I wrinkled my nose. That would be bad and stinky. I sat down and counted my eggs. Three times and got three different numbers. “I don’t know.”
Daddy took my basket of eggs into the kitchen and counted them while putting them back in the carton. “You have two more to find. Good luck.”
“Do you know where they are?”
“Uh…no.” He held back a laugh. It was funny, but we needed to find those eggies. I looked around again. Under the couch. In the cushions. Around the table. In the lamp. Surprise! There was an egg balanced on top of the lightbulb. I had no idea how he got it to stay, but it was smooshed in a few spots, so I figured it had taken him a while.
“Oh, that one. That was a pain in the ass.”
“You said a bad word.” I handed him the egg and continued to search for the last one. But I couldn’t find it. I held up my hands.
“You found the one on the picture frame, and the plant, the lamp…” he went on and on, trying to remember where he hid them. “Oh.” He pointed to the front door. “Did you even look in the foyer?”
“Uh. No.” I rushed over and looked and looked and found the last egg tucked in my orange and yellow running shoe. The egg was orange, so it was easy to glance over it. I didn’t find it until I picked it up. “Sneaky. Bet we’d find that one eventually. Like later today.” I kept the pair here because I ran nearly every day. “Ta-da.” I held it over my head.
Daddy took the egg and then pecked a kiss on my lips. “Good job, Cody. Ready for breakfast?”
“What are we having?”
“Eggs.” We both laughed then, because there were only boiled eggs, no more raw ones. I ended up having cereal with a promise to devil the eggs later today. Wouldn’t want them to go to waste.
Overall, it was a fun day as expected, but it felt a little overshadowed by a pouty daddy. Every time I looked at him when he didn’t know I was looking, he was frowning. There wasn’t anything I could do about it for now. I needed to figuremy shit out. So after breakfast, I ended up going for a run to clear my head and just let this whole moving-in thing ruminate up there.
Chapter four
Warner - With a Little Help from My Friends
At Crow’s the following week
“Talk to me about Skyler.” I wanted something to gauge my relationship on, though I really knew better than to compare. But after a few days with no answer about moving in from Cody, I had to ask.
“Why?” Crow answered with a raised eyebrow.
“I know you had a rocky start.” That wasn’t an answer, but it was easier than articulating my fears.
“You’re not having a rocky start with Cody. Y’all are good together.” He dropped some fresh ice into a little square glass before opening the decanter to pour us both a drink.
“I asked him to move in and he said no.” Well, he didn’t exactly say no, but he didn’t say yes either, which left me at odds. I took the drink and sniffed, breathing in the sweet caramel notes, then took a healthy sip. This one was one of my favorites.
“That’s hard to believe. I mean—”
“I know.” I threw an arm up.
“Hey, don’t spill the bourbon. That shit’s expensive.”
“Whatever.” Our modest beginnings often crept up in interesting ways. Drink the most expensive alcohol in the world, but don’t waste it. Neither of us had money growing up. His father worked at FIU, where I went to school in South Florida, and that's where we met and bonded. Now we both had money. Crow bought and sold businesses and other investments, which I took advantage of when I wasn’t playing lawyer. Truly, our lives had turned out fantastic—we were the kings of the world, or at least Tampa.
Crow grumbled and sipped his drink. “Why wouldn’t he want to move in with you?” he finally blurted out.
I had thought about that over the past few days, and my conclusions seemed flimsy, but worth vetting. “He’s independent. Too independent. I want to take care of him, but he only allows so much.”
“You remind me of those old Looney Toons. You know, the ones with that Mira chick who loved the animals to death—literally.”
“That was Tiny Toons, and her name was Elmyra. And har-har, mother fucker.” I only knew because Cody watched them sometimes, and though that wasn’t his favorite, it was the kind of thing that stuck in my head, which was why I made such a great lawyer. I didn’t forget much. Ever.
We both laughed though, his image wasn’t all that off. I loved too hard, too fast, and my daddy tendencies were strong. “What do I do, Crow?” It wasn’t all that long ago that Crow was asking me the same thing about Skyler, and at the time, I didn’t think the situation would ever be reversed. Cody seemed perfect. He loved the same things I did, being outside, camping, swimming, and the daddy/little dynamic. Neither of us was all that serious,but as we grew closer, I thought that had changed, since it felt exceedingly serious to me.
“You give him space, dumbass. He’ll come around in his own time. The worst thing to do is push him away or push too hard, too fast. Trust me.”
