Page 80 of Afternoon Delight
“We bought the Four with our Christmas money and left this one here.” Roddie shrugged off the disappointment. “This one still works. Shelby and I tried it while she was here.”
I didn’t hear any more because I was allowing myself to be fleeced on the table lamps by throwing in the area rug. When I turned around again, Zak had struck a deal with Roddie to spend the day with him and the kids.
“Do you mind, Mom? You and Grandma don’t need me, do you?”
“Poacher,” I huffed at Zak.
“He offered,” Zak defended. “I’ll bring dinner when we come back.”
“Fine.” I wasn’t really mad. More like jealous. I asked Roddie, “Do you need money?”
“I got it,” Zak assured me. Then he handed over a fistful of fives for the things the kids had picked out. “See you later.”
“’Kay.” I shoved the bills into the fanny pack I was wearing and lifted my head just in time for Zak to drop a kiss on my mouth.
He did it so absently that we both froze in surprise. So did Mom, Roddie, and even Lance. Everyone stared.
“Um...” Zak pushed his mouth to the side in a rueful wince.
“Go,” I urged him, catching his arm and steering him toward the minivan he was driving.
Mom contained herself until they were gone and the rush had died down. Then she pulled her lawn chair even with mine on the driveway.
“What…?”
“I promise I won’t get pregnant this time.”
“But what is your plan?”
“We don’t have a plan, Mom. We’re friends who kiss sometimes. I swear, the minute it’s more than that”—I know. It was already more than that—“you’ll be the first to know.”
Thankfully, a woman walking her dog stopped to browse. Mom got up to answer her question about whether the bread machine still worked. She showed her that the recipe book and parts were all there.
We had a few more small rushes before Mom went into the house to make us a couple of sandwiches. That’s when Negasi pulled up on the street.
“Hi!” I turned from the table of books. They’d been browsed to death but hadn’t diminished at all. “Mom told me you were coming to look at her craft supplies. Did you get my email?”
I’d put together a package with a rough business plan that Negasi could plug budget figures into to get an idea of the costs he faced, then added a list of grants and other types of funding beyond simply going to the bank.
“I did, and I want to talk more about it, but today...” Negasi opened his passenger door and waved like he was presenting a game show prize.
“Georgia!” I grinned and hurried forward, arriving in time to take Georgia’s other hand as she reached out for assistance. “I was going to come see you later,” I reminded her.
“I know, but—” Her grip was strong. I think she needed the leverage because the car was low, not because she was too weak from her recovery. She stood and looked around. “It feels good to see someone else’s front yard for a change.”
“You look great,” I told her.
She gave me a snerk of skepticism, but she really did look a million times better. She wore baggy sweats and a hoodie with a scarf over her hair, but she was out of pajamas, and her eyes were bright, not glassy with pain or medication.
“You should have told me you were going stir crazy. I would have come to get you.”
“It was an impulse. I was texting with Negasi. He said he was coming to see Vickie. I was kind of joking when I said I wanted to come, but...” She looked to Negasi.
“She said you can drive her home?” he asked me.
“For sure. Mom’s making lunch. I’ll tell her to add a couple of sandwiches.”
“Not for me, thanks,” Negasi said. “I’m meeting a friend of a friend who owns a men’s clothing store. I’m gonna pick his brain about the costs of bringing in unfinished suits from Asia.”
