Page 69

Story: Tiller

It probably is. Admit it, you have your doubts too.
It’s a few minutes later when Amberly stands and reaches for her cell phone. “Okay, I have a couple bags of clothes for her in the car left over from the wedding. She can just wear that stuff for the weekend. I need to grab her blanket and stuffed animals from the house though.”
“Go away. I got it,” I tease and wave her off, like I’m confident but if she could hear how hard my heart’s beating, she wouldn’t have any confidence in me.
She’s still staring at me, unwilling to move. Her gaze shifts to River. “I’m going to tell her what’s going on. If I just leave, she’ll freak out on you.”
Turning, she makes her way over to River and Berlin. Willa comes back out and hands Amberly a piece of paper. I’m assuming with information for the apartment and then approaches me. “Are youpositiveyou can handle this?”
Playfully, I run my foot up her leg to annoy her. “Willz, you have no faith in me these days.”
Willa won’t admit it, but she secretly loves arguing with me. “In the last two weeks you have spent nearly every night passed out drunk.”
“Untrue. I rarely sleep.”
“Okay, well, what about riding your dirt bike through a restaurant?”
My mouth quirked at the edges. “Misunderstanding.”
“They’re suing you for damages,” she points out.
I stare at her, like she’s lost her mind, or Italia has. “They’re suing me? For what?”
“Damages.”
“I knocked over a few tables.”
“And a wine rack with a couple rare vintages on it.”
Slouching, I kick my feet up in the lounge chair next to me and flick my lighter open, fidgeting with it. “They’re lying. I’m never going there again.”
“Actually, they’ve also filed a restraining order against you. You can’t get within 100 feet of their restaurant.”
“Bullshit. I don’t even like Italian food.”
And then she laughs, like this is entertaining for her, but she maintains her professionalism by knocking my foot away when I try to lift her dress up. “Shall we go over the other restaurants you’re banned from?”
My brows raise. “There’s a list?”
She stares blankly at me. There must be a list.
Flopping my head back against the chair, I sigh and throw my hands up. “Whatever.”
“No, not whatever, Tiller.” She leans over my chair. Her tits are in my face.
“Motherhood’s treating you well, Willz.” I wink, and she smacks my cheek.
I’d like to point out, I have no interest in Willa. She’s like my mother. But still, when have you ever known me not to get a rise out of someone? Exactly.
Back to Willa in my face. She grabs my cheeks with her hands and forces me to look at her. “You need to knock this off. This is why you’re not exactly babysitting material.” She lets go of me. I reach for my cigarettes and she slaps my hand away and takes them from me. “No smoking and no parties while River’s here.”
“Well, why don’t you just take away everything fun in my life while you’re at it.”
“Welcome to parenting,” she mumbles, walking away with my cigarettes in her hand. “Prove me wrong.”
Prove her wrong? I can do this, can’t I?
You’re rolling your eyes, aren’t you? Yeah, well, I’m fucking sweating over here. Who cares what you think.