Page 69 of I Could Never
Josh blew out a breath. “At least we found it before someone else noticed—like the social-services people.”
“Oh God.” I covered my mouth. “I hadn’t even thought about that. Could you imagine?”
Josh stood up and nudged Scottie. “I think you did enough damage for one day, dude. Let’s get you to bed. It’s past your bedtime anyway.”
It was late, but I wasn’t anywhere near ready to go to sleep. Especially since Josh would be leaving me alone with Scottie for a few days.
He returned to the living room and rubbed his hard stomach. “You have room for dessert?”
“There’s always room for pistachio.”
Josh retreated to the kitchen and returned with two bowls, handing one to me. We’d started a tradition each night of watching one of Wayne’s DVDs, most of the time while eating ice cream. There were so many DVDs that it would take us several more weeks to get through them all. It reminded me of an Advent calendar; we never knew what surprise we’d be getting. One night it would be a DVD of the boys when they were younger. Another night it was just Wayne taking random videos of deer in the woods. A young Josh had also made appearances in some of them.
I’d just settled into the couch with my bowl of ice cream, ready for our next surprise when I got a rude awakening. Instead of beautiful, blond Longo boys, animals, or idyllic family scenes, a set of big, flopping tits bounced up and down on the screen. We’d popped in a porno.
Josh looked over at me. “Well, I guess we know how Wayne liked to unwind some nights.”
My spoon clinked as I put my ice cream down. “Was that not labeled?”
He shook his head. “Most of them aren’t.” He pressed stop on the DVD and ejected the disc from the player. He then took a closer look at it. “Oh, wait. He’s got a P written in Sharpie on this one. Who the fuck knew it stood for porn?”
“I guess we need to be on the lookout for those.”
“I’ll definitely…” He coughed with a wink. “…keep them in good hands.”
“I’m sure you will.” I picked up my bowl again and scooped a big bite into my mouth. “Boy, this house is just full of surprises tonight.”
Josh cackled. “This evening is brought to you by the letter P: penis pics and porn.”
I nearly spit out my ice cream. I needed that laugh.
If Christina was right, and Josh had sent me out of the house earlier while he cleaned and cooked to distract us from the very real tension that had built since we’d shared the bed the other night—then the universe was messing with us. Instead of a distraction, Josh had accidentally showed me his dick and popped in a porno to end the evening.
When I’d emptied my bowl, I stood. “You know how you just know when it’s your cue to go to sleep? Pretty sure Wayne’s porno was it for me.” I went to the kitchen and put my dish in the sink. “’Night,” I called.
“Have big, bouncy-tit dreams, Carly,” Josh replied from the couch.
I lifted my index finger. “Shewas definitely not flat.”
He chuckled. “That she wasn’t. I guess Wayne was a tit man.”
I shook my head and laughed.
As I settled into bed, I could hear Josh pumping air into his mattress. Despite my better mood today, I hadn’t exactly stopped analyzing why he’d chosen not to sleep next to me again. I missed that weight on the other side of the mattress right now. But I appreciated the boundary he’d set, especially because I found myself hornier than ever tonight. Because, well…penis pics and porn.
CHAPTER 18
JOSH
I MIGHT’VE VOLUNTEEREDfor this Chicago trip to meet a client. With the recent tension rising on the Woodsboro home front, I’d thought some separation between Carly and me might be necessary to clear my head.
But as I sat here, alone in my apartment after a long day at work, I regretted my decision.
The silence in this place was deafening. I no longer appreciated living alone the way I had before. I missed having someone to share a tub of ice cream with—or even someone to shower with.Thanks, Scottie.I’d never realized until my time back in Woodsboro just how freaking lonely my life had been. Bringing a woman home for sex and nothing more like I used to was a far cry from actually developing a connection with someone that went far beyond sex. Or in the case of Carly,stopped shortof sex. We had a connection that was undeniable. Whether it was born from our similar struggle after the loss of Brad or something else, I couldn’t be sure. But I really missed being home right now.Home.I’d thought Chicago was my home, but it felt nothing like it at the moment. This was the first time in my life that I’d actually longed to be back in Woodsboro.
I took out the note Carly had left me before I came out here. She’d put it on the counter next to a slice of pumpkin bread for me to eat on the way to the airport.
A Thank You from The Trappist Monks of St. Francis: