours to get presentable.But for now he was content to enjoy the reprieve from sullen teenager that their bed offered.
At least he was until the phone rang.
“Tell them I’m dead,” Austin grumbled, digging his face under a pillow.
Joe fumbled on the nightstand.“It’s not for you.”
One of his feet nudged Joe’s shin.“Tell them you’re busy taking care of me because I’m dead.”
But it was Starling, and Joe had spent weeks stockpiling ammunition about her supersonic relationship with Linda, and blasting her about it was his preferred expression of joy, after fucking Austin into Jell-O, so he picked up.“Well, if it isn’t the pot calling the kettle.”
“Hi, Joe,” Starling said, all false brightness.“Surprised Austin let you off your leash long enough to get to the phone.”
The volume must’ve been loud enough for Austin to hear, because he raised his hand with one finger pointed.
“He says fuck you,” Joe relayed.
“I’d say it back, but I know what your post-sex voice sounds like.Will out today?”
“You and Starling need to set boundaries,” Austin grumbled.
Joe soothed him with scalp scritches.“For now,” he said.“What’s up?Haven’t seen your truck at Linda’s inhours.Trouble in paradise?”
“Not our paradise,” Starling said.“My sister called again.”
Uh-oh.Joe sat up.Next to him, Austin turned over, eyes suddenly serious.“Bad news?”
“I mean,” she waffled.“It’s not good news?So, uh, my nephew’s going to need surgery, in Toronto, like… soon.Basically as soon as he gains enough weight.”
Joe’s heart skipped a beat.“Oh my God.What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know exactly?Something with his heart, I guess.The good news is the doctors are confident they can fix it, it’s just… scary, you know?Bad enough for me.I can’t imagine how Skyler feels.”
“Can we help at all?I could make a casserole or something.”
“I’ll check their fluids and tires before they drive up,” Austin offered, and Joe relayed that too.
“Thank you, guys.I’ll let you know, okay?”
The conversation petered out quickly.Joe imagined it wouldn’t be long before Starling pulled back into Linda’s driveway for a different sort of comfort, and he hoped it helped.
Fortunately, Will came home in something approaching reasonable spirits for once.He and Gavin had been paired together on a project for their marketing class—something about designing a website.He spoke four whole voluntary sentences about it, unprompted even.
Maybe Will just needed a little more normalcy.A school routine, seeing his friends.Obviously he wasn’t going to get over his parents’ assholery overnight, but progress was progress.An evening where Will didn’t cry or act like he wanted to make Joe or Austin cry?Joe would take it.
And the timing was good, because when they were sitting around the table after—Gavin’s mother had sent Will home with a tin of cookies to share, and he must really have been in a good mood, because he’d actually done it—Joe’s phone chirped again, this time with a weather alert.
It wasn’t anything apocalyptic or even unusual.Winter weather advisory.Surprise!It was winter in Canada and weather happened.Locally the forecast called for a few centimeters of snow or potentially freezing rain.
