by L. M. Pruitt
“Honey, that has to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me and coming from someone as smart and driven as you it’s even more of a compliment.” She pulled off her hat, a nifty little beret I’d been admiring since I saw her in the parking lot, using one hand to fluff her hair while flipping open the menu with the other. “Well, Ben and I got married right out of high school and then he went to work for his daddy selling cars over in Slisdel and I know it’s going to sound hard to believe but he is so good at it. I swear, Ben could talk a starving man out of his last crust of bread.”
“He managed to talk me in to donating bartending services for the silent auction the school did a few years back to raise money for new uniforms for the football team.” Abraham draped his arm over my shoulders, slouching down in the booth some. “Still don’t know how, if I’m being honest.”
“Which is why I always send him after the super hard to crack nuts, so to speak.” Beth paused when the server bounced over, beaming up at her. “Last week before college starts up again. Trying to get a little extra money for boys and keg parties?”
“Oh, you know I’ve got too much going on to worry about either of those things.” If the no-nonsense set of her mouth and the firm grip she had on her pencil was any indication, the younger woman meant what she said, even if her gaze did wander to Abraham for a split second. “They don’t hand out engineering degrees like cookies.”
“Allie Mae is Suzie Q’s younger sister—she’s going to school over at Georgia Tech.” Beth nodded sagely, as if the information was somehow going to influence my opinion of Conway’s teacher. “Allie, I think I’ll do the special, poached, and just keep the mimosas coming.”
“I have no idea what the special is but I’ll the same, over easy, and so will she. Same for the mimosas.” Abraham handed Allie Mae our menus before picking up his glass and nodding at mine. “We deserve a good boozy breakfast after the shenanigans of the morning.”
Which was how I ended up spending close to three hours listening to Beth talk about her husband and her kids and the myriad of school activities they were all involved in and the car dealership—which Ben had taken over a few years ago and which Beth managed with an iron fist—and more gossip about more people than I could ever possibly hope to keep straight. I’d compared her to a politician earlier and I found myself having the thought again, so much so that when she took a breath in the middle of a story about the high school Drama Club’s performance of Our Town, I blurted out, “Why haven’t you ran for mayor or county commissioner or something? Lord knows you have the connections and brains for it.”
“You keep showering me with compliments like that and my head is going to get too big to fit through a door.” She dragged a bit of pancake through a pool of syrup, holding up the fork and watching the viscous fluid drip on the plate for a moment before popping it in her mouth. She took a moment to chew and swallow before saying, “I told you before, I was a regular little shit in high school. Getting married, having kids, having responsibilities... well, that helped me grow up some but it was really going out in the real world, so to speak, which gave me a good, solid kick in the ass. I’ve done my best to atone for the sins of my youth but it’s a simple fact that for some people I’m always going to be one of those girls who shoved Billy Bob Becker buck naked in a locker in the girl’s shower room.”
“Oh, I remember that.” And remembering, couldn’t quite hold back a hiss and a wince. “That was horrible.”
“It was horrible and if either of my kids ever did anything even remotely close to that, the only thing they’d do outside of go to school and church would be sit in their room and pray for forgiveness.” Beth clucked her tongue and shook her head, pushing her plate away and reaching for her seemingly bottomless mimosa. “The first time I caught my oldest, Carol, being ugly to one of her classmates, I sat her down and we had a come to Jesus talk right then and there. I’m guessing it’s stuck because it’s been damn near five years and I haven’t had to repeat myself on the subject.”
“Is Carol the one on the cheerleading squad?” When she nodded, I said, “Is she going to this sleepover thing at that girl Dominique’s house?”
“She’s going but she’s not staying.” Beth frowned and shook her head. “Ben is a little old-fashioned about wanting his kids sleeping in their beds and only their beds although I’m thinking some of it has to do with knowing what cheerleaders get up to at sleepovers.”
“Oh, God, please don’t tell me any of that because I already told Tammy she could stay the night.” I scrubbed my hands over my face and sighed. “Never mind, I can’t stand the suspense. What happens at cheerleader sleepovers?”
“If what Ben told me is true, there’s lots of pillow fighting and prank phone calls and hair braiding.” Abraham nudged his mimosa toward me, chuckling when I snatched it up and knocked it back like a shot. “And if it makes you feel better, rumor has it Lynn keeps her daughter on a fairly tight leash.”
“In this case, rumor is damn close to the truth. Apparently Lynn doesn’t want her daughter repeating her own mistakes.” Beth winced. “Oh, that sounded bad. Lynn is still a horrible person who won’t hesitate to throw a person under a bus if it would benefit her in even the smallest way but she loves her daughter more than she loves herself, which is something I would never have thought possible.”
“Where’s Dominique’s father?” I closed one eye, squinting at my empty glass and trying to decide if I needed another drink. “Or Dana’s son’s father? Jamie?”
“Lynn has never said but if my understanding of the length of pregnancy and my recollection of prom night is correct, it would have to be Emily Grace Lancaster’s cousin who was visiting from New Orleans.” Beth cocked her head and pursed her lips, drumming her fingers on the table. “As for Dana, it was some traveling salesman—wandered in to town for a few weeks and wandered right back out.”
