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She pops her gum and plops down on my freshly cleaned client chair. “Would you be mad if I said yes?”
“What’s the matter, Rex not as pretty as me?” I tease.
A month after I moved out of the apartment with Penny, Rex and his girlfriend at the time got in a huge fight. Seeing as they were living together and her daddy paid the rent on their apartment, Rex got the boot. Thankfully, Penny hadn’t found anyone to occupy the second bedroom. When Rex came into work “sobbing like a baby” as Penny so gracefully stated, she took pity on him and let him move in.
Over the last few months, I noticed a slight shift in how they act around each other. Small things.
The way he glances over to the reception desk more often than before. Her obvious avoidance of him at work—overtly intentional. And anytime we all hang out, they stay as far apart as possible.
If I didn’t know any better, I may believe they are sleeping together. Either that or they fight the urge.
Penny rolls her eyes on a huff. “Definitely not. He also isn’t the cleanest human on the planet. And is it too much to ask for him to put the damn toilet seat down?”
I chuckle and she narrows her gaze at me. Taking a step back, I hold my hands up in surrender. “Sorry, but you have to admit, it’s kind of funny.”
She pops off the seat, plants her hands on her hips, and shoots me a pointed glare. “It isn’t funny, Auti.” Her hot pink fingernail aimed at my chest. “And you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am on your side,” I cajole. “Sorry Rex is a bad roommate. Have you talked with him about it?”
Slowly, over the last year, I have lightened my schedule at the shop. Now working four lighter shifts, Tuesday through Friday, so I have more time with Clementine and Jonas. On a typical day, Jonas works until five and Clementine attends an after school martial arts program. And if I pick her up earlier than four thirty, I regret the decision all night.
In the not too distant future, I see myself working even fewer hours. But we will play it by ear.
“You’re joking, right?” She shakes her head while tapping her Mary Jane on the linoleum. “Talking to Rex about anything is a lost cause.”
I tuck my lips between my teeth to stop myself from laughing and focus on finishing my cleanup. “Pen,” I start with a headshake. “You need to talk with him. Even if he’s a pain in the ass, you need to sit down and hash this out. It won’t get better otherwise.”
Tossing my gloves in the trash bin, I grab my purse from the cabinet and exit the booth with Penny on my heels. She plops down in her chair behind the reception counter on a huff.
“I hate it when you’re right, Auti.”
“Glad you still love me.” I bend and bear-hug her. “Let me know how the talk goes. Love you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go be with your man.” She shoos me away.
I hop in the Bel Air and drive to the dojo to pick up Clementine. As she gathers her belongings, Clementine brags about the instructor’s praise on her kata technique. As girly as my daughter is, I never expected her to love martial arts the way she does. But it warms my heart she discovered something she is not only good at, but also loves enough to flaunt.
On the way home, I remind her we’re going out for dinner. In the past year, having Jonas as a father figure and Spartan as a daily companion has been a good change for Clementine. Her sass has knocked down a notch and she interacts more with us than being glued to screens. Undeniably, my little girl has grown up so much.
As soon as I cut the engine, she darts in the house, loves on Spartan a moment, then takes off for a quick shower.
Not a foot in the door, Jonas has his arms around my waist and his lips pressed to mine. “How was your day?”
“Uneventful, unless you count Penny flipping out because Rex is a slob.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “When I went out with the guys last weekend, he went on a tirade about her nagging. Seems like some love-hate going on there.”
“Agreed.”
We break apart as Spartan bolts past us and we stumble into the couch edge. Jonas scolds Spartan, then frames my face in his palms. “You alright?”
I nod. “Yeah. Just stumbled a bit. The house gets smaller the bigger he and Clementine get.” Nonchalantly, I hint at needing more space for the second time this week.
Jonas shrugs it off and repeats the same line he said last time. “We’ll figure something out.”
Once Clementine finishes getting ready, we pile into the Jeep and drive to Red Robin. Instead of bopping and singing in the back seat, Clementine prattles on about how eager she is to earn her next belt in karate. Her hands animated while she talks about the new kata she learned today. Her enthusiasm pastes smiles on our faces. He clutches my thigh a little tighter as he steers us into a parking space.
No matter how gentle or firm, I love Jonas’s touch. Live for the warmth and tingle it provokes. In the last year, every touch has held more meaning. Lit me on fire further. Had me falling more and more in love with him.
