“That’s fucked up.”
“It is, and I know Theresa knows it, but I can’t get her to draw that boundary. I think she feels guilty because she and my parents were barely talking when Mom died. It’s like she thinks this is her penance. But she’s got nothing to feel guilty about,” Hollis said.
I
thought again to the email. Maybe it wasn’t all about Ike. Maybe this person knew that Theresa needed saving from herself too.
“Why do you think she stays with this Ike guy?” I asked.
Hollis shrugged his broad shoulders. “Beats the shit out of me man. Maybe because it’s just easier because they’ve been together so long. I can’t think of any other reason she’d put up with that asshole.”
“And to think Glen thought I was the bad seed,” I muttered.
“You know he eventually told me he threw you out because he thought you were fucking Theresa?”
“Are you fucking serious?” I asked, incredulous. “There’s no way in hell I would have ever done that!”
“That’s what I fucking said!” Hollis agreed.
“What the fuck made him think that?” I asked.
“According to Mom, he heard Jane and Theresa giggling over you one night or some shit. Said my sister was talking about kissing you. She had a teenage fucking crush, and my dad lost his shit over it.”
For some reason, the thought of Theresa fantasizing about kissing me even all those years ago, made goosebumps prickle my skin. She’d been an awkward kid, but there had still been something about her; something that told me she’d been a knockout when she grew up.
I shook my head and let out a sigh. “Well, I did fine for myself. No reason to worry about me now,” I said.
“Yeah, that car out there tells me you’re doing just fine.”
“Don’t like it parked next to your Ford Focus?” I asked with a grin.
“It makes my dick look very small, yes. Want another beer?”
“Gladly. And I’ll buy the next case.”
“And you’ll get the fancy shit, too, you rich bitch!”
I chuckled and tossed my empty bottle to Hollis. I turned my head and looked across the road just in time to see a car pull up. I cocked my body and slung my arm over the couch, watching as a curvy leg stepped out of the car, followed by a beautiful head of curly brown hair, thick thighs, and a chest that made me salivate.
Theresa.
Holy fuck had she grown up. And I’d been right.
She was fucking gorgeous.
“Catch,” Hollis said.
I turned around and caught the bottle in my hand before I settled back down onto the couch.
“What’s for dinner?” I asked, trying my damndest not to think about how much I’d like to make Theresa my meal.
CHAPTER 5
THERESA
I deserved a damn peace prize.
My restraint at the banquet was herculean.