“Damn, little buddy,” he yelled. “You got me.”
Josh took a breath and touched his chest.
“Yes,” Toby said. “I always win.”
“Yeah, you do,” Josh said.
I stood and watched, trying to contain my smile. My mind kept playing the images of Josh with a baseball bat, smashing up a van. Or throwing rocks through windows. Or drinking and smoking. And here he was as a babysitter. As Uncle Josh.
This was a very different side of him. One I had never seen before.
“Can I have more chocolate milk?” Toby asked.
“I don’t know, little buddy.”
“Come on,” Toby yelled. “We’re having fun.”
“That we are,” Josh said. “You’re tough. Let me think about it.” He rubbed his jaw. “Let’s ask Amelia.”
“Me?” I asked.
“Go ahead, Toby,” Josh said. “Ask her.”
Toby looked at me. His eyes were big and blue. His little round face had pinchable cheeks.
“Can I please have chocolate milk, Amelia?” he asked.
Heart. Exploding.
“How do I say no to that?” I asked Josh.
“You don’t,” he said.
Josh turned and got a cup out of the cabinet.
“Yes!” Toby said to himself.
Josh made Toby sit at the kitchen island to drink the chocolate milk.
“Early shift, huh?” Josh asked me.
“Yeah. I was covering for someone. Glad I got out of there when it started to get busy.”
“You wanted to hang out with me.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“How’s your roommate?”
“Josh…”
“I won’t say anything inappropriate around Toby,” he said with a devilish smile.
“She’s fine. She’s emotional.”
“Unlike you?”
“Thanks.”
“What? You two don’t seem to match up as roommates.”
“It matched when I needed a place to stay.”
“Panic decision?”
“Something like that.”
“Bad breakup?”
“What?” I asked.
“I figure most panic moving decisions are because of a breakup. Right? You were with someone. Moved into his place. Things go south. Now you’re out on your ass.”
Toby giggled.
“Sorry,” Josh said. He pointed at Toby. “You didn’t hear that.”
“You’re painting quite the story, Josh,” I said.
“Is it true?” he asked.
“Does it matter to you?”
“No. I’m just making conversation. You don’t seem like you enjoy living where you’re at. So I’m finding out why you live there. And why you stay.”
“Well, it’s simple, but not simple at the same time.”
“Meaning a guy is involved,” Josh said.
“I’m sensing jealousy.”
“Not even close, love.”
“Well, if you must know the truth,” I said.
I started to open my mouth when the door behind Josh opened. In walked a man and a woman.
“Well, the house didn’t burn down,” the man said.
“Who the hell is that?” the woman asked, pointing at me.
And Josh being Josh…
He just laughed.
“Oh, god, please say you’re not sleeping with him.”
“What?” I asked, my cheeks feeling suddenly warm.
“Damn, Rae,” Josh said. “Take it easy.”
“It’s my house,” Rae said.
“Everyone, freeze,” Josh said. “This is Amelia. She’s an old friend of mine. We go way back. Way, way back. Okay? She’s a writer. She was doing a piece on my artwork. We were going over some notes and ideas. That’s all.” He looked at me and winked. “And Amelia, this is my best friend in the world…. and her husband.”
“Ha,” Rae said. “Very funny.”
“I’m Aaron,” the man said as he reached for me.
We shook hands. “Sorry to be here. I didn’t, uh… Josh…”
“Say no more,” Rae said. “Should have known we’d come home to either the house trashed, Josh drunk, or a woman walking around.”
“At least she’s clothed,” Josh said.
“Josh!” I yelled.
Aaron started to laugh. “This is too much.”
“Is that chocolate milk?” Rae asked.
“My second cup,” Toby said.
“Are you kidding me?” Rae asked.
She was almost as tall as Josh, skinny, dark hair, and her eyes narrowed and tilted just enough to make her look like an evil villain from a movie. But I liked her. The way she looked at Josh and the way Josh looked as though he was going to back down from her.
“She did it,” Josh said and pointed to me.
“I did what?”
“Gave the kid chocolate milk,” he said.
“Do you want her to write the truth about you?” Aaron asked.
“Oh, I know the truth already,” I said. “I’m trying to dig through it to find something nice to say.”
“How’s that going?” Rae asked.
“I’m a good writer but he gives me writer’s block.”
Rae smiled. “I think I like you.”
“How was your dinner?” Josh asked.
“Good,” Aaron said. “How was your… whatever you did here with my kid?”
“We played with guns,” Toby said.
“Wait a second,” Josh said. “It was a spoon and a ladle.”
“I shot Uncle Josh ten times,” Toby said.
“Thanks for this,” Rae said. “You never fail to disappoint me.”
“It’s what I do best,” Josh said. “And you’re welcome for getting out of the house.”
Rae lifted Toby from his seat. “I’m going to wash him up.”
Rae left the kitchen.
Josh blew her a kiss.
“Easy, man,” Aaron said, punching Josh’s arm.
“I thought some pizza would get the stick out of her ass,” Josh said.
“Hey,” I said and punched his other arm.
“What the hell?” Josh growled.
“That’s your best friend’s… wife?” I asked.
Josh laughed. “They’re not married. Aaron doesn’t have the balls to ask Rae.”
“Yeah, you can leave now,” Aaron said. He looked at me. “Sorry you know him. It’s a curse that never ends.”
“I know it,” I said.
Aaron started to move, and Josh grabbed his arm. “Hey. I’m always here to help. Might not seem like it. But I am. The kid didn’t get hurt. We had fun.”
“I know,” Aaron said. He looked at me again. “Nice to meet you. Good luck with him.”
When Aaron left the kitchen, I shoved Josh as hard as I could. He barely moved though. Which angered me even more.
“Don’t be mad at me,” Josh said.
“I’m more than mad at you. I hate you right now.”
“But you still want to hear a story,” he said. “Right?”
I curled my lip. “Yeah… I do.”
Josh’s apartment was cozy after dark. The big open floor plan and the stony walls had an almost prison-like feel in the daytime, but at night, the entire place took a different tone of personality. The couch was super big and comfortable. He skipped the television for some music which just droned
