Somebody to Hold (Tyler Jamison #2) - April Wilson Page 0,81
Lunch is coming right up.”
* * *
The first day of Tyler’s incarceration goes by slowly. My parents call to check up on me, and we talk for a while. I ask to talk to Layla, to check on her, but they tell me she’s napping.
“Has she spoken to Jason yet?” I ask my mom.
“No. I can hardly get her to talk to me.”
After we eat lunch, the four of us plus Luke go up onto the roof. Shane had a playground built up here so that Beth and Luke could spend time outside in the fresh air and sunshine. A reinforced plexiglass barrier surrounds the space so there’s no danger of anyone—i.e., Luke—getting anywhere near the edge of the building. There are potted trees up here and planters filled with ferns and flowers. It’s a beautiful, park-like setting.
“How about we cook out tonight?” Cooper says. “Burgers and steaks?”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam says, as he hugs Cooper from behind.
While Luke chases a soccer ball around, Cooper cleans the gas grill. Beth and I sit on some padded benches around a firepit—sans fire.
I watch her frown and shift position, her hand pressed against her back. “Are you okay?”
She gives me a weak smile. “My back hurts.”
A moment later, we hear the sound of a basketball bouncing. Sam’s dribbling the ball as Luke tries to steal it from him.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask her. She’s Tyler’s sister, and that makes her my family, too.
“No, but thanks,” she says as she arches her back.
When my phone rings, I frantically fish it out of my pocket. I check the caller ID and see that’s an unregistered Chicago number. “This might be Tyler!” I accept the call. “Hello?”
“Ian, hi.”
“Tyler!” Then to Beth, I whisper, “It’s Tyler.”
She smiles. “I figured that.”
“How are you?” I ask him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I haven’t come into contact with anyone other than my guards. I was outside a little while ago, by myself, to get some exercise. Right now, I’m taking advantage of my phone privileges to call you. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” I shoot to my feet and walk to the far side of the recreational area so we can talk in private. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” He laughs. “It’s been four hours, but who’s counting?”
“I am.”
“What are you doing?”
“We’re up on the roof so Luke can play outside. He’s chasing a basketball with Sam right now. Cooper’s cleaning the grill so we can cook out this evening. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes. Everyone here’s been great. I think they feel sorry for me.”
“They should. You shouldn’t be there.”
“Ian, don’t worry about me. Just think of this as a forced timeout. I’ll be out before you know it.”
“I just want you home.”
“I know. Me too.”
* * *
We have an impromptu picnic up on the roof shortly after Shane gets home from work.
After dinner, I go looking for Sam. When I come across the suite he shares with Cooper, the door is wide open, and I can hear their voices coming from within.
I step into their room. “Hey guys.”
“In here,” Cooper calls out from the bathroom.
I follow the sounds of their voices into the bathroom, where I find Sam seated on a tall stool, shirtless, with a towel draped over his shoulders. Cooper is trimming Sam’s undercut with a pair of clippers.
“You are multi-talented,” I tell Cooper as I hop up onto the counter to watch.
Cooper brushes the short red strands of hair off Sam’s shoulders. “How does that look?” he asks.
Sam peers at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he runs his fingers through his undercut. Then he reaches up and releases his manbun from its hair tie. “Cut it off.”
“Are you serious?” Cooper asks, sounding more than a little skeptical.
“Yeah. Cut it off. Leave about an inch on top so I can spike it.”
Cooper meets Sam’s gaze in the bathroom mirror. “Are you sure?”
“It’s just hair. I can always grow it back if I want to.”
“All right,” Cooper says. He brushes the long strands of red hair on top of Sam’s head, then grabs a pair of scissors off the bathroom counter and starts cutting.
Cooper reaches for a bottle of hair gel and applies it to the shorter strands, finger combing them to stick up. “How’s that?”
“Perfect,” Sam says.
Luke runs into the bathroom, followed by an exhausted-looking Beth.
“He wants to say goodnight,” she says. “It’s time for his bath.”
When Luke sees Cooper playing with Sam’s newly-gelled hair,