Chapter 23: Room
The next morning, I was having breakfast with Gloria, Jay, and Manny.
"You'll only stay there a few days a week, probably two?" Manny inquired once more.
"Yes, I'll still live here most of the time," I reassured him.
Jay looked displeased but stayed silent.
"It's good that you're bonding," Gloria encouraged warmly.
After chatting a bit longer, I headed to Malibu.
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I stood in the bedroom Charlie had assigned to me - the second-best in the house, a suite connected to an office with a private door leading outside.
"You don't need to worry," Charlie remarked with a sly grin from the doorway. "If the girl's too shy, she can come in through the office entrance."
He gestured toward the adjoining space. "You can redecorate the office - make it yours if you want."
"Yep, Charlie never touched that place," Berta quipped dryly. "After all, it's meant for work," she jabbed.
"Oh yeah, Berta," I responded, handing her a handful of hundred-dollar bills. "For the extra work you'll have with me around. And don't worry - I'll keep this bonus regular."
I motioned casually. "Just make sure I always have clean sheets, fresh towels, and that the room smells nice."
Berta accepted the money, glanced at me, then turned to Charlie. "He's way too smart to be your son. Are you sure that DNA test was right?"
Charlie glared at her without a word.
"I've already moved all my stuff into the maid's room," Alan mentioned as he entered the living room with a slightly forced smile.
I nodded, feeling no guilt for taking the room he'd been using. After all, my uncle would only be staying here temporarily.
"So Jake is taking the other room?" I questioned.
"Yes. I want him to feel comfortable whenever he's here," Alan confirmed.
The doorbell chimed a moment later.
"That must be him and Judith," Alan noted as he went to answer the door, with us following behind.
When we reached the entrance, I saw a little boy stepping inside.
"Mom, come see my room!" Jake yelled as he rolled into the living room on his scooter.
"Hey, Jake!" I greeted him.
"Wow, you're the guy who looks a lot like Uncle Charlie," he observed, stopping to stare at me.
"That's because I'm his son - which makes me your cousin. Call me Francis," I said with a friendly pat on his back.
"Cool!" he exclaimed with excitement.
"Hello, my name is Judith, Jake's mother," the woman carrying a box introduced herself.
"Francis Jacob. People usually call me Jake, but here I prefer Francis, so there's no confusion," I explained.
From what I'd heard from Charlie, Judith wasn't exactly pleasant company.
"Hey, Uncle Charlie, you've got a son now?" Jake asked when he saw his uncle coming from the hallway.
"Hi, shorty! Yep, Francis here is gonna stay with us a few days a week, just like you," Charlie announced cheerfully.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Jake shouted again before running off to his room.
"Hello, Charlie," Judith greeted curtly.
"Hi, Judith. What brings you here?" Charlie questioned.
"If you must know, I'm here to help Jake set up his room so he feels like nothing's changed," she responded condescendingly.
"Really? You don't think he'll notice his dad's living here and his mom's dating chicks?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.
Judith gave a fake smile, "Could you say that a little louder? Jake might not have heard you," she said before adding, "Just for the record, I'm not dating anyone, and I kicked your brother out because he was draining the life out of me."
Alan, who was arriving with more boxes in his arms, said as he overheard Judith's remark, "Could you say that a little louder?" But she had already gone to Jake's room.
After everything was set, Judith was about to leave, but before stepping out, she turned to me. "Francis, I just hope you don't turn out like your father."
"A millionaire with a beautiful Malibu beach house and a peaceful life?" I asked with a hint of irony in my voice.
"There's more to life than money," Judith reacted, giving me a moralizing look.
"Sure. There's finding the love of your life, building a successful career, being recognized, and living with fulfillment. Which one's yours?" I questioned with an innocent expression.
Judith stopped for a moment, glaring at me, then turned and left without replying. I could tell she was fuming.
I turned around and saw Alan and Charlie both wincing.
"That was a good one," Berta snorted, half-laughing. "What good thing did you do to end up with a son like that?" she said, turning to Charlie with a look of mock indignation.
Charlie came closer to me, patting my back. "Atta boy!"
"But we also need to talk about some of the girls you've been seeing, Charlie," I joked. "I was mistaken for you earlier when I went for a walk before coming here. A woman actually said, 'How did you get so young, Charlie?'" I mocked
"Which one was that?"
"Her name was Amy," I replied.
"Yeah, not one of the smartest I've dated, but did you see her body?" He spread his arms.
"Uh-huh, it was a very good one," I agreed. I'd sleep with her too, even if she had the intelligence of a chicken.
Alan just watched the two of us, then went to answer the door when someone knocked.
"Mom?!" he uttered upon seeing the person standing there.
The woman's eyes widened when she saw me beside Charlie.
"Hi, Mom!" Charlie greeted with an awkward smile. "I have a son," he said, pointing toward me.
"Nice way to be introduced to my grandmother" I spoke dryly
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