How You Get 'Em

Chapter One

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Grief should’ve been the first thing I felt when I was told the news, but I felt nothing, and it’s not like I was a heartless monster. Yeah, it was sad, but I’d never met the man, so how was I supposed to feel?

Peter Campbell had been husband number three for my Aunt Julia, but that didn’t stop her from acting as if she’d just lost her spouse and best friend of fifty years. My cousin, Rachel, wasn’t too far behind, posting statuses on Facebook about how ‘the world’s greatest father’ will be missed. She’d even taken Peter’s last name when he and my aunt married two years ago. I mean, if you’re not a minor, why would you do that? The girl – no, woman – was twenty-seven years old and had her own biological father, but she still felt the need to change her name to one that most likely reminded everyone of soup whenever they heard it. At least it was good soup.

Speaking of the canned food, the empty bowl on my nightstand wasn’t going to refill itself. I’d been in bed for the past few days with a respiratory infection when my mother called to inform me of the family’s loss. My roommate, best friend, and business partner, Stephan, was waiting on me hand and foot until I got better. He’d been an angel, but it wasn’t like I’d forced him into helping me. He asked what he could do since I rarely became sick, becoming my nurse ever since. I was perfectly capable of moving around myself, but it was nice having someone tend to my every need.

“Steph!” An evil grin stretched across my lips, disappearing when he swung my bedroom door open a minute later. I reached for the bowl, weakly shaking it up at him while he walked across the room to feel my forehead. “More please.”

“You don’t feel as warm as before,” he mumbled. “What flavor would you like this time?”

“Chicken noodle, duh. What kind of question is that?”

“Sure thing, but don’t come to me when you’re in the hospital with extremely high blood pressure. There’s plenty of food here besides soup that I can make for you.”

Why couldn’t he understand that I just wanted some damn soup? All that other food would have to wait.

I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest like a spoiled kid, knowing he was right. There was no doubt that my face and feet would be swollen from all the salt I’d consumed, but that stuff was addicting. Sure, I was acting immature for a twenty-five year old, but I knew Stephan would cave and get me what I wanted.

Only five more seconds now…

“Fine,” he huffed when the time came, his hazel eyes showing nothing but annoyance. After going to design school and opening our own clothing boutique together, he knew how stubborn I could be.

“I love you!” I called after him, meaning every word.

Stephan was me, but just in a male form. If it wasn’t for his girlfriend, Tia, I could’ve seen us being together. He was attractive in his own nerdy way, dedicated in everything he did, and I was never uncomfortable around him. He’d always made me feel safe and secure. I would’ve never made a move on him, though. I knew what it felt like to be cheated on, and it absolutely sucked. I wouldn’t be the cause of another girl feeling that way, even if his feelings did match mine. Plus, Tia was perfect for him.

Stephan was taking way too long heating up my meal, so I turned the channel on the TV while he took his sweet time, settling on watching a marathon of Catfish. It was my go-to show when nothing of interest was on, and even when there was. It just sucked me in.