Read Tap (Lovibond #1) for Free Online

tripped. “Oh, shit. I hope Ollie hasn’t changed the code since the breakup.”
    I open the cover of the keypad. One. One. One. One. November eleventh. My birthday. Whew. That was going to be a hard one to explain when the po-po showed up.
    I flip on the light and can’t believe my eyes. Shit. I know Ollie didn’t know I was coming but this place is trashed. This doesn’t look like my brother’s place at all. He’s usually pretty tidy for a man.
    He’s made a lot of money the last few years. I don’t know why he hasn’t moved out of this tiny apartment and into something nicer. He should be living in a house worthy of a successful businessman.
    My God, why is it so hot and stuffy in here? It’s suffocating. Is the air conditioning on the fritz?
    I check the temperature on the controller. Seventy-six freaking degrees. Who sets their thermostat that high during July in Alabama? If Ollie finds this comfortable then he can just get ready to freeze his nuts off; I’m dialing this bastard down.
    I guess Ollie’s at the venue setting up for the kickoff of the festival tomorrow. His absence blows my plan for breaking the news to him tonight about Christie. I had hoped to get that out of the way as soon as possible.
    I have no idea what time to expect Ollie so I change into my comfies and plant myself on the sofa. I curl up with my current read. Four chapters later, Ollie still hasn’t shown. He’s not coming home tonight?
    This impromptu visit isn’t going the way I planned at all.
    I can’t chance being mistaken for an intruder so I scribble out a note to stick on the front door.
----
    Hey, loser. Surprise! I’m sleeping in your guest room so don’t go pulling a pistol on me. See you in the morning.
    Love, Lawry

    I wake to an empty house , and no response to my text, which of course worries me. Surely, Ollie didn’t stay up all night. He needs sleep. The festival starts midday, and I’m sure it doesn’t end until well into the night. Guess our surprise reunion will have to happen at the festivities. Not what I planned.
    My stomach growls, reminding me how long it’s been since I’ve eaten. I go to Ollie’s kitchen and expect problems with selection.
    I cross my fingers, but my hopes are low, for all-natural peanut butter and an organic apple.
    I begin in the pantry. Yikes. Pickings are slim. And no peanut butter at all.
    I move my search to the fridge. I hope all my preaching about pesticides and chemicals used on food has sunk into Ollie’s thick skull.
    No such luck. What the hell is going on here?
    A few bottles and jars of condiments in the door. Some canned biscuits. A few slices of cheese in plastic wrappers. Processed food. Yuck. Is this how my brother survives? I see my lectures have done zero, so we’re going to have a serious inservice to reinforce the importance of nourishment.
    You’d think someone who spent his childhood with too little to eat would keep his kitchen full of healthy food. I do.
    “Aww, man. Potted meat on crackers again, Lawry?”
    “I’m tired of it too but it’s all we have, Ollie. I promise I’ll try to bring home an apple or orange from school tomorrow.”
    “Can I have a banana? I haven’t had one in so long. And chocolate milk? Please?”
    “I promise I’ll try.”
    Fruit was a pretty easy steal. The cafeteria workers didn’t notice when an extra piece went missing. The chocolate milk, however, was a challenge. I’m pretty sure they knew I was taking it. But who’s going to tell an undernourished little girl in filthy clothes she can’t have a carton of milk? Not my best childhood memory.
    I close the refrigerator door. “God, this kitchen is depressing me. I need to get out of here.”
    I’m showered and decked out in my maxi skirt and Lovibond tee an hour later. My top started out as a boxy men’s shirt so I had no choice but to put my special design on it with scissors. It’s a work of art now.
    “Shit, I’m starving.” Cafe. Vegan. Birmingham.