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.”“Pee first.”She disappeared from the bedroom before he could convince her otherwise, slamming the door behind her to make a point.It didn’t take her long to find the bathroom, given it was almost right across the hall and the door was wide open.Summer didn’t bother to close it, though, thinking only she and Gage were in the small apartment.Summer hadn’t sat down on the toilet for more than a few seconds before a young teenage boy stumbled through the bathroom doorway with a hand in his hair and bleary eyes.He blinked, looking around, then straight at Summer, confusion furrowing his brow.Pink rose in his cheeks.The boy wasn’t wearing much but for knee length cargo shorts.One of his hands was half stuck down his pants, the other one was running through his hair.All at the same time, Summer attempted to shield her lower half with Gage’s T-shirt.It didn’t much help.She still had to pee, too.“Um …” the boy stuttered, obviously still confused and tired.“I have to take a leak?”It came out more like a question than a statement.Summer shrieked.“Gage!”The teenager stumbled back out of the bathroom like he’d been shot.Summer scrambled off the toilet, across the bathroom, and slammed the door just as Gage came out of the bedroom asking, “What the hell?”“Sorry,” she heard the boy mutter.“Didn’t know she was in there.The door was open.”“You missed curfew last night,” Gage said.His tone wasn’t angry, but more disappointed.“I can’t be letting you get away with that shit.”Summer pressed her back to the closed door and listened to the odd conversation going on out in the hallway, ignoring her full bladder.“Did not,” the boy argued.“I was fifteen minutes early, actually.Ask Denny, I came home with him.His mother would kick his ass if he was late.”“But—”“You were … busy, you know.I didn’t want to bother you.”“Oh.Oh!” Gage laughed a bleak sound, embarrassment coloring up his tone.“Sorry, kid.”“It’s all right,” the boy mumbled.“Never thought you were a fucking monk or something.Just didn’t expect to walk in on her in the morning.Thought she’d be gone.”“Uh, probably not.” Gage sighed heavily.“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”“I didn’t.I met her when I was back home working on the mural,” Gage explained quietly.“She’s going to stay for a while.If that’s all right with you? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or anything.”“I don’t care.Whatever.She’s kind of hot.”“Jordy, don’t be a teenage boy for five minutes.Think with the head that actually has a brain.”“What? She is.Just tell her to close the bathroom door or something.And I need to take a piss, so …”“Let me see your hands,” Gage ordered, ignoring the kid’s statement.“Why?”“You know why, Jordy.Nails up, come on.”A frustrated huff sounded before silence followed.Then, Gage said, “Good.You do realize I’d smell the fucking turpentine for days after even if you washed your hands a million times, right?”“Yes, Dad.”“Don’t be a smartass.I’m the only one trying to look out for you right now.If you get yourself in trouble again, I won’t be able to get you out of it, Jordy.”“I know, Gage.”“All right.Go back to your room.Give me five minutes and you can have the bathroom to yourself,” Gage said.The sounds of the boy’s feet padding down the hallway sounded.Summer finally took a breath.The only thing Summer could feel was humiliation.Had this Jordy heard them last night? Who was he again? She didn’t remember Gage saying anything about a younger brother who lived with him.Summer thumped the back of her head to the door repeatedly.“I am an idiot.”“You are not,” Gage replied softly from behind the door.“Open up for me.”She did, but not without glaring at him through the crack first.Summer closed the bathroom door just as fast once he was safely inside.“You could have told me your little brother—”Gage held up a hand to stop her.“First of all, Jordy is not my brother.I’m an only child, which I told you that.He’s just … a kid I mentored at the center.He’s in some trouble for tagging, and instead of putting him into foster care, I offered for him to stay with me, and to take full responsibility of keeping him on track, out of trouble, and at his court dates on time.”“Court?” Summer asked.“It’ll probably be nothing but a bit of probation and some fines.It was nothing like I was caught doing.I’ll handle it with him.”Summer bit her lip.“How old is he?”“Seventeen next week.He’s a year behind in school, but he’s got the chance to catch up these next couple of months in summer school.The kid’s mother doesn’t give a crap about him and they haven’t heard from his father since he was four.Jordy doesn’t have many people he can count on.I want to be one of the few he always can.”She appreciated his honesty.“That was a little embarrassing.”Gage laughed darkly.“Sorry.We stumble through the morning routine.”“We?”“Guys.Are you okay with this? I know you probably came here expecting to only see me, so I can understand why this would change—”“No,” Summer interrupted.“It’s fine.He’s fine.It just shocked me.”In fact, it was more than fine.Summer couldn’t help but see the affection and concerned compassion in Gage’s eyes.Especially when he talked about Jordy.Gage shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable.“It’s probably not going to be fun a lot of the time.Some days he’s angry, or if he’s bored, he gets an attitude.There’s the little issue of keeping a close eye on him, too.Even I have an attitude, especially when I’m in the mood to paint, or rather, I can’t.Jordy is a guy, and so am I, so we’re messy as hell sometimes.Jordy can’t cook unless it comes out of a can or a box premade, he likes to doodle on anything and everything with Sharpies, so you might end up finding something of yours all marked up.It’s a compulsion, I think.I get up ridiculously early, my mind never shuts down, and I’m crazy in love with a girl I barely know.“Just want you to know what you’re getting yourself into,” Gage finished.Summer nodded, unbothered.“That’s fine.”“Just fine?”“Sure, Gage.We’ll work it out.But if he doodles on my chucks, I’ll throw his markers out.”Gage snickered, pulling her close to seal their silent and verbal agreement with an intense kiss that had her wanting to climb back into bed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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