Page 20 of Something Stronger
“You mean Gia,” I grumbled. “We’ve all been embarrassed by her. You have to learn to ignore it.” I motioned for her to come inside. “Besides, who knows if she’ll even show.” I knew there’d be a grand entrance, but I was trying to make light of the whole thing. Gia was Gia and nothing was going to change her. We just had to learn how to deal with her. Ginny’s the baby. A lot of the drama happened when she was too young to notice or care.
“Just so you know, if she tries to embarrass me in front of Corey, I’m going to punch her.” Ginny followed me inside.
“I’ll hold her still for ya.” I laughed as the smell of pot roast hit my nose. My mother made pot roast at least once a week, and if it was going to be a family dinner you could just about guarantee it. “Smells great, Mom.” I smiled as I took a seat beside Amy. Codie was across from me with Hank on the end. Just as we were all sitting down, a young man came in. His hair was still wet but combed and he clutched a baseball cap in his hands.
“Sorry, I’m a little late.” He smiled when he looked at Ginny. This must be Corey.
“We just sat down.” Ginny glanced up at him and blushed. He took the seat beside her, and our father said grace.
“Any idea where your other sister is?” Mom glanced at Carrie. She usually knew but rarely told all of us. She liked to keep the peace and if Gia knew that Carrie was ratting her out, she’d probably stop sharing things with her.
“I haven’t talked to her in a few days. Last I heard she had gotten a job down at Tumbleweeds.” Carrie shrugged.
“She’s probably drinking all her tips,” Codie muttered.
“Let’s enjoy this dinner your mama cooked for us, ok?” Dad started passing dishes around. We each scooped food onto our plates as the dishes passed. Potatoes, broccoli from Mom’s garden, homemade rolls, and sweet tea. Dad asked how thingswere going now that I was settled. I smiled and kept the conversation light. I didn’t share that Charlie didn’t pick Amy up for his weekly visitation for the second week in a row, or that he’d missed his last three months in child support payments. I didn’t want to bring the mood down, and the entire family had been helping me get back on my feet for the last year.
When we finished eating, the kids went outside to play. Ginny and Corey went for a walk. I’m sure they were looking for privacy. Codie and I stayed to help our mom with the cleanup and Carrie went to talk to our father about the business.
Just as we were finishing up with the last of the dishes, a set of headlights came up the driveway. “Are you expecting anyone?” I looked over at Mom.
“No.” She dried her hands and went out on the porch. The car stopped and when the driver climbed out, annoyance rose. It was Gia. Of course it was. “Didn’t think you were going to make it.” Mom smiled. She was always happy to see us, even on our worst days.
“I had to work.” She staggered a little as she walked over and hugged our mother.
“Have you been drinking?” I was concerned with her track record that she was working in a bar and that she chose to drive here.
“I had one drink after my shift. I’m tired. Get over yourself,” she barked as she made her way inside. “Did you guys save me any?” I watched as she opened the fridge and began pulling containers out. No hi or how are you doing. No nothing. She opened a drawer to grab a fork and sat down with the container in front of her at the table. I stood there in disbelief as she began to spoon cold pot roast into her mouth right from the container.
“You know we have plates for that?” I crossed my arms as I watched her in disgust.
“Why would I dirty a plate when I can just eat it this way?” She scooped another bite into her mouth. “Why are you even here? Don’t you have a husband to keep happy?” she mused as a smirk slowly spread across her face. “Oh wait, you couldn’t do that.” She chewed her food and wagged her finger at me. “Maybe you should take some classes on how to keep him happy in the bedroom, or how to keep the next one happy. If there is one.” She shrugged. As she swallowed, she began laughing. “You always thought you were better than me. Least I’m happy with my life. I know what I want, and I take it.” She stood and put the remnants of the leftovers back in the fridge before wiping her mouth. “Thanks, Ma.” She hugged her and then went outside. I watched as she made her way to the barn. I don’t know what she was doing, and I didn’t care. I’d reached my caring limit years ago. Now, I just pretended as if I didn’t hear her when she flung jabs at me. It wasn’t worth my energy.
“On that note, I think I’m going to head home. Amy has class tomorrow and it was a long day at the shop. Love you, Mom.” I hugged her and went outside to find Amy. My bed was calling me, and I wasn’t going to deny it.
Chapter 13
Louisiana
Today was competition class for Amy which meant I had to drop her off in the early afternoon, she had a break around dinnertime, and then I had to take her back for classes that went right up until bedtime. Competition classes were no joke, and everyone was expected to be there, including the moms. One thing about working for my sister was that she understood all the crazy in my life and when I needed to step out to do something for Amy, it was never a problem.
“So I sketched this out, and tomorrow I’ll go and start working on it.” I handed Carrie the drawing pad where I’d laid out the mural I was going to paint downtown. “Amy has ballet tomorrow and I don’t have to stay at the studio for that class, so I can at least get the first coat of white on, and we can go from there.” I grabbed my purse from under the counter. “We gotta go or we’re going to be late.”
“I’ll meet you out there tomorrow and help since the shop is closed,” Carrie called as Amy and I left.
“Sounds good.” I waved as we ventured out into the summer heat.
We were right in the middle of the worst part of summer right now, and whether the air conditioning was on or not, it was hot. The two-bedroom apartment I was renting in town for Amy and I was on the second floor. It was so hot during the day that I’d turn the air down, so it didn’t run constantly. By the time we got home in the evenings, the sun was setting and it was cooler outside. I kept it cool in the apartment to sleep, and then we ended up leaving for the day, so it didn’t matter if it got hot. This is part of the reason that I hadn’t let Amy get the dog she’d been begging for. We’re never home, and it was hot.
“When we get home, I need you to quickly change so we can get to the studio on time tonight. Ms. Rachel hasn’t been happy with the fact that we’ve been late the last couple of weeks.” I glanced over the seat where Amy was tapping away on her new phone. I broke down and got her one last month so she could call me from the studio if I wasn’t there. She’d been messaging Jack a lot lately.
“I know.” She sighed. “I’ve been in the back row for the last two numbers. Ms. Rachel says she can’t have someone in the front who’s not on time; it’s not fair.” Amy rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand why I get punished. I mean, I can’t drive so it’s not like I can control if I’m late.”
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. I’m doing the best I can.” I understood her frustration. She was right. She can’t drive. None of the kids in her class can. She’s ten, and the oldest kid in the group is thirteen. The parents were the ones who had to do all the work, and I had to have a job to pay for these classes. It was like a giant circle of problems that I couldn’t seem to break.
“Did you wash the tan tights?” I parked in front of our building.
“I did. They’re hanging in the bathroom. Two of your leos are too.” We rushed up the stairs, keys clutched in my hand. I unlocked the door, and a rush of hot air blasted us as we went inside.
