A Tiny Home

Chapter 4

I steam over my cup of coffee and wait in tense silence for my sticky bun to be walked over. He stares at me. His hazel eyes are nearly as apprehensive as my own.

When the waiter sets down my lunch and walks away with our number I pick up my fork and begin cutting myself a piece.

"So I'm sensing some anger?" Will ventures.

I growl with my mouth full.

"Yes, definitely anger." He tries and fails to hide his smirk. "Why are you mad at me honey bear?"

"Don't call me that," I say repulsed by the childhood nickname.

He rubs his perfectly defined jawline and smiles.

"It's weird calling you it without Hank around."

"Why? Do we need some kind of supervision?" I ask bitterly.

From the time I got boobs at fourteen things changed. Suddenly Hank sat in the middle, not Will. Hank came with to the paint store, even though it was Will and I's hobby. When Will slept over I was made to sleep in my room, while the boys slept downstairs in front of the TV. I was used to being chaperoned but I wasn't used to being blind sighted.

"No." He answers sheepishly grabbing his fork.

"Why surprise me like this? I thought you stayed in Toronto."

"I did. I worked with a civil engineer in the city and learnt how to build." He shrugs, "When Hank was moving back here with Amy, I had no reason to stay."

"Do you still follow him blindly," I say swatting his fork away from my sticky bun.

"No, I don't."

"You always have," I argue.

"Well, I've always wanted to own my own business and now I have the land. My grandpa passed."

"Finally," I say.

He laughs, "Yeah you aren't the only one that felt that way, your mom cheered."

I shrug. "He was cruel to you."

Will looks up at me and smiles, his slightly crooked teeth are still crisp white. You can tell he never had braces, but luckily his genes were kind and left him with mostly straight front teeth. His lips look soft and inviting. I shake the thought physically from my head and look down at my lunch.

"So did he leave you the old house?"

"Yep. Sold it. Last place I wanted to go back."

I nod thinking of the few times I'd been there as a kid. Will had slept on a mattress on the floor in his cramped room. At my house, he had his own bed in my brother's room. If his grandfather had signed the papers he'd have become my stepbrother. Part of me is grateful that never happened, the part of me that is still sixteen.

"And you bought a property with no house?"

"Yep."

"So where are you living?" I ask.

"My truck."

"Don't be stupid. Stay with us." I offer without a thought.

He laughs, "Your mom has already offered. But my truck bed will do until I finish the sale on a trailer."

"You're buying a trailer?"I can't hide the excitement in my voice.

"Yeah, I want to be able to travel around."

"Me too, that's why I'm going tiny."

"Yeah, I take it you have plans?" He asks.

I nod and pull out the binder.