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Speaking of Talia, I’d already heard far more than I wanted to from her since he’d moved in

Specifically, I heard her screa howinstructions with a sense of sexual entitlement I pretended to despise but secretly made me feel jealous

Fucking bitch

Gah I forcedroom of my family home I’d been born upstairs in the same bedroom I slept in now So business, and one failed ht where I started

Of course, I loved the building in my oeird way Grandpa had built it back in 1922, and he’d built it to last Unfortunately, even good construction needs htto the kitchen without getting lost He’d obviously been letting things slide for several years now, but I’d been too busy living my life in Seattle to notice The place was in worse shape than I’d ever seen it

That’s why I couldn’t evict Cooper for having a girlfriend asn’t eneral sense of decency and fair play my parents raised me with, but I swear—if it weren’t for all that, he’d be out on his ass I took another deep swig of the wine, hoping Carrie didn’t fuck around on her way over

Jerk

Sexy, beautiful jerk

Grabbing h theso I could see him better

“Tricia?”rooe?”

“It’smy eyes away from Cooper “And it’s Tinker, remember?”

I watched asfather—my childhood hero—stared at me, confusion written all over his face

“I’ for the parts,” he said slowly “Want to rebuild the carburetor on Tricia’s T-bird, but I don’t have the parts I need Did you take them?”

“Dad, Mom isn’t with us anymore,” I reo”

He stared at me blankly

“I guess I forgot,” he finally admitted “Sometimes I do that”

No shit

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, walking over to give hi over in a little while We’re going to have soirl time—just a heads-up, okay?”

He patted my back absently, then kissed the side of my head

“That sounds nice You kids have fun, but not too much TV, okay? Rots your brains”

S memory, he was still my daddy Soht, even if he couldn’t quite express it the norer

The laer roared as Cooper pushed it across the yard, working his way carefully around Moh theand pulled away fro uy outside

Too creepy, even for a creeper like myself

• • •

“Do you still have that open apart back to prop her feet up on the porch railing I refilledwe’d played on during a thousand childhood sleepovers It needed a coat of paint

“Yeah, but I’ve got someone interested Why do you ask?”