Page 80 of The One for Me
“Are you going to ride with us, Aunt Devney?”
She looks over at me, and I shrug. “We can if you have room.”
“Yes! We’ll make room. We can leave Mom home if we need to.”
I laugh. “Dude, never leave your mother behind. She’s the one who brings food and plans for things. If you’re going to leave someone behind, it should never be her.”
He nods emphatically and then his head tilts. “Who do we leave then?”
“Your aunt. Always leave her.”
“Hey!” She slaps my chest. “Never leave me. I’m mission essential.”
“Really?” I counter. “What do you bring to the crew?”
Devney sits up a bit straighter. “Well, I’m good in a crisis, so you don’t have to worry about what to do. I have the ability to build things, so if survival is an issue, I can make a shelter. Then there’s the fact that I am very funny, which helps the time go by.”
I glance back at Austin. “Are you buying any of this?”
“Not the funny part.”
Her jaw falls slack. “You guys are mean.”
“Sweetheart, we’re asking you to sell us on why we should bring you, not why you would be good in an apocalypse.”
“And why should we bringyou?” she asks with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Because he’s Sean Arrowood! The greatest catcher of all time!” Austin informs her with a lot of gusto.
“Exactly.”
“And that means what if we are talking about value in an emergency situation? Is he going to catch the snowballs that fly at us?”
Austin laughs. “No!”
“Well, I’m not convinced that he shouldn’t be left behind. He has very few skills, and I would know because of the number of times I had to save him when we were kids. He’s definitely not funny. I can’t remember the last time he made me laugh, unless you count the times I laughedathim. We know he can’t plan because he said he needed his mother to pack him snacks, and can you guess who does it for him now?” Her eyes lift and she points to herself. “I mean, if we’re talking about anyone we should leave behind, it’s very clear who the choice is.”
I love this woman. I love her humor, her heart, and how hard she’s trying to sell me down the river right now. Austin shakes his head as though the idea is inconceivable, which to a nine-year-old baseball enthusiast, it is.
“I can’t leave him behind, Aunt Devney.”
“And why not?”
His eyes widen as his voice drops. “Because he’s SeanArrowood.”
“I know, but I vote him out of the car.”
“You don’t get a vote,” I inform her.
“And why not?”
I smile at her as I park the car. “Because I would never leave you anywhere. I’d stay back if it meant you got a spot.”
“Well, now you ruined my fight. How can I even think of leaving you when you say sweet things like that?”
I wink and then turn to Austin. “And that’s why you’d never leave me. I’m a charmer.”
They both burst out laughing. Devney rolls her eyes. “Go inside, buddy. I’ll see you early Saturday morning.”
