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A loud boom sounds as Brenna lifts something into view just before the phone is knocked out of her hand, and I’m again staring at the ceiling.
“Jesus Christ, no!” Theo says with a voice full of panic. “You guys are so dead!”
Brenna’s face pops into view in front of where the phone sits on the floor. “I’ll steal your number from his phone and text you. We’ll set something up. Lunch and shopping?”
“Sounds good.”
Taunting laughter follows as Theo retrieves his phone and comes into view, looking perplexed.
“What did they do to you?”
“Locked me in the closet,” he’s breathless, and I can’t stop laughing.
“Not funny.”
“Sorry, poor baby.”
“I’d have been much better off with brothers.”
“Ouch, Teddy!” I hear from somewhere in the house.
“Go straight back to hell, Satan!” Theo shrieks.
“Alright guys, kids, it’s Christmas.”
“Really, Dad?” Theo says panting. “Now you’re going to butt in?”
“God, I love your family already.”
“You can have them.” He shakes his head solemnly. “I should have called you from the car. You don’t have to go shopping with them.”
“I want to. Sounds fun. They seem awesome.”
“Give it a year or twenty.” He walks to his bedroom, and I demand he give me a tour. He does a slow sweep of his room. It’s clean, and it’s obvious the house is nice. There are vacuum indents in the carpet.
“Big. Comfy.”
“I like your bedroom better,” he says suggestively. “Or my other room.”
He lays back on his bed, the phone hovering above his face.
“I love this view.”
“Yeah?” He says before playfully biting his lip. “What’s good about it?”
I lift a brow.
“Funny, I like it just the opposite.”
“You weren’t saying that the other night.”
“Should I shut my door so we can discuss this in more detail?”
“Nah, my mom is in earshot.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good now. Watching the sideshow with your sisters got me out of my headspace.”