“That’s sad.” And to my surprise, I felt more than a small pang of sympathy for Dana, whose life eerily mirrored Loretta’s, although with a lot less children. “So that’s why she works two jobs.”
“Well, her parents disowned her because the salesman wasn’t white.” Beth snorted and rolled her eyes. “Which has to be one of the most backward things ever, in a town which isn’t exactly known for being forward thinking.”
“Something Pastor Neil and his wife have been trying to undo almost since they made the announcement but so far it’s been like shouting at a pair of brick walls.” Abraham shifted restlessly next to me and I glanced over to find him scowling, his face in harsh lines. “Haven’t spoken to Dana in years, have never formally met their only grandchild, but still have the nerve to show up to church every Sunday and sit front row, center, like it’s gonna be enough to get them in to heaven.”
“Maybe whenever we get that drink—because this doesn’t count—we should invite Dana.” I twisted my hands in the hem of the tablecloth brushing my lap, my knuckles cracking in protest. “Tammy or Kitty could probably babysit and it would be good for Conway to make friends in his class.”
“We can certainly extend the offer, although you shouldn’t take it personally if she says she’s busy.” Beth shrugged. “She’s got a lot of pride and she gets upset if she thinks people are doing something because they feel sorry for her.”
“Gee, I wonder what that’s like.” I couldn’t hold back the sarcasm but I could sigh and say, “Sorry. That was bitchy when there was no need to be.”
“Honey, I’m bitchy about half the day, whether I need to be or not. Keeps me in shape for when I actually do have to be bitchy.” She stood, wobbling on her heels for a moment before tugging down her dress. “You’ll have to excuse me for a minute. All those mimosas are making the bathroom something of a requirement.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to Abraham. “You okay?”
“Peachy keen.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Why?”
“All that talk about Dana’s parents.” I hesitat
ed before adding, “I thought it might make you think of yours.”
“It does but now I also have the memory of you putting the fear of God in my father so that almost makes up for all the shitty things they did.” He brushed his lips over mine, light and teasing. “Now, as much as I’ve enjoyed watching you relax and socialize and make a friend, I’d really like to take you home and fuck you without worrying about the kids walking in on us.”
I pulled back, glancing over my shoulder. “Where’s the server?”
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Later that afternoon, after three separate rounds of extraordinarily vigorous sex, a lunch of leftover pizza, and a shower which had almost deteriorated in to a fourth round of sex, Abraham and I stood outside the main building of the school waiting for Dolly and Conway. Kitty was in the library catching up on homework from the summer and Tammy was at her beloved cheerleading practice. Dana had promised to drop both of them off at the house before dinner and I’d volunteered to do carpool duties next week.
If someone had told me six months ago that I’d be setting up carpool schedules and picking up kids and marking the next Parent-Teacher Association meeting on the wall calendar in my home office, I would have called them a liar. And then I would have asked them what drug they were holding and if they were in the mood to share.
And yet here I was, doing all of those things and doing them with women I’d spent most of my teenage years hating. And somehow, I’d stumbled in to a relationship with someone who seemed tailor-made for me and who, unless I was way off on my judgement of his character, loved the kids I’d wound up with as much as I did.
This might be as close to happy as I’d been without the influence of alcohol in a long, long time.
Almost as soon as I had the thought, a chill ran up my spine and I shivered, pulling my jacket tighter around me. Abraham glanced over, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me against him. “Cold?”
“Somebody walked over my grave.” I choked out a laugh, leaning my head against his shoulder. “Or at least that’s what my mama would have said. A little morbid, now that I’m thinking about it.”
“Old Southern sayings usually are.” He propped his chin on the top of my head and sighed. “I’m not ashamed to say that if Dolly comes out and starts weeping and wailing, I’m leaving you alone with her and me and Conway are walking back to the house.”
“I’d call you a coward but since you handled her this morning I guess that’s an even trade.” I shifted until I was able to hook an arm around his waist, doing my best to ignore the people looking at us and pointing and whispering. “Do we have some sort of neon sign overhead screaming ‘We had hot, sweaty, dirty sex’? Because that’s the only reason I can think of for all the attention we’re getting.”
“It’s because we’re both so pretty.” He leaned back, placing one finger under my chin and tilting my head up until he could brush his lips over mine. “Or rather I’m pretty and you’re fucking gorgeous.”
“You’re gonna make me blush if you keep that up.”
“You’re already blushing.”
“Am not.” I was pretty sure my cheeks were hot because of the sun overhead and not because I was embarrassed. I squared my shoulders and huffed out a breath when the bell rang. “Okay. It’s go-time.”
Almost immediately children of all sizes began to pour out of the main building. Unlike larger school districts, which tended to stagger start times and dismissal times, all the kids in Cotton Creek started school at exactly eight in the morning and got out at exactly three in the afternoon. According to Beth, it made it easier for parents to set up childcare options, whether it involved older teenagers or simply restructuring their own workday.
As far as I could see, it was really an excuse to watch a little organized chaos.
“Where are they?” I rose up on my tiptoes, doing my best to see through the veritable sea of tiny humanity flooding the sidewalk and the front lawn of the school. “There’s not like a back entrance to this place or something, is there?”
