Eddie: Grime Doesn’t Pay: The Brothers Grime, book 2

by Maxfield, Z. A.

  “That’s not true.”

  “I saw how ashamed he was to introduce me to your friends and family.”

  Eddie remained silent. He’d seen it too.

  “I can’t do this,” Reese said tiredly. “The house is a pigsty, and apparently I’m mentally ill. It’s too much. It’s too—”

  “You’re not going to do it alone,” Eddie reminded him.

  “Andrew walked away from all this a long time ago. He expects me to change everything overnight, and if I don’t, he’ll wash his hands of me.”

  “He won’t.”

  “He’s ashamed of me.” Reese turned away. “Ashamed to be around me.”

  “He doesn’t understand.”

  Reese eyed him. “But you do, don’t you?”

  “Before I was diagnosed with dyslexia, my parents used to get this look when I brought home a progress report or another failed test. I was a kid, and all I saw was how disappointed they were in me. I understand.”

  “But you got help, and things were different, right?”

  “I don’t know if they ever stopped seeing me as defective,” Eddie admitted. “They only accepted there was a reason for my flaw. They’re proud of me for overcoming it.”

  “Oh, son.” Reese gripped the bed rail.

  “I don’t know if Andrew will ever get it. I don’t know if it’s possible for him to put himself in your shoes. He loves you very much. He wants what’s best for you. He wants a relationship.”

  “He thinks I’m being an ass.”

  “Maybe.” Eddie shot Reese a rueful grin. “On top of that, he worries he’ll turn out just like you.”

  “He does?”

  Eddie nodded.

  “Christ.” Reese let his hand drop to the mattress with a thud. “No wonder he doesn’t want to hang around me.”

  “Pam will remind him OCD isn’t contagious.”

  “But it is genetic, isn’t it?”

  “So?” Eddie shrugged. “He’ll have to learn along with you what to do about it.”

  Daley eyed him for a while thoughtfully. “You’re the first man he ever brought home, did you know that?”

  “I am?” That was such a surprise Eddie’s heart gave a little lurch of pleasure.

  “Just so you know, I approve.”

  Eddie got to his feet and held out his hand. Reese took it warmly. “Thanks.”

  “Thank you, Eddie Vasquez. You were a big help today.”

  “Call on me anytime.”

  “God, don’t say that to a needy old bastard like me.”

  “Get some sleep, Reese.” Eddie couldn’t stop himself from lifting and smoothing Reese’s rumpled sheet. “I’m taking your son back to his place. He’ll be back here in the morning.”

  “I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

  “Count on it.” Eddie waved before he exited the room. He found Andrew waiting in the corridor. “It’s official; your dad likes me.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll take you to your place, and we’ll scrap the plans for going back to mine.” Eddie put his arm around Andrew’s shoulders. They headed for the elevator together unhurriedly. “Tired?”

  “Exhausted. I don’t know how I’m even keeping my eyes open.”

  “You won’t have to when we get to my car.”

  Andrew stopped suddenly. “Wait. Aren’t people supposed to meet us at my dad’s place tomorrow? Shouldn’t we—”

  “I sent Gabe a text earlier. Told him I’d call in the morning. He’ll get in touch with everyone. You’ll have to contact Pam.”

  “You’ve thought of everything. Thank you.”

  Eddie shrugged that off when they entered the elevator car. It was empty, so he took the opportunity to pull Andrew in for a gentle kiss. Their lips touched, and instead of sparking passion, it was pure comfort. Warmth and a sense of coming home. “You’ve had a pretty big day.”

  “Yeah.” Andrew’s head seemed to tuck neatly under Eddie’s chin when they stood that way. He was the perfect height for them to fit together like puzzle pieces. “I wish I hadn’t taken time off last week. I need to be here for Dad now.”

  “They’ll probably release him tomorrow. Nobody stays in the hospital for any length of time these days.”

  “Your friend Mrs. Henderson did.”

