Page 103 of Back in the Saddle

“Are you Mary?” I queried.

She squinted her eyes at me.

“She’s ours, Mary,” Homer mumbled. “This is Jessie.”

Mary stopped squinting, and her mouth dropped open.

She explained her reaction. “You’re a lot prettier than I thought you’d be. All the do-gooders got big butts, wear tie-dye, and don’t believe in deodorant.” She did a top to toe on me. “I take that back about your big butt. Still, you’re pretty. And no tie-dye.”

“Here we are!” I heard cried from behind us in a voice I knew.

I turned to see Luna’s parents, Scott and Louise, pushing through the hot guy arc.

And shit.

Louise was wearing tie-dye.

And I wasn’t that kind of sister, but there was no denying her vegetarian lifestyle didn’t quite keep her ass tight.

Last, Louise was definitely a do-gooder.

“Well, hi, sugar bun,” she said, kissing Luna’s cheek. “Sweet pea!” she cried and bussed Harlow. “Hey there, pumpkin.” And Raye got the treatment. “Aw. There you are, poppet.” That was for me.

Louise had a gift with endearments, and it was the kind that kept on giving.

She turned and smiled at Mary. “You must be Mary.”

Mary eyed Louise then looked at me. “See?”

Louise appeared confused and turned my way. “See what?”

Fortunately, Scott came forward and handed Mary a card. “We’re here to make sure you have everything as we relocate you and settle you in.”

Mary squinted at the card.

She then looked to Scott and waved it in the air. “This looks official.”

“That’s because it is,” Scott replied.

“You’re not taking me to a lab to experiment on me?” Mary asked.

God, I hoped they weren’t doing that to the people who’d gone missing.

“No. We’re relocating you to a long-stay hotel until a unit opens up at one of our affordable housing complexes,” Scott said.

Mary did a loop with the card to indicate the entire camp. “Are you gonna take everybody?”

The posse at her back shuffled several steps away from her.

Yeah.

Some people were on the street and didn’t want to be.

Some people, their home was the street.

“We’ve only made arrangements for you,” Scott said. “But if anyone else wants us to assist, we can make a list and start the ball rolling.”

No one piped up.

---