Page 26 of John Wilder Gets Schooled
I laughed too, glad I’d spent the morning with Gracie’s class, and not just because I apparently now had a fan club but because it felt good to be appreciated—and not just by the kids. I sat down and finished the story, and if my gaze kept finding Avery where he was leaning against his desk as he listened with a smile on his face, then what did that matter?
Cassidy calledafter I sent her all the photos I took of Gracie at the Adventurama. Gracie and I talked with her for a while, and then after Gracie was in bed that night, I went out onto the porch and called her again.
“Do you really not remember going to the Adventurama when we were in kindergarten?” she asked me.
My phone screen was bright, illuminating the porch as I sat on the steps. “Maybe I blacked it out because I was bit by a goose or something.”
Cassidy laughed. “Yeah, that tracks.” Her expression grew serious. “Whatever you decide about this weekend, I’ll back you. I know Mom especially has been overstepping since I left. It’s like she’s testing the waters now I’m not there, to see how far she can push you.”
“I know your parents love Gracie,” I said, “and I know they genuinely miss having her live with them, but the church thing is crossing the line. There is no fucking way I am letting Gracie anywhere near my folks.”
“I know,” Cassidy said. “And like I said, whatever you decide, I’ll support you. But Gracie’s lived with my folks her entire life, you know? She probably misses them.”
“Yeah.” That was true. For all that Mr. and Mrs. Moore were judgmental assholes who probably wished I’d fall off a roof and die, they adored Gracie and she was always excited when she went to stay with them. It wasn’t fair to take that away from her.
Cassidy bit her bottom lip, the way she did when she was thinking hard. “For what it’s worth, I read Mom the riot act, so I don’t think she’s going to try to take Gracie to church anymore. But if you don’t trust her, well, I get it.”
I let out a slow breath. “I was thinking, instead of getting her Saturdays and Sundays, maybe they could take her on Friday nights and I could get her back on Sunday morning when they goto church? That way they’re not missing out on going, but they still get to see Gracie.”
It’d work for me too. If I got Gracie back on Sunday instead of Monday, the school run wouldn’t be such a rush, and maybe I wouldn’t be late again. It’d mean not taking jobs from Candii on Sunday nights from now on, but I’d have Friday nights free instead, and more people wanted strippers on a Friday than a Sunday.
“That could work,” Cassidy said. “Want me to run it by them and see if they agree?”
“Yeah, please.” Technically it wasn’t their call to make, but they’d take it better from Cassidy than me.
We talked for a while longer until Cassidy had to go, and after she ended the call I sat on the porch and soaked up the quiet of the evening. From inside, I could hear Danny and Chase talking. I’d head on in shortly, but first I wanted to sit with my feelings for a bit. It was good catching up with Cassidy, but talking about her parents—and mine by extension, thanks to the church thing—always left me with a ball of tension in my gut that I hated and didn’t want to inflict on the guys.
The quiet was broken a little while later by the roar of Cash’s dirt bike. He puttered to a stop in the driveway and saw me sitting there. He waved as he approached, and I waved back. Then he hurried up the steps, almost tripping as the board on the second step lifted. Danny and I had nailed that bastard thing down a bunch of times, but the wood was so warped it needed replacing.
Cash caught himself on the rail and glared at the step.
“You okay?”
He nodded and ducked inside the house.
I looked over at Avery’s house. The lights were on, but I couldn’t see anyone moving around in there. I wondered what he was up to—not in a stalkery way, but more in a “what does a guy who lives alone do with himself at night” kind of way. Apart fromgoing to bars and getting lap dances, obviously. And anyway, that seemed like more of a weekend activity.
I turned my attention to the fucked-up step. I reached out and pulled at it, and it creaked and twisted in my hand. I guessed I knew what my weekend activity was gonna be. It was part of the deal with living here. I did any repairs around the place that I could manage that didn’t involve electricity or water. I was happy to do it for Danny’s grandma. Hell, I’d do pretty much anything for the woman who’d taken one look at me when I turned up on her doorstep with my clothes in a garbage bag and a hangdog expression, figured out what the deal was, and said, “Well, obviously, you’ll live here with us.”
When I said she’d saved my life, I wasn’t kidding. So yeah, replacing a step? No big deal. Hell, I might as well replace the other two while I had my tools out. I tried to figure out if I had money for lumber.
Danny came outside and sat next to me. Cash had obviously made his feelings clear because Danny prodded at the loose board.
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “You want me to replace all the steps while I’m at it?”
Danny nodded. “Good idea. I’ll pick up the lumber when I get paid Friday.”
“Works for me. Gracie’s at her grandparents’ house this weekend, so it gives me something to do.”
I pulled out my phone and showed Danny the pictures from the petting zoo, and he laughed fondly. “Holy shit, I can’t believe that place still exists.”
“Yeah, but they’ve upgraded from when we were kids,” I said. “There’s a three-legged dog now. And Gracie loved it. By the way we’re not getting a kitten, no matter what she tells you.”
He snorted. “Understood.”
We sat there for a while longer while we figured out what I’d need to fix the steps, and then Danny went inside. Before I followed him in, I glanced over at Avery’s place again. Maybe Iwas imagining it, but it felt like something had shifted between us after the trip to the zoo.
I wouldn’t lie. The idea that I might have won Avery’s approval had a warmth unfurling in my chest and my heart beating a little faster. It was exactly how I’d felt back in high school when Cassidy had first agreed to go on a date with me—which was weird and kind of confusing, honestly, because it wasn’t like I was attracted to Avery Smith.
