Chapter 9

"Want to tell me why Chase is sleeping on my couch?"

I jolted upright in bed as Max jumped up on the mattress. Uncle Drew stood in the doorway to the bedroom with his arms crossed over his chest. Already in jeans and a flannel shirt, it seemed he had been awake for a while.

Max tried to lick me in the face as I fought him off so I could answer my uncle. "We got back late last night. He had a lot to drink and wouldn't let me drive him home. I wasn't going to make him walk home from the store."

Uncle Drew nodded. "That's good thinking. Glad to hear that you two are getting along now."

My face heated as I thought back to last night and just how well we had gotten along. Those were details I didn't need to share.

While we may have gotten hot and heavy quickly, it didn't sit well with me that the second I tried to have a real conversation with him, he completely closed off. There was something happening with Chase, and I wanted to find out what it was.

"Well, when you're done sleeping the day away, I have a job for you two," Uncle Drew explained as he turned to leave the room.

My stomach dropped as I remembered the whole reason I was here, and it wasn't to sleep away my days and spend my evenings partying it up with my old summer fling. I was here to help my uncle for the summer. I hoped Chase wasnt too hung over from last night.

Max hopped off the bed and trotted after his owner. I crawled from under the sheets and stretched. I stared down at the morning wood that tented out the front of my boxers and snorted. This summer was going to be really interesting if Uncle Drew kept walking into my room in the mornings. I needed to ask him what his expectations for a wake-up time would be and start setting an alarm.

Ignoring my dick for now, I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. By the time I was dressed and made it to the living room, Chase was sitting up with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. His dirty blond hair was a disheveled mess, sticking out in odd directions, looking worse than when he'd taken his hat off last night and when I'd run my fingers through the strands. I quickly derailed the thought as Uncle Drew brought me a cup of coffee from the kitchen. I gave him a tight smile before sitting next to Chase on the couch.

Chase didn't even acknowledge me. He seemed like he was still half asleep as he gently blew on the cup of coffee before taking a tentative sip. He hummed appreciatively, setting it down on the table in front of him. I sipped at my own cup, letting the bitter flavor roll across my tongue before setting my cup down next to his.

"Now, boys."

Chase jumped, grabbing his head and groaning when my uncle started talking. It was difficult not to laugh. When we'd gone back into the party last night, Chase had danced, alright, but then he was pulled away by a group of friends that sat at the kitchen island doing shots. I didn't have any interest in drinking to that extent and instead settled for watching them get wasted. At around one in the morning, everyone was pretty sloppy, so I'd directed Chase back to my car, where he argued with me all the way back to the IGA before I settled on bringing him back here.

"You have work for us?" I asked, grabbing my coffee and taking another sip.

Uncle Drew nodded as Chase groaned and rested his head against the back of the couch. Part of me wondered just how useful he was going to be today if he was in this much pain.

"I do. It's not much, though. It's a house off of Razor Clam Drive. It's not that big, and it was another set of quiet renters. It shouldn't take you too long, even with Mr. Hungover here."

I had to laugh at that, which earned me a half-hearted glare from Chase. He flipped me off before he slid from the couch and stumbled his way back to the bathroom. It wasn't too much longer after that when we heard the sounds of him throwing up. Maybe that would teach him about partying a little too hard.

Once Chase finally came out of the bathroom, he looked a little less green. We wandered into the kitchen, where Uncle Drew had made an easy breakfast of eggs and bacon. Chase eyed the food wearily before sitting down at the kitchen island and digging in. I brought his cup of coffee with me and set it and two Tylenol on the countertop next to him. He nodded his gratitude before picking up the pills and tossing them back with the coffee. Maybe emptying his stomach helped a bit because he seemed a little more alert now that he'd gotten sick.

"You done having fun at my expense?" He mumbled around a mouthful of food. His shoulders were up to his ears as he continued to dig in, obvious irritation rolling off of him in waves. He was like a beast in waiting; upset him, and he'd snap at any second.

I snorted into my coffee, sending some of the hot liquid spraying across the counter. Uncle Drew glared at us before handing me the roll of paper towels to clean up my mess. "Maybe next time, don't let your friends talk you into getting so sloppy?"

Chase's shoulders dropped as he set his fork down on his plate. His facial expression morphed into one of sadness as he stared at his food for a second. Before I could question his sudden shift in mood, he picked back up his fork and started eating again. He seemed less tense now, like he wouldn't bite my head off if I teased him.

Uncle Drew left us to eat our breakfast in silence as I kept stealing small glances at Chase, who seemed focused on finishing his meal. Max trotted around the kitchen, occasionally coming alongside us to sniff and beg for a bite. I broke off a piece of bacon and gave it to him, wondering if Uncle Drew was okay with me giving him table scraps. Max wandered off, happily chomping away at his treat as we finished eating.

When Chase finally got up and took his plate to the sink to rinse it, I followed suit. "Do you want me to give you a ride home, and we can go out to the house together?"

Chase winced at the question before shaking his head. "Nah, that's okay. I'll walk home."

There it was with the walking again. His parent's house was at least a thirty-minute walk from my uncle's. It was irresponsible to let him walk home, even when he was only hungover.

"You sure? I'd feel awful if something—"

"I said I was fine." He didn't let me finish as he chugged back the rest of his coffee and rinsed his cup. He loaded it into the dishwasher before walking back to the living room. I followed close behind because this was completely different from the Chase that was warming up to me again last night.

Max circled his legs as he made his way to the front door, sniffing at him to grab his attention. Chase stopped momentarily to scratch him behind the ears before he turned and gave me an apologetic look. "I'll meet you at the house. Give me an hour or two. I want to shower and stuff before."

I nodded as he disappeared out the front door. Max let out a bark as it shut behind him. Uncle Drew made his way back into the living room, startling me when he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What's going on between you and that boy now?"

I went into the kitchen to finish the dishes with a shrug. Uncle Drew was hot on my heels the entire way. "I don't really know. He's sending me so many mixed messages."

My uncle nodded before he fixed himself another cup of coffee. "The last few years haven't been kind to that kid. He could use some better friends than the ones that hang around here."

My hands paused as I was stacking plates in the dishwasher, and I turned to stare at Uncle Drew. What exactly did he mean that the last few years hadn't been kind? Was that what Chase was hiding from me?