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“Why do you still ring the doorbell? You’re here almost as much as I am.”
“It’s polite,” Seth muttered, shoving his way past Nick into the house. “Just because you tromp into my house—”
“Excuse you, I don’ttromp.I don’t even know what that is!”
“—doesn’t mean I do the same. My aunt says hi, by the way. She wants me to remind you that she needs you to come over and eat all her cookies so she can make more.”
Nick closed the door behind them. “Why don’t you eat them?”He’d seen Seth polish off an entire batch of peanut butter cookies in one sitting. Granted, that had been a few years ago, but still. It was impressive. The peanut butter farts later that night hadn’t been as impressive. Nick had almost died.
“I don’t eat much of that stuff anymore,” Seth said.
“Oh. Why?”
“Don’t want to.”
“Huh.” Nick eyed him up and down. He still looked like Seth. Yeah, he was taller, and maybe his face was thinner than it’d been before, but— “There’s pizza, if you want it. Leftovers. Dad and me went to Tony’s.”
“Nah,” Seth said. “I had boiled chicken and spinach for lunch.”
Nick made a face. “That sounds terrible. And speaking of terrible, Cap is here, and I think he’s going gay for my dad.”
“I don’t… what does that evenmean?”
“Right? I have no idea! But they’re on a date, and—”
Seth glanced toward the living room. “Isn’t Cap married?”
“Well, yeah. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have a side piece.”
Seth’s head snapped back toward Nick. “You just called your dad a side piece.”
Nick felt the blood leave his face. “Oh my god.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know!”
“Ugh,” Seth said, face in his hands like he couldn’t get the image out of his head. “Ick. Gross. No. No.”
“Are you two done?” Dad called from the living room. “It’s funny how you think we can’t hear every single word you’re saying.”
“Wow,” Nick said. “Glad to know you think eavesdropping is okay. Rude.”
“I’m a cop, kid. I see and hear everything.”
“And I’m a law-abiding citizen. I know my rights. You need to have probable cause to do—”
“He’s going to make a good cop,” Cap told Dad. Then, “Except maybe we won’t give him a gun.”
“He’s not even allowed to have a Taser,” Dad muttered.
“Whatever,” Nick said. “I don’t want to interrupt your weird man date. We’re going upstairs. Seth, come on.” He was halfwayup the stairs with Seth trailing after him when his dad called his name. He peered over the banister.
Dad was looking up at him, head resting on the back of the couch. He seemed loose and relaxed, and it made Nick happy for reasons he couldn’t quite explain. But then he said something so confounding, Nick didn’t know what to do with it. “Keep the door open, okay?”
“Uh. Okay? Why? It’s Seth.”
“Nick.”
