He did look tired. And honestly, I was tired too. Asking him about my dad wouldn’t get me anywhere tonight. Besides, I wasn’t going to go on and on about how hot the Hunter andCaldwell brothers were without Kennedy to back me up. But for some reason my mouth opened anyway. “I broke up with Felix,” I said. I wasn’t sure why I said it. No, that wasn’t true. I said it because I wanted him to know that he could trust me. And because it had been weighing on me all day. And maybe I wanted him to be proud of me too.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
It wasn’t the answer I was expecting. But for some reason it was better. He wasn’t worried about the fact that I did what he wanted me to. He was just worried about me. “Yeah. I think so.”
He smiled. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier for you to talk to.”
“Honestly, I think all I really needed was a hug.”
He leaned down and hugged me. “Better late than never,” he said.
I hugged him back. “Will you be home tomorrow at the usual time?” I asked, without letting go.
“Yeah, kiddo. I’ll even let you pick out the movie.”
I smiled and hugged him a little tighter.
He pulled back and started coughing.
“Are you okay?” I was pretty sure I had just squeezed him too hard.
He took a huge breath. “Fine.” He cleared his throat. “I finally picked up some Nyquil like you suggested. I’ll take it tonight.”
“Good.” I’d been pestering him about taking some cough medicine for weeks. I guess whatever fancy thing he’d had to do tonight in a suit had made him want to not be coughing everywhere.
“Now go get some rest, kiddo.”
I stood up and hugged him one more time, this time not quite as hard. “Goodnight, Uncle Jim.”
Untouchable - Chapter 27
Friday
Matt had shown up again last night. This time bearing two cups of hot chocolate. He said even though it wasn’t snowing, he hoped it reminded me of my mom. I was pretty sure I would have cried if he hadn’t been staring at me so seductively the whole night. And holding me. And kissing me senseless when I told him Felix and I were just friendsandthat I’d asked Felix to stop selling drugs to James. I was a pretty great girlfriend.Girlfriend?
The smile faded from my face as I knocked on the Alcaraz’s door. Despite our wonderful night together, Matt hadn’t asked me to be his girlfriend. But what did I expect? Sneaking around was hard enough. Being a secret girlfriend would be even harder. Or would it? Wouldn’t it just be the same? I bit the inside of my cheek. Why did everyone I date never ask me to make it official?Felix did, you idiot.
Kennedy burst out of her apartment with a pancake hanging out of her mouth, hopping on one foot as she finished pulling on a shoe. And I was immediately distracted from my pesky thoughts.
“Um…I can come in if you’re not ready,” I said.
“No.” She slammed her foot on the ground, shoving the shoe on. “I have a huge update.” She pulled me away from her apartment.
“What kind of update?”
“On Project Undercover Daddy.”
Ew.“Do we have to call it that?”
“Project Who’s Your Daddy?” she said as we hurried down the stairwell and out into the blustery fall weather.
“Let’s put a pin in the name for now. What did you find out?”
“Actually…I don’t think it’s related. But did you see your uncle last night? He was in a suit!”
“Yeah, I saw him right before I went to bed.”Right before I hung out with Matt all night.
“Do you think he was on a date?” she asked.
