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She kicks back in her chair and folds her arms across her chest "I just woke up The caffeine hasn’t even kicked in yet Can I stay here for a while?"
She’s practically pouting, her botto withI think she notices, because she pulls on her bottom lip with her teeth and her cheeks flush I shake aze away fro out of my trance I walk over to her and kiss her on the forehead "But not all day You need to talk to her" I walk away, fully aware of the fact that the forehead kiss was probably crossing the line However, the fact that she slept in ht has already muddied the waters The line isn’t so black and white anyray just became my new favorite color
IT’S BEEN OVER five hours since I left with the boys, so Lake and Julia probably have had a chance to sort everything out I tell Kel to stay the night with ive them more time to adjust I unlock the front door and follow the boys into the living roo to find Lake onroom floor There are dozens of white index cards sprawled out in front of her
What the hell is she doing?
"What are you doing?" Caulder says, verbalizing ," she replies without looking up
"Alphabetizing what?" I say
"Everything First I did the movies, then I did the CDs Caulder, I did the books in your rooames, but some of those started with numbers so I put the numbers first, then the titles" I point to the piles in front of e I’ory first; like beef, laories I’o to Kel’s Let Julia know you’re back," I say, without looking at them
The boys don’t move They continue to stare at Lake "Now!" I yell They listen this ti outside
I sloalk to the couch and sit down I’ is off She seems sochipper
"You’re the teacher," she says She looks at me and winks "Should I put ‘Baked Potato Soup’ behind potato or soup?"
What the hell? She’s in denial Intense denial
"Stop," I say I’ her smile I don’t knohat happened with heron with her needs to stop She needs to confront this
"I can’t stop, silly I’m halfway finished If I stop now you won’t knohere to find" She picks up a randolance around the living rooed next tothe surroundings Did she clean the damn baseboards? I knew I shouldn’t have left her today Good God, I bet she cleaned the entire house and never even went to talk to her mother I walk to my bedroom and my bed is made Not only is itht find My shoes have all been rearranged My shirts have all been ht side of the closet and , their colors ht to dark
She color-coded my closet? I’ what all she did to this house She probably left nothing untouched
Shit I rush to the bed and open the nightstand I pull the book out and open it, but the receipt for her chocolate h of relief, glad she didn’t see it, then put the book back where it was How e would that have been?
I walk back into the living room, more aware of the spotless condition of my house than before She’s been a little too busy, which can onlyher laring at her fros and smiles, like this is any other day
"Will, it wasn’t that hard You wear, like, three different color shirts" When she giggles, it ood for her, and it certainly isn’t going to be good for Kel when Julia tells him I walk swiftly across the room and bend down to snatch up the cards We’re about to have a serious sit-down
"Will! Stop! That took rab the cards as I pick the anywhere, so I thron the cards and try to pull her up off the floor I need her to look me in the eyes and calm down
That doesn’t happen
She actually starts kicking atlike a dao!" she yells "I’o of her hands as she asked, and she falls back to the floor I walk to the kitchen and grab an empty pitcher froret this, but she needs to snap out of it I walk back to the living rooe me I extend my arm and flip the pitcher upside down on top of her head
"What the hell!" she screams She throws her hands up in shock, then looks up at es at h water, rab her arm and wrap it behind her back, then move behind her while I push her toward the bathroom Once we’re inside, I wrap my arms around her and forcefully pick her up There’s no other way to do it She’s doing her best to attack ainst the wall of the shoith one arm and turn the water on with the other As soon as the water splashes across her face, she gasps
"Jerk! Jackass! Asshole!"