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"Not Socrates?"
"So, wait, you're saying my tamales are half-assed?"
Lexi took a huge bite and said, "Ohmygodthisisthebestthingever!"
"Speaking of whole-assing things, how is the work going at O'Neil's?" Dad's question was innocent enough, but it immediately conjured images of Elara's peachy ass in my mind.
"Good. Three days of stripping the lino and preparing the floors. Still gotta sand them, plus deal with that mystery cement in the corner, and rip the bar out while Elara handles the decorating. Two more weeks of work, maybe? Three, tops."
"You know, that cement could be trouble." He took a bite of his tamale. "I'd be wary of even attempting to remove it. If there are pipes or wiring underneath, it could set you back weeks."
"I'll deal with it when it comes up," I said. Weirdly, the thought of an extra couple of weeks working with Elara didn't sound so bad to me. It would also mean she couldn't sell quite as fast, which meant even more time with her. . . .
Ugh. I shouldn't be thinking like that. She was itching to get out of Bluehaven Beach, and the last thing I wanted was to keep her trapped here any longer than necessary. Right?
"How's your back?" I asked. "Any updates?"
"If it weren't for the damn quack, I'd be right there at the bar with you. You must be desperate to get it done. How are the plans for your place coming along?”
“I don’t have plans,” I said, irritated. “Those ideas don’t exist anymore.”
“You always used to go on about building your own place when you were younger.”
“Well, I’m older now.” I sighed. “Anyway, don't rush back. Look after yourself."
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Cole?" Dad said.
I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm just concerned that you don't hurt yourself."
"First time you've seemed happy to do some work when I could have been doing it."
Once again, Ethan narrowed his eyes at me. This time, I scowled for real. It kind of annoyed me when my dad spoke to me like that. I was a hard worker, but that didn't mean I wasn't allowed to complain about it. There was so much I wanted to be doing with my time. Fixing the damn leak, for a start. Why the hell hadn’t I got round to that yet? And the circuitry.
I guess the truth was, despite what I’d just said to Dad, I still had a dumb dream of knocking the whole place down and building something else in its place. Maybe that was what held me back from working on it. Felt like patching the place up somehow signified I was giving up on my dreams forever.
My phone buzzed. It was Elara.
Hope you're having a nice meal. I'm free tonight if you want to 'fling' some more . . .
I replied.
Steph picks up the kids at four. After that, I'm all yours.
I must have been grinning, because Dad asked, "Good news?"
"Oh. No. Just . . . remembering a joke I heard before."
"What joke?"
Oh fuck. Why did I say that? "Right. Why did the hippo cross the road?"
"Why?"
"To . . . prove he wasn't a chicken."
Everyone looked at me.
"Dad please don't ever tell a joke again," Lexi solemnly requested.