“You know there isn’t.” Abraham patted my shoulder absently, scanning the crowd himself. “Maybe the teachers hold the younger classes a few extra minutes so they don’t get tramped in the hallway.”
“Then maybe they should have said something so we’re not standing out here wondering if some lunatic wandered in and snatched up our kids and wandered back out.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling and opening my eyes, not surprised to find Abraham staring at me, clearly struggling to suppress his laughter. “Okay, I realize that was a little dramatic but I’m sorry, okay? I’m feeling a little dramatic at the moment.”
“And you wonder where Dolly gets it from.” He let out a tiny chuckle before swallowing it down, nodding toward the school entrance. “Calm down, tiger. They’re coming out right now.”
“Oh, thank you, baby Jesus.” I pushed off the car, nearly tripping over the curb in my haste, starting to rush up the sidewalk only to catch myself at the last second. Forcing myself to slow down, I pasted on a smile and planted my hands on my hips, waiting for them to come to me. “Hey, guys. How was your first day?”
Dolly sucked in a deep breath. Her lower lip quivered.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Abraham appeared next to me, kneeling down and all but jamming a finger in her face. “No waterworks. If something happened then we can talk about it but you’re not going to start crying.”
“Was somebody mean to you? Did they tease you?” Ignoring the very real possibility I might wind up with gum on my ass, I sat down on the sidewalk and pulled her down in to my lap. “Dolly, what happened?”
“She wanted pizza for lunch and today was fish stick day.” Conway smoothed down his dress, humming to himself. “I like fish sticks.”
“Eat them once a week for the next thirteen years and I can almost guarantee you’ll have a change of heart.” Brushing Dolly’s hair back from her face, I poked the tip of her nose with one finger. “As for you, ma’am, I understand the disappointment. I hate fish sticks, too, but believe me when I say my first reaction isn’t to start crying.”
She gave a huge sniff, rubbing the knuckles of one hand against her suspiciously dry eyes. “But I hate fish sticks.”
“Something we’ll remember when it comes to dinner choices but it’s still no excuse for tears.” Abraham shifted Dolly from my lap to his and even though I would have sworn I was immune there was a good chance my ovaries—as well as those of every straight, childbearing woman in a one hundred yard line of sight—went in to overdrive. He cuddled her against him, stroking a hand down her back as she tucked her head in the crook of his neck. “So you don’t like fish sticks. That’s fine. On Mondays you can bring your lunch so you don’t have to even get in line and smell the fish. Deal?”
“Uh-huh.” Her voice wavered some but her eyes stayed dry. “Can we get ice cream on the way home?”
“Why don’t we wait and get ice cream later in the week, when we have a reason to celebrate?” Abraham rose, perching her on one hip, her backpack dangling from his free hand. Looking down at me, he said, “Maybe, if you ask your aunt nicely enough, we can stop at the pizza place and see if Sally is in the mood to whip you up a miniature version of one of her famous back to school specials.”
“Can we, Aunt Jeannie?” She looked just woebegone enough that the adult in me who knew indulging her would only reinforce the negative behavior stood no chance against the adult who’d hated fish sticks since I was her age. She sniffled, fiddling with the collar of Abraham’s shirt. “Please?”
“Sure.” I ran my fingers through Conway’s hair before taking his hand, relieved to note that not only was he in one piece but his dress was as well. I’d had my doubts the perky Miss Suzie Q would be able to run herd on twenty something five year olds but apparently she was made of sterner stuff than I’d given her credit for. “Since it’s the first day of school and all.”
LATER THAT EVENING,
I ignored the knock on my office door, running the sentence over and over in my mind, trying to figure out why it sounded wrong. Grammatically, it was on point but there was something about the delivery which left something to be desired. When whoever was on the other side of the door knocked again, more insistently this time, I pushed my glasses up to rest on my forehead and pinched the bridge of my nose. “What?”
The door opened and Conway slipped inside, padding across the oversized rug on his bare feet. Rounding the desk, he braced his chin on the chair arm and said, “Hi.”
“Hi.” More curious now than annoyed—because Conway wasn’t in the habit of doing things without a reason—I shifted my chair back and patted my knee, waiting until he climbed up in my lap before speaking. “What’s up? Do you have homework you have to do?”
“No.” He let out a giggling snort and shook his head. “We didn’t learn anything today. And I already know lots of stuff.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Like my ‘ABC’s and how to count to one hundred and how to read and all my colors and—.”
“Got it—you know a lot of stuff.” Something I’d have to keep an eye on as the year progressed. If he was that far ahead of the other students in his class, it might be better if he skipped a grade. Turning back to the computer, I propped my chin on his head as I studied the screen. “Does your sister have homework?”
“Abraham already helped her.”
“Did he?” I squinted at the clock on the screen. “When did he leave for work?” And more importantly, why hadn’t he at least poked his head in and said good-bye?
And when the hell had I turned in to the type of woman who needed her boyfriend to tell her good-bye?
“He didn’t.” Conway picked up a pen, doodling absently on a piece of scratch paper. “He said he never opens the bar on the first day of school.”