  “That was different. She had neurological problems and nowhere to go. No one to take care of her. Reese is far more functional than that.”

  “How can you say that? You saw how he functions.” The elevator came to a halt on the ground level. Eddie and Andrew exited and headed for the parking garage. “He lives in a rat’s nest with actual rats.”

  “Andrew—”

  “I’m going to need your guys to come and just clear the place out tomorrow, I guess. Get as far as we can.”

  Eddie stopped where he was, but Andrew kept on walking. “What do you mean?” Eddie had to quicken his pace to catch up.

  “He said he doesn’t even know why he does it. He said he doesn’t even want all the crap he’s keeping.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can just go in there and get rid of it for him.”

  “My dad can’t be allowed to live like that anymore. His health is at stake. We’ve done things his way for far too long.”

  “You can’t just take over.”

  “Oh, can’t I?” Irritation showed plainly on Andrew’s face. “This thing he has—this hoarding—whether it’s treatable or not is causing him to get sick. You saw his kitchen. What the hell has he even been living on? It’s not okay.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, but he’s not a child. You can’t just take over his life and make decisions for him.”

  “I can if it’s in his best interest.”

  Eddie hid his shock and said nothing. For the moment, he thought a tactical retreat would be best. Maybe a few hours’ sleep would help Andrew see taking over wasn’t the best strategy.

  They stepped out of the hospital’s brightly lit lobby into the blackness of a misty night. Security lights glowed a sulfurous yellow, sapping color from the blue and green cars. Eddie’s red convertible stood out like a beacon, and they headed for it.

  Eddie opened the door for Andrew and then went around to the driver’s side in silence. It was too late, and he was too tired to be arguing. He’d certainly say the wrong thing. They were both wrung out. Eddie glanced at Andrew before keying the ignition.

  Andrew is worried about his dad.

  Maybe he didn’t realize how harsh his words were.

  Maybe he didn’t understand what a bonehead move it would be to clean Reese’s place out without his permission.

  Eddie pulled out of the space and then the parking lot, out onto the road.

  “I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

  “That’s fine.” Eddie snuck a look at him. “It’s been one hell of a long day.”

  “You probably think I’m ultrahigh maintenance.” Andrew laid his head back on the headrest. “I’m really not.”

  At the first stoplight they came to, Eddie saw Andrew’s eyelids were closed. “Just rest for now.”

  Eddie didn’t think Andrew even heard him. At the next stoplight, he looked over to find Andrew sound asleep.

  Chapter 26

  At eight a.m., Andrew’s alarm went off. For a minute, he didn’t know why he was in his house and not Eddie’s, where he’d expected to be. Then he remembered picking up his car from Eddie’s place. Eddie‘d followed him home. Andrew had fallen asleep almost before he’d made it to his bed.

  Andrew reached out. When he found the bed beside him empty, he experienced an acute sense of loss.

  Facts drifted back to him. His dad’s cleanup, going to Eddie’s for dinner, trying and failing to raise his dad on the phone, and finally finding his dad on the floor of his house, unconscious.

  He shoved the covers off and got up. He was only wearing briefs. He’d solve the mystery of his disappearing clothes an
other time. A second glance at the clock made him quicken his pace.

  I should be at the hospital. I should be—

  “I thought you might like coffee.” Eddie stood in the bedroom doorway, fully dressed. He looked like he’d showered. His hair, damp and slightly wavy, curled endearingly behind his ears. He held out Andrew’s World’s Best Teacher mug.

  “God, yes.” Taking the cup carefully from Eddie, Andrew inhaled the delicious aroma. “When I woke up, I couldn’t even remember how I got here.”

  “You let me walk you in here, and then you passed out before I even got your clothes off. You were pretty compliant.”

  “I must have been asleep if I was compliant.”

  “I guess.” Eddie agreed. “I got in touch with Gabe earlier.”

