Page 61 of Nothing to Deny
“Oh, man,” the young voice whined. “I’m gonna get in so much trouble.”
“For what? Honey? Are you hurt? Is everyone safe?”
“Yeah, I… Is Baer at your house?”
“We’re out,” she said. “Do you need him to come over?”
“Well, I… yeah… I got homework I didn’t do, and I can’t figure it out. Pres won’t help, and if I wake Abel he’ll go nuts, ‘cause he said we could only go for burgers with you if we had no homework.”
“You lied,” she said because it seemed appropriate to chastise him, but his call to Baer for help with a screw up was adorable.
“I know,” Charlie whined. “I know. I just wanted to get burgers with you.”
The sincerity of that was so cute that her smile broadened. This guy was a little charmer already.
“Are you sweet talking me, cutie?” Baer looked up again. Holly was engrossed, so Freya didn’t mind mouthing, “I love him.”
Rolling his eyes, he went back to the profiles with Holly.
Charlie spoke again, faster this time. “No! No, I… I mean it, Freya, I do… You’re so pretty and you’re so nice to us and—”
“Okay,” she said on a laugh. “Don’t belabor it… You can have him. Give Baer time to take me home and then he’ll come over and help you, okay?”
“Really?” Charlie asked, both amazed and thankful. There was a moment of silence before he followed it with, “Won’t he want sex?”
These kids just said it like they saw it; she loved that about them. “Yes. I don’t doubt that he will,” she said. “Doesn’t mean he’ll get it. Leave your books on the dinner table and go back to bed. He’ll wake you when he gets there.”
“Wow, Freya, you’re like the best girlfriend ever,” Charlie said. “Not like Claire at all.” She squinted. Was that a compliment to her or an insult to his brother? “Are you going to marry Baer? It would be cool if you moved in.”
Although they lived in separate spaces, the family did all live in the same building. The question was so optimistic. Baer was watching her; she couldn’t bring herself to smile.
“I don’t know, honey. We haven’t talked about that.”
“I hope you do,” Charlie said. “I’m sorry I said I’d tell Presley about you having sex today.”
Sheesh, that was that same day? It felt like so long ago she’d been ensconced in Baer’s bed, maybe because she was so eager to be back there.
“That’s okay, honey.”
“No, seriously, after this, I’ll be like… I’ll be your best friend forever, Freya… Baer won’t tell dad, right?”
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she lowered her chin and volume. “I’ll ask him not to… but you can’t lie anymore, okay? Not to anyone.”
“Not even to Pres about you and Baer doing it?”
“Baer will talk to him about that.”
“He will? ‘Cause I think he’ll be mad.”
“If he’s mad at anyone, he should be mad at me,” she said. “Want me to walk you home tomorrow?”
“You could talk to him then,” Charlie said, then a sneer touched his voice. “But do it at home, okay? ‘Cause I don’t wanna be there.”
“Okay, honey.”
“And will you make steak for dinner?”
If she made it for Abel and Baer in the morning, Abel might not want more for dinner. She could throw something else together for him. Baer would be out on his dinner date.
