Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“You know what?” he says. “How about I give you a selection of everything, so you can see which you like better. And if you taste one you want more of, you just get back over here, and I’ll give you a plateful. Technically, you aren’t supposed to cut in line, but I’ll make a special exception for you.”
She nods and smiles as Cody collects small portions of different selections on her plate.
He nods to me. “This guy’s my buddy, Hayden, so make sure he hooks you up.”
She giggles.
“Thank you,” her father says as they move down to me.
I serve them, and even after they pass me, Amy keeps turning and eyeing Cody. He has one of those magical personalities. Not just with her, but with everyone he talks to, and this is little more than a representation of his everyday life.
I’m so glad he agreed to do this with me. He could have said no or stood around with his arms crossed, not really wanting to help out, but I appreciate how he’s thrown himself into this task.
When the line settles and some new volunteers arrive who seem more than capable of handling the crowd, the project manager relieves us.
I check the time. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Cody asks.
“Just should have been getting shit ready at the condo. Ugh. Whatever. Not much I can do now that I can’t do when we get back. It’s fine. We might be running a little late is all.”
We hop in the car, and I drive us back to Metropolis.
“Thank you again for doing that,” I say.
“I was happy to do it.”
“I know. It’s just not everyone’s idea of a Thanksgiving holiday.”
“I can’t think of a better way of spending it. Oh, did you think I was a dick like your ex?”
“I don’t mean to make him sound like a bad guy.”
“You don’t have to.”
I smile and shake my head. “Whatever. I’m glad you were there. And not just to help out. You loosened everyone up. Made them smile and laugh. That means so much more than just the food. Mom had a hard time when she took me to the food drive. I could always tell because she felt guilty…like she was a lesser person for going. I think people in that situation need someone laid back who can open them up and make them not feel so terrible, you know?”
“That’s really thoughtful.”
I turn and catch his expression. He’s looking at me strangely. Although, it’s hard for me to read what he’s thinking.
“I mean, it’s just doing what anyone would do,” I say, trying to brush it off.
When we get back to the condo, I’m stressed as fuck about having to play catch up.
As I open the door, I see Derek lounging on the couch, flipping through the pages of a magazine.
“Don’t worry,” he says, “I found your dildos and used them.”
A small black dog, some sort of Chihuahua mix, races from behind the couch and barks incessantly as it approaches us.
“What the—”
“Sorry,” Gary’s voice comes from beside me.
I turn to Gary and Travis, who are in the kitchen. Gary has all the burners of the stove going as he stirs a pot with a wooden spoon while Travis looks at his iPhone. “It’s supposed to boil for ten minutes,” he says to Gary before turning to us.
Cody and I step inside and close the door as the dog approaches, yapping away.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“We’re dog sitting for Steven and Raymond while they’re out of town,” Gary explains.
I laugh. “I meant, what are y’all doing in here?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course. When I saw your text, I thought you guys might be a while, so I figured we could come over and try to help out with everything. You made it kind of easy for us. I mean, I could only work on the stuff you already had in the fridge, but I did my best.”
“I swear to God, I could kiss you right now, Gare.”
“I think I’ll handle that for you,” Travis says with a sly smile.
Cody slips past me and heads into the kitchen. “Don’t worry,” he says, running his hand across Travis’s face in a way that I’m sure is designed to annoy him. “If you’re good, you’ll get a kiss too.”
Travis laughs.
“Now,” Cody continues, opening a drawer and fishing out the corkscrew, “I say we start getting hammered.”
Derek pops up from the couch. “Oh, thank God. I’m so thirsty!”
“I said wine, not cock,” Cody jokes.
“Can’t I have both?” Derek asks with a cheeky grin.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.
20
Cody
I don’t think Hayden realizes just how important to me today was. He kept thanking me like I’d done him a favor, but really it was him who’d done one for me. If I wanted a warm meal as a teenager, I either blew someone for it, or I went to a place like where we were today. I ate at shelters because of the kindness of others and shit like that isn’t something you forget. The fact that he so thoroughly enjoyed reaching out to those in need gives me this foreign fullness in my chest.