  “Did you tell him we’re going to press on today?” Andrew put the cup down on his dresser and searched the drawers for some old clothes. He came up with a pair of jeans that were too large and a torn T-shirt. “I’ll go check on my dad, and then I can meet you at his place. I don’t know how far we’ll get, but I’ll bet we can make a lot of progress if he’s not there to hang on to every single thing.”

  Eddie leaned against the door frame, hands in his pockets. “We can’t do that, Andrew.”

  “What?” Andrew stilled in the middle of pulling his jeans up over his hips. “What do you mean you can’t?”

  “I mean, Grime can’t legally do that.”

  “I don’t understand. You don’t have to do this as a public service.” Andrew did up his fly. He picked up his wallet and keys from the dresser and dropped them into his pockets. “I’ll pay you the going rate. I intended to pay you all along, but the ball got rolling and we never had a chance to have that conversation. You know I’d never ask you to—”

  “It’s not about money. You’re going about things in the wrong way. Your dad is in the hospital and—”

  “He’s in the hospital because of his hoarding,” Andrew said angrily. “Someone needs to step in and make his house safe.”

  “That may be true, but you can’t go in there and clear it out without his consent.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “You have no legal right, for one thing,” Eddie pointed out. “It’s your dad’s home, and unless you’re on the deed to the property, you have no right to do anything with it. You don’t even have a key.”

  “We broke the lock on the back door last night. I can get in. Once I’m there, I’ll take his keys.”

  “Why would you do that?” Eddie asked. “He’ll be home soon enough, and then you can get back to work.”

  “He obviously can’t do this himself.” Why was Eddie arguing about this? “You saw proof of that with your own eyes.”

  “What I saw is a man with a problem that’s not going away just because you clean his house.”

  “What do you suggest? My dad got sick because of that house. I’m supposed to stand by and let him get sicker?”

  “The house is a symptom,” Eddie argued. “You should call Pam and talk to her about your plans.”

  “Of course I’ll call her.” Andrew yanked his T-shirt over his head. “She needs to know my dad’s in the hospital. But I have the whole day, and I’m not going to waste it. This needs to be done. If you don’t help me, I’ll just call those junk people and—”

  “For God’s sake, Andrew. It needs to be done at your dad’s pace, not yours.”

  “You saw his pace.” Andrew smoothed his T-shirt down over his body. It had been a freebie from a school event and was way too big. “His pace is what got him in that situation in the first place.”

  “He did very well yesterday.”

  “He can’t go back to that house the way it is.” Andrew pulled a pair of socks from a drawer. “There’s no kitchen right now.”

  “Agreed,” Eddie said quietly. “He needs a working refrigerator and fresh food.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “Why not bring him here?”

  “I don’t know if he’d come.”

  “But it seems like a good solution, at least until he’s better. You could look out for him.”

  “Yeah, and he could start bringing his crap to my house.”

  “Not if you don’t let him.”

  “That’s not the point.” Andrew scrubbed his face with his hands. “Why is it so difficult for you to understand? He has a nice house. He just needs it cleaned out. We have an opportunity here.”

  “I disagree. Your dad has to make his own decisions. He isn’t a child.”

  “Even if he’s acting like one?”

  “There’s a lot of that going around.” Eddie’s gaze swept down. “It seems.”

  Andrew backed up. “What?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “What did you mean by it?”

  Eddie exhaled a deep breath. “You’re latching on to an instant fix for this. You’re not looking beyond that for a real solution.”

  Andrew gripped the top of the dresser. “Won’t cleaning that house solve the most immediate problem, which is how to keep my father healthy?”

  “Won’t it also hurt your relationship with your dad?”

  Andrew chewed his lip. “Maybe.”

  “Bottom line, which is more important?” Eddie met his gaze squarely.

  When Andrew didn’t answer, Eddie’s expression changed to one of bitter disappointment.

  “I can’t believe you don’t know the answer to that,” Eddie said finally.

  “Wait—”

  “No. You wait. I talked to your father yesterday. He feels bad enough. He knows you’re ashamed of him.”

  “I am not ashamed of him. I simply hate the way he lives.”

