He ponders on that for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee before setting the cup down. “Actually, that would be great. Thanks.”
I shrug. He’s probably expecting me to take advantage of the vulnerability that him presenting himself to me will give me, and truth be told, I’m tempted. Amos told me not to break him, but he didn’t say I couldn’t take my turn… in fact, he all but suggested I get to know the kid, in every which way.
Drinking down the rest of my coffee, I put my empty cup on a small table nearby and get to my feet.
“I’ll be right back.”
Walking into the bathroom, I open the cabinet and pull out the bottle of aloe gel. Another bottle taunts me from the shelf and without a second’s hesitation, I grab that too. I glance at my reflection in the mirror, noting the tired rings around my eyes and the wicked grin I’m sporting as I flick off the light and leave the room.
Colin’s back is to me, and as I shut the door he turns around to face me. His face pales for a moment when he sees the two bottles in my hand, and as I get closer he reads the labels and his cheeks flush. Tugging at his pants with my free hand, I quirk an eyebrow suggestively in a silent order for him to remove them.
As I push him down flat on the couch, I kiss him on the lips and then whisper in his ear, “My turn.”
Epilogue
Amos
Katy Kat smiles at me when I walk into the diner. I’m surprised to see her working a day shift, but it’s nice to have her around.
“Hey, Amos. How was your night?” she asks in that damn scratchy tone of hers.
I shrug. “It was alright, I guess.”
She nods as she pats the top of the counter and I take the stool directly across from where she’s standing. Katy turns briefly to grab the coffee pot off the machine, and pours me a cup of the piping-hot brew. I pick it up with a thanks and take a sip while she sets the pot back down, then turns her attention to me.
Katy leans down on the countertop, propping herself up with an elbow and looks at me thoughtfully.
“Did he give you any trouble?”
“Who?” I ask curiously between sips.
“That brother of yours. He seemed like he was looking for trouble is all,” she says, her tone as thoughtful as her gaze.
“Nah,” I reply with a shake of my head. I smack my lips together as I set the cup down and raise my feet up onto the rungs of the stool. I give Katy a toothy grin and she rolls her eyes affectionately, as I continue. “There’s nothing that Xavier McNeal can throw at me that I can’t handle.”
I pick up the cup again and look down at the bitter brew before I let out a sigh. “His mother, on the other hand, is a pain in the ass I’d love to get rid of somehow.”
“Why? What’s Gloria done now?” she presses as she reaches for a cleaning rag and starts to wipe down the countertop.
I shrug.
It was just seeing Dad this morning leaving in his brand-new shiny fucking car, suddenly forgetting how to offer his son a ride to work, or even bothering to ask if I wanted one, that got my gears turning again on how much I hate that woman.
“She woke up,” I reply dryly to which Katy answers with a chuckle.
“Wanna go out back and have a smoke before the breakfast rush starts?” she suggests.
I nod, shoot back the rest of the hot liquid, and get to my feet. I walk along the counter until I reach the small door I can flip up, then follow her through the kitchen and out back.
“I’m surprised you didn’t scorch yourself,” she says with a throaty laugh.
After last night, not much is getting crammed down my throat that’s gonna make a difference in what hurts and what doesn’t anymore.
“Eh, I’ve felt worse,” I tell her with a grin as I reach into my pocket and pull out my smokes.
Katy lights a cigarette and inhales so deeply that I’m able to watch her cheeks sink in, then puff out again. I do my best not to stare; she’s always been good to me, the best mother I’ve had in the past ten years, and it’s not up to me to say anything to her about her habit.
Especially not when I share the same one.