Page 79 of The Troll’s Summer Flame

Eventually, my uneasiness forces me to stop glorying in being Andrea’s everything, stop thinking about the way my insides burn when she calls herself “wifey,” and go seek Hugo out.

Hugo doesn’t answer when I knock on the bathroom door, so I finally peek my head in.

My brother is asleep in the tub, the water a light brown from the dirt on his skin that’s been pried off by soap and soaking. “Hugo.”

Hugo’s eyes fly open, and he tenses. “What?”

“You fell asleep. We were worried. I have a bedroom you can use to rest once you’ve finished bathing.”

“Are there more pancakes?”

“No, but there are sandwiches. And you can come to the grocery store with us—and then we’ll go to Chloe’s Curiosities. It’s a secondhand shop. They have lots of clothes—and around here, there is a good chance that something might actually fit you.” I shut the door and leave Hugo to his own devices.

Andrea is in the hall with an armful of towels. “Does he need these? What’s he going to wear to the store?”

“I gave him towels. He’ll have to wear something of mine. At least it will be long enough to cover his legs.”

“Right until they fall to his ankles. He’s so thin.” Andrea clucks her tongue, but then smiles. “Hang on.” She pulls her phone from the pocket of her loose summer dress. I try not to think about the fact that she’s wearing nothing beneath it, not since I tore her panties to shreds earlier.

“What are you doing? Who are you texting?”

“Telling my mother that your brother just arrived and has been seriously ill and was unable to work, and is in desperate need of TLC.”

I puzzle on that one. “Turkey, Lamb, and Cake?”

Andrea giggles, and her phone begins to buzz nonstop. “Tender love and care. Mom is now on a mission. She says she’s going to make sure to make pancit and lumpia, and arroz caldo. She also wants pictures and asks if he’s single.”

“Why?” I’m mystified.

“Probably for one of my cousins. I mean, I brag about you, and you made me fall head over heels in days, so she’s probably figuring your brother has the same magic touch.”

I try not to growl, really. “He is not to touch any of your female friends or relatives without permission.”

“I wouldn’t!” Hugo calls from behind the bathroom door. “I can hear you two, by the way.”

Andrea blushes and drags me away, back into the living room. “Did you say we’re going to the secondhand shop? I haven’t been there, but I got a coupon in my Welcome to Pine Ridge Welcome Wagon package when I moved in. I can get some little knick-knacks for your house, Gordon. This place is very... minimalist.”

I nod. I like the idea of Andrea making this place look like she lives here.

But I don’t know if I want her to live here with Hugo and me. I feel a great deal of guilt about my brother’s rough life after I left, and the urge to take care of him is strong—but the urge to finally have my happiness is equally strong. The fact that his arrival makes Andrea feel as though she needs to leave rankles. “I need to help Hugo find a home of his own, but nearby, of course. And that means a job, and the ability to pay for that home. We’ll have to go job hunting, and apartment hunting, and I’ll need to help him get all of his papers in order, and—” I rub my temples. “I’m going to have to take another day off. I am supposed to work the night shift at the station tonight.”

Andrea nods, a thoughtful frown on her face as she returns her phone to her pocket, now silenced. “Why don’t you take Hugo with you? I don’t know if he’d make a great firefighter, but maybe he could work part-time as a dispatcher? The firehouse is near the school, the hospital, the grocery store... I’m sure he could even start filling out the basic applications for bagger or cashier. If it’s a quiet night at the station, you could help him practice interviewing.”

“Me? Help a man be personable and get a job where social interaction with customers or hysterical people is required?” I can feel my blood freezing over at the thought.

Andrea rolls her eyes. “Watch online videos about job searching and acing interviews. Help him find his way around the internet. Look at which places are hiring. I could do it, if you want, but I feel like you might want time to catch up with Hugo, and you have a better idea of what misconceptions he might have, or what knowledge and skills he might lack.”

“Not sure about that—but I do want to spend time with Hugo, and there are several cots at the station, so he can bunk down there for the night.”

“See? It’s all going to work out.”

I nod, not sure that any of it will work out, but it’s impossible not to be hopeful around Andrea. “Yes. It sounds like a plan.”

Chapter Eighteen: Something Wicked

Hugo, for being a sickly, skinny troll, has the robust energy of an infomercial host combined with a puppy who ate a box of jelly beans. His presence makes me dread going back to work, cafeteria duty, and sugared-up kindergartners. It also makes me appreciate Gordon’s more demure, peaceful manner—energy that is private and a personal show just for me.

Hugo also makes me realize that Gordon probably hasn’t had many bills in the past few years. He isn’t a lavish spender—until now. We have to get a second cart, because if Hugo asks what it is or what it tastes like, Gordon simply puts it in the cart and tells him he can find out for himself.