Page 24 of Stupid Dirty

True. Damn.

“Okay, point. Um…” Taking a swig of my not-cold-enough beer, I let my mind keep wandering through everything dirt bike adjacent that might have a paycheck attached. And then it hits me.

“Oh! Oh! Fuck yeah! Silas, I am so smart. If we weren’t already besties, this would cement it. Hell, you might want to marry me for it.”

The flat look I get in response tells me I’m not as cute as I think I am, but I disagree. Still grinning, I explain.

“I know a guy who has an auto shop just outside of town. It was his dad’s, but his dad passed last year and he’s been running it by himself ever since. I don’t think he’s planning on hiring anyone because he’s the textbook definition of a loner, but he has a soft spot for me. I bet I could convince him to take you on as an apprentice, or something. Mostly cars, obviously, which you’d have to learn, but most people take their bikes to him as well if it’s not too complicated, because the nearest specialist is halfway across the state. Mechanic, that might be a sweet gig for you? Lots of engines, not too many people. Zero facial expressions required.”

Silas eyes me with suspicion. I get it, this kind of sounds too good to be true. And I have no way of knowing if I can convince Ford to hire him. But it’s worth a shot, at least.

Plus, Ford and I aren’t super close, but I’m not crazy about him being out there all alone now that his dad’s gone. He and Silas might be good company for each other. Even if neither of them would ever admit it.

“I don’t know, Cade. If he needed help, I’m sure he’d have hired someone already, right?”

“Ah, see, that’s the thing. I’m pretty sure Ford would rather be crushed to death under an engine block than go through the process of finding, interviewing, and hiring someone. But if I present you to him, gift-wrapped and ready to go, that’s a lot harder to say no to.”

Silas continues to be a brick wall of incredulity.

“He’s really that much of a loner? Then why does he tolerate you?”

“Because I’m charming as fuck, robot boy. I won you over, didn’t I?” I laugh and start ripping the label off my beer in little shreds, so I have something to do with my fingers. “No, seriously. He was in some kind of accident when he was a kid, and he lost the use of his voice. After that, he pretty much only spent time with his dad. He got in a lot of fights when he was younger, ended up with a bad rep. I know a lot of people are weird around him, and I think he likes that I don’t act like I’m scared of him. Come on, you barely talk, he doesn’t talk at all, you’re both huge fans of brooding like the lead in a tacky vampire novel… It’s a match made in heaven! I’m doing it.”

I pull out my phone and start texting Ford without waiting for an answer.

Silas shrugs, which is more enthusiasm than I expected, honestly.

“Okay, it’s worth a shot. Thanks, Cade.”

He keeps watching me, and for whatever reason, his gaze feels heavier than usual. But not in a bad way. It’s almost grounding. It feels like this conversation is important, and something about that makes me feel more solid in return.

By the time we flesh out all the details, we have a solid plan to work on and Silas seems less adrift in the face of his impending future. But it’s also late as hell, and we’ve had a few beers. We’reboth too tired to give a shit about how cramped and shitty my bed is when we collapse into it.

Silas knocks out the second his head hits the pillow. Good. I bet this has been eating at him more than he’ll admit.

I close my eyes and let myself drift off, comforted by the rhythmic sound of his breathing. He deserves some rest, at last, and for whatever reason, it feels damn good to be the person who gets to give it to him.

Chapter Ten

When Cade initially told me he was adopting me as his friend, I kind of thought he was joking.

Then, I assumed it was some sort of pity-project that he would eventually lose interest in.

But it’s been nearly a month now, and he’s never wavered. Then last night, the way he saw through me and gave me exactly what I didn’t realize I needed—to not be alone in that stupid empty house—was incredible.

If this is what having a best friend is like, I get what I’ve been missing all this time.

I got to see his life, and it only sucked me further into his world. Sure, it’s not what most people would picture as an ideal family life. ‘Chaotic’ was the first word that came to mind when we walked inside.

Although that’s also one of the first words that comes to mind when I think about Cade, so…

Even though it’s loud and messy and his mom is kind of a lot, he was so in his element. It was incredible to watch. He handledhis sisters easily and with this kind of raw, naked affection that I’ve never seen in anyone before, let alone someone who’s not even their actual parent.

Cade and his mom—Kris, he told me her name later—have this weird bitchy relationship that made me uncomfortable at first, but even that turned out to be super affectionate, once I got used to it.

He’s like the Energizer Bunny of compassion. He never stops. First, he settled down the house. Then, he solved my job problem, getting more excited in the process than anyone has ever been to help me with anything, I think. Then we went inside, where he made sure his mom was as okay as she could be.

His sisters were still awake, and he never forgot his promise to Sky that he would read with her. I occupied myself by cleaning up the messy kitchen while I listened to all three of them read together in the bedroom, constantly interrupted by bouts of laughter. Even from the older sister.

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