Page 124 of The Man I Hate

I slid my left hand under the table and crossed my fingers.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was thinking if we could find a place in Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, or Malibu that was on the beach that I might consider it.”

We?

I swallowed hard. “On the beach?”

“Not much sense in being close to the beach.” He chuckled. “Hell, we just as well stay in this shit-hole. I want to wake up and be able to look out my window and see it. I forgot how much I enjoyed the ocean until this pandemic started. Driving along the highway to San Diego once a week makes me want to get the hell out of here.”

Truthfully, I could live in Dumpwater, Arkansas and be happy, as long as it was with Braxton.

“I think I’d settle for whatever made you happy,” I said, reserving hope that he’d continue his desire to live on the beach. “You decide what you want, and I’m along for the ride.”

“I think I might be ready for a change,” he said. “Hap’s a prick, but he’s a happy prick. I don’t want to live the rest of my life chasing life’s loose ends and end up old and angry. I want to be like the Old Man.”

I laughed. “You’d rather be a happy prick?”

“I would.”

I picked at my food, dreaming of living along the coast. In a matter of moments, I became so excited I could barely contain myself.

The front door swung open.

We both looked up.

Hap stopped dead in his tracks and gave each of us a little jolt of his laser sharp glare. “What are you two dipshits looking at?” he asked. “Never seen an old man walk through a door?”

“Evening, Pop,” Braxton said.

“Fuck you,” Hap snarled. “It’s none of your business.”

Braxton gave him a flippant look. “I didn’t ask a thing.”

“You were getting ready to.” He shifted his eyes to me. “And so were you.”

“I wasn’t going to say—”

“Keep your yap shut,” Hap said, taking long strides toward his bedroom. “You’re not sweet talking me out of anything.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “I’ll just talk to Marge tomorrow.”

He laughed as he walked past. “We’ve taken an oath of secrecy.”

“Girl code trumps any oath between a man and a woman,” I said.

He paused and turned to face me. He glared. “Is there such a thing? Girl code?”

“Oh yeah,” I said. “It’s an unbreakable bond we all share.”

“If you’ll agree to leave her alone about it, I’ll tell you this, and no more.” He looked at Braxton and then at me. “Agreed?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

He grinned. “If having fun is a crime, I ought to be doing life in Folsom Prison.”

“I’m glad you had fun,” I said, trying not to smile too much.

“So am I,” Braxton added.