Page 13 of Without You

“Nah. I mean, she is, but not because of that.”

He laughs loudly, throwing his head back. “Oh, come on. Mama Gina isn’t crazy. Not like my mom.”

“Well, no. No one’s quite that crazy,” I tease.

“Fuck, right? She’s not gotten any better with age, either.”

“Yet, you love her.”

“I do. Though, did you know that Dad’s officially done? He asked for a divorce a few years ago.”

I reach across the table on instinct and grab his hand in mine. He immediately turns it over so our palms are touching. “I didn’t hear that. I’m sorry.”

He shrugs a shoulder but doesn’t release my hand. “It was a long time coming. I mean, she wasn’t willing to change so he didn’t have a choice. He tried to love her through it but I guess it was just a deal breaker in the end. He thought that maybe if he threatened the divorce she’d stop, apparently not.”

“Is she still, you know…”

“Stealing? Oh, yeah,” he says, leaning back and releasing my hand to rub it across his jaw. “Little shit here and there, I’m sure. She wouldn’t stop when it came to losing her family so I doubt if now that she’s lost us she’s gone all noble and stopped. Dad hated it. It’s an addiction, you know. But Mama wouldn’t even try to stop. Dad begged her over and over again, but she said it made her happy. She’s lost all her friends.”

I flip my hand around and am embarrassed when a giggle slips out. “Well, yeah, I’m sure none of them really want her to come over for wine if they’re afraid she’s going to get sticky fingers in their house. I mean, if it were me, I wouldn’t want to even go shopping with her in case she took something and then I ended up being an accessory to her criminal ways.”

The corner of his mouth ticks up in amusement. “Criminal ways, huh?”

I wince because I realize that probably came out rudely but he didn’t seem bothered so I try to brush it off and hope he wasn’t offended.

“Sorry, that was rude of me.”

“No, it wasn’t. It’s the truth. She tried therapy, and after she’d gotten caught that one time and ended up in her little stint in county jail for thirty days, we really thought she’d stop.”

“But she’s still like the Beagle Boys from Duck Tales, huh? Does she wear one of those little black masks over her eyes so people don’t know it’s her?”

“You know, I kind of missed your way of telling it like it is.”

I wince. Again. Because I really do need to find a filter at some point in my life.

Rather than talk again, I shove a giant bite of scone in my mouth. So big that my cheeks puff out and I know I look ridiculous but ehh, it’s better than continually talking and saying whatever’s on my mind.

This time it’s Brody who reaches over the table for my hand. “Hey. Quit.”

“Quit what?” I mumble around scone crumbs, a few flying out of my mouth.

I’m such a delight.

“I meant it. I missed your brand of honesty. No, she’s not nearly as crafty as Ma Beagle was when she’d wear her black eye mask. She just takes shit, which is why she was in jail. I like that you can joke with me about it and not try to pretend that it didn’t happen. My mom’s a klepto, I know it. All her ex-friends know it. My dad knows it. Hell, I’m pretty sure even Pastor Warren knows it. I can accept it now because I realized that I’m not the one responsible for her actions and it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

I look down at our joined hands and back up to his eyes. He squeezes me once then slides his hand away again.

“How’s your sister?”

“Married. Happy. Trying to get pregnant.”

“Bet that makes Frank and Gina happy.”

“They’re ready to be grandparents for sure. They complain all the time that their friends get to have grandbabies but we don’t even give them grand-pets. Apparently my fish doesn’t count,” I grumble like it really bothers me. It doesn’t. Obviously I know a goldfish isn’t grand-pet worthy, but I love giving my parents grief about it.

“And what about you? What are you doing back here? Just visiting your parents after the wedding?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I’m here again. Moved home right before the wedding.”

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