  “You act like you can’t bear to be around him.” Eddie pulled his hands from his pockets and spread them wide. “Try to see it from his point of view. You retreat a little bit each time you have to introduce him to someone. How’s he supposed to feel?”

  “It’s not—”

  “And you don’t use the name he gave you.”

  “My mother called me Andrew.” He frowned. “I—”

  “I don’t know what’s going on between you, but even I can see your problems go deeper than the house he lives in.”

  Andrew exploded at that. “We’ve only been going out a goddamn week, Eddie. You don’t get to come in here after a week and tell me that.”

  “I know.” Eddie shrank from Andrew’s anger. “I should go.”

  “Wait.”

  “No.” Eddie picked up his keys from the table. “I have my own problems.”

  Andrew blocked Eddie’s retreat. “What does that mean?”

  “Let’s agree to disagree.”

  “What? You’re just going to walk out now? You’re not even going to—”

  “I am defective, just like your dad.” Eddie spat out. “I have a tangled-up brain, and I have to work hard to function normally. I don’t see a whole lot of difference between my situation and Reese’s, you know?”

  “Wait.” Andrew stepped back. “They’re not even vaguely comparable.”

  “Of course they are. The fact you can’t see that is part of the problem.”

  “What?” Andrew had no idea what Eddie was going on about. “It isn’t.”

  “My parents love me in spite of my defects. I don’t want to be loved in spite of anything. I’m fine the way I goddamn am.”

  “Is that why you never even mentioned your dyslexia to me? Even though we went to see a foreign film with subtitles?”

  “I couldn’t get a word in edgewise that night.”

  “You didn’t want me to know,” Andrew accused. “How do you have room to talk if you have a problem simply telling people you have dyslexia?”

  “All right. It’s my problem, and I deal with it every day. Maybe I didn’t want to blurt it out. Should I wear a badge? If found, please return to Mrs. Vasquez on Poplar Lane?”

  “Eddie.” All Andrew’s breath rushed out at
that.

  “Your dad doesn’t want to be tolerated. He doesn’t need anyone fixing him.” Eddie’s gaze pierced Andrew. “Especially not someone who’s ashamed of him. He needs to figure out what he has to do to function, and to be honest, you’re not someone he can learn that from.”

  “Eddie, wait—”

  “If you throw his things away, you violate his trust. How will you ever come back from that?”

  Andrew shook his head. “I’m not trying to violate anyone’s trust. I just want to help.”

  “You want to fix him instead of loving him for who he is. Instead of trusting him to fix himself,” Eddie said, breathing hard. “Maybe this is too personal for me. I can’t do what you want me to do. I’m sorry.”

  Andrew watched in stunned silence as Eddie left his apartment. He seemed to take all the warmth, all the color and air, all the life with him.

  “Shit.” Andrew sank down into a chair at his kitchen table. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  Chapter 27

  Eddie entered the Grime warehouse from the front. He passed by the reception area and went straight into his office. Once he got there, he slammed the door.

  A few minutes later, Gabe poked his head in. “Whoa, man. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

  “No.” Eddie fumed. “I can’t say that about some other people I know.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m an idiot.” Eddie leaned back in his chair. “That’s what.”

  Gabe sat in Eddie’s visitor chair and stuck his feet up on the table. “Tell Uncle Gabe all about it.”

  “There’s not much to tell.” Eddie grabbed his reading pen. “Andrew wanted to go over and clean out the rest of his dad’s place today.”

  “Didn’t you say his dad’s in the hospital?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So?” Gabe waited.

  “It’s complicated. I started out by telling him we couldn’t do anything without the property owner’s say-so, but it turned into an argument about…” Eddie fiddled with his reading pen. “It’s nothing.”

  “About what?”

  “That’s just it. I’m not sure what it was about.” Eddie tapped the pen on the desk irritably. “I said I thought he ought to trust his father to work at his own pace, and he said he wanted to fix things, and before you know it I was talking about dyslexia and my folks and—”