AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Freddy gave her an odd look. “I figured we’d set it up the same as it was at your place. I’ll do a closed network between our computers with everything wired the same as it was, just here instead of there. I know you like the cords to be neatly bundled, and that’ll take some time, but I should still have it done by the time you get back from town.”
“Um, what about desks?” Sabrina asked.
“Damn, we really don’t spend any time here, do we?” Freddy asked with a laugh. “I guess sponging off of you was just too tempting for me to resist.”
Sabrina flipped him off. “Tables are turned now, and I plan to leach as much from you as I can.” They both knew it wasn’t true. It was the same shit they gave each other while playing video games together.
“I’ve got a loft above the garage. That’s where the office is. It’s got a built-in L-shaped desk similar to our set-up at your place. Come on, I’ll show you.” Freddy led them into the small laundry room behind the kitchen.
Sabrina had never had a reason to come back here before, so this was her first look at the steps they climbed. At the top, the room opened up to one big space with angled ceilings that obviously followed the line of the roof. Despite being above the garage in the heat of summer, the room was as cool as the rest of the house had been.
When she commented on the temperature, Freddy explained, “My dad had them put in extra insulation and a mini-split unit just for this space to supplement the house AC and heat.”
“Genius,” Sabrina observed.
“That’s my dad.” The tiniest hint of bitterness crept into Freddy’s voice.
“You really don’t mind me staying here? What if you end up deciding to move and buy your own place?” she asked.
Freddy waved off her concern. “I’ll just drive you out to the middle of the national forest and abandon you there. No worries.”
“Oh really, and then you’ll come back and write your own tech manuals, huh?”
“Fuck no,” he said with mock horror. “Never mind abandoning you in the woods, I’ll pick a new place with a barn or a shed, or a basement, or somewhere like that for you.”
“Okay. While you sort that out, I’m going to steal your car and drive away.”
“As long as you bring back–” Freddy’s eyes widened, and he turned back down the steps shouting, “Shit! I forgot the stuff in the car.”
Chapter 9: Freddy
Damn. Between travel issues, storm damage, and all his other worries, Freddy completely forgot the bag of goodies he’d picked up in Seattle. Hopefully, the garage kept them cool enough to avoid congealing into one big, gooey blob. Now was a good time to unload the vehicle anyway. Sabrina would need the trunk space for groceries, clothes, and whatever else she bought.
Freddy popped the trunk and pulled out his duffle while Sabrina grabbed stuff they’d brought from her place. She carried her boxes up to the office while he dropped his duffle in the living room before going back to unload more. There wasn’tmuch. Once the car was empty, Freddy did a quick mental inventory. Sabrina suggested they mount her TV in the office as an extra-large monitor they could share. Her computers, printer, speakers, and various accessories all went in the office as well. They put her books on the open shelves in the office, since Freddy’s mom had carefully arranged bric-a-brac and tchotchkes in the living room. Her gaming console went beside Freddy’s in the cabinet under the downstairs TV, along with her controllers.
Suddenly, there was nothing left to put away.
They hadn’t made a single trip into Sabrina’s room.
Four boxes and a TV was everything she had, and it physically hurt Freddy.
He taunted her with the surprise bag of goodies he’d brought back from his trip but refused to show it to her until she got back from town. Handing her a bag of candy right now felt wrong, and he planned to spend the time she was in town doing better than that, even if it meant calling his mother.
As soon as he handed her the car keys and shooed her out the door, Freddy grabbed his phone and called Katrina.
“Freddy?” she answered in a panic. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, Mom. I know you just left here, but I uh—“
“What? Your father was just telling me how I need to respect that you’re an adult and stay out of your business and your house, but you know I only want to help.”
“Yes, exactly.” Crap, this was a terrible idea. “I uh, was thinking about something funny and, uh,” Shit. Shit. Shit. He needed to backpedal. Inviting his mother back into the fray right after demanding distance was a terrible plan. What could he say he needed that wouldn’t mess up the progress he’d made by talking to his dad?
“You can ask me anything, Freddy,” Katrina encouraged him.
“I know, but this one’s silly. I can’t remember how old Veronica was the first time she kicked me in the nuts.” It was a terrible lie, but it flew out of his mouth before he could come up with anything better.
“Oh, are you telling Sabrina stories from your childhood? That’s so sweet. You should bring her to family dinner tomorrow night. I know she says she likes to do her own thing, but it’s been a rough week. A homecooked meal around a table full of family would be good for her.”
