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“She isn’t done with school.”
“No, sir.” Both the men were staring me down.
“She’s worked very hard to get where she is. Stubborn mule didn’t want a bunch of loans, so she dragged it out.”
I chuckled but he widened his eyes at me, and Len looked off to the side. I quickly spoke up, “Yes, sir. She’s worked very hard.”
“Son, you’re a good boy–no–good young man. But I’m sure you can understand how I’d be concerned with the timing of you coming back to town.”
Shifting in my seat, I cleared my throat, yet again. “Yes, sir. I must admit I had my own concerns. But I can assure you I support her completely and wouldn’t interfere with her career.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t intentionally, but while it may seem long ago to you, it wasn’t so long ago that the two of you were inseparable. I know folks have relationships in school, but I just want to be sure the two of you are responsible.”
“Sir?”
“You know, responsible with your time, responsible with your finances, responsible with your…private business.”
The lump wouldn’t go down, so my words came out at a higher octave. “Sir, yes, sir. Very responsible.”
“Glad we cleared that up, son. Would you like a drink? We have beer, I think there’s some spiked seltzers. I have a little whiskey but like to keep that for after dinner.”
I shook my head. “No thank you, sir. Hauling special cargo today.”
Mr. Stewart nodded slowly, but finally cracked a small smile. Relief sent the breath I didn't know I was holding from my lungs when the back door opened.
“Dad, do you need a serving tray for that meat, or did you have one out here?” Jaz asked from the door.
“If you could bring one, I’d appreciate it, Jazzy. And my carving knife set, please.”
Jaz nodded to her dad and shot me a coy smile. Only a minute passed before she was back with the items, but it felt like a year sitting with her dad and uncle, especially when they made it clear they were purposefully staring me down.
Chapter 19
Jaz
Once I took the serving tray to my dad, I decided to sit outside with the men. The ladies inside were going too hard with the questions.
“Are you back together?”
“How did this happen?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“When did he get so handsome?”
“What did his parents say?”
“Are y’all living together?”
I just gave a tight smile with short answers, but the last one had me rolling my eyes. Instead of dignifying that with an answer, I stood to check on the boys and was glad Dad needed a few things.
Dad pulled a pork roast, a chicken, and ribs from the grill.
“Dang Dad, you went all out.”
“Well, I was excited to have some company.”
Uncle Len coughed obnoxiously.
