Chapter 120

In the distance one of his nephews screeched in fury, another burst into loud tears, accompanied by yips from the dog Skittles, and yells of, “Shut up, Bobby, Uncle Nolan’s still asleep.”

And there you had it. Episodes like this were why, during a painting session at Habitat for Humanity, when Michelle started talking about inviting “Fast Freddie” to be her roommate because she wanted to support his struggles to stay clean, Nolan had told an immediate white lie and said he heard Freddie hooked up with an old girlfriend, but that he desperately needed a place to stay.

Maybe Freddie really had given up his meth addiction, but Nolan wouldn’t bet on it. He didn’t like the idea of Michelle alone with a guy who could be wired out of his mind and reason at any time. Not counting last night, Nolan’s mind and reason kept pretty close company. He’d be better for a naive idealist like Michelle.

In fact, when he met her, he’d toyed with the idea that he could be very good for