Page 59 of This Time Around
“Oh yeah,” Ollie said, but it looked like he struggled to remember what he had planned to say. He grinned after I snapped my fingers when he started to zone out again. “Oh, um, I wanted to apologize to you for the way I behaved at the bowling alley.”
“I don’t understand, Ollie. You didn’t act weird, and we didn’t exchange harsh words. I assume this is about Milo.”
“I said some foolish things to Milo out of jealousy. I realized how wrong I was, and that’s why I’ve been so distant lately.”
“What kind of foolish things?”
“Um, I implied that maybe your relationship wasn’t healthy for you.”
“Ollie!” I couldn’t hide the shock I felt. “Why would you say that?”
“It just happened so fast, and it was obvious how much Milo had hurt you with his rejection after you returned home. I was worried that a breakup would cause big setbacks for you.” Ollie swallowed hard. “That was a conversation I should’ve had with you, not Milo. Can you forgive me?”
I suspected this all came from a place of jealousy. It’s easy to forget that Ollie was a man beneath the collar he wore, which meant he made mistakes. “Yeah, Ollie, I can forgive you.” He released a huge sigh of relief. “But it’s really not me you should be apologizing to.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Ollie said. “Can I get Milo’s number from you?”
“Yeah, as long as you don’t try to steal him from me.”
“That could never happen. Start paying attention to the way he looks at you, Andy.”
I thought about what Ollie said on the way home. When I walked into the house, I paid attention to the smile that spread across Milo’s face and the way his eyes lit up.
“You must be awfully hungry,” I teased when he leaped over the back of the couch to get to me.
“Ravenous,” he replied, but made no attempt to take the food from my hands. He stood on his tiptoes and kissed me long and sweet. “Welcome home, Slugger.”
I decided to let Milo tell me about the conversation he had with Ollie, if he chose to divulge it. I would only worry if Milo thought for a second that he was bad for me. So far, he gave me no indication that was the issue. I watched Milo devour his treat with a huge smile on his face. After he was done, he set the empty bag on the coffee table and turned to me.
Milo whipped his shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground. “About those sexual favors…”
“How in the hell did we get talked into coming back down here?” I asked out loud.
“Maegan must’ve put a spell in the coffees she brought us from Books and Brew,” Memphis said.
“Oh hush,” Mae said. “You love it down here and you know it.”
Memphis snorted. “That’s a stretch. At least Milo’s boyfriend made sure the lighting is much improved from the last time we were in the dungeon of death.”
“Well, it was actually Mike the electrician who made it happen, but it was Andy’s suggestion.” I looked around at the stacks of boxes all around the cellar. “I expected it to smell mustier.”
“This house was built exceptionally well,” Memphis said. “They don’t make them like this anymore.”
“I can’t believe it’s mine,” my sister said dreamily.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Memphis asked. “It’s doubtful I’ll find comic books or vinyl records down here to sell in Vinyl and Villains.”
“You never know,” Mae said, pulling down one box and looking inside it. “It’s doubtful that all of these boxes belonged to the Bliss family.”
“Some guidance though, Sis?” I asked.
“Okay, well, I’m looking for unique things to set out as decorations.” She pulled out an old candelabra from the box. “Like this! All it needs is some polish and TLC to restore it to its former glory.” Maegan went back to looking in her box. “It’s doubtful this is the only candelabra down here.”
“Why couldn’t they have boxed the sets together?” I asked. “Why put one candelabra in one box and another in a different box?”
“Maybe they didn’t pack things in a rational fashion,” Maegan said. “How familiar are you with the history of Blissville, the founder Anthony Bliss in particular?”
“Admittedly, not very,” Memphis said absently. “Anything juicy?”