Page 166 of New Growth
Bones bolted toward the man who had spoken, practically diving into his arms. The man let out another big, belly-deep laugh and patted the boy’s back. Then, he looked at us and waved us over.
“Lottie! Get over here and let me get a good look at that woman you done brought with you!”
My stomach twisted so hard I thought I might puke.
El let out a long-suffering sigh like he’d been bracing. “Here we go.”
He hadn’t given me much of a rundown on his family. Just the basics:
There was his dad, Bernard—but apparently no one called him that. To everyone, he was Bourbon. His stepmom, Rio, who was younger than his dad.Interesting. His older brother, Genesis—father to Bones. And his younger half-brother, Hakeem. When I’d asked for more, El had just shrugged and said, “I want you to form your own opinion.”
Translation:Brace yourself.
I kind of wished I’d gotten a better heads-up. A warning.Anything.
El led me forward like this was no big deal. “Hey, everybody. This is Elliot.”
I managed a small wave, trying not to look as awkward as I felt. “Hi.”
Silence.
Then—laughter. My stomach dropped straight through the floor.
I immediately glanced down at myself, suddenly hyper-aware of my outfit—a floral sundress, and comfortable but cute sandals. I thought I looked nice. I’d worn my hair in a twist-out because El liked it that way, but since it was hot, I’d pinned it up before we left the hotel. Curls still spilled over the top of my head and down to my shoulders.
Was I overdressed? Did I look like I was trying too hard?
I felt my lips quiver.
The older man at the head of the table finally wiped his eyes and let me in on the joke. “Boy, you so vain you had to find someone with the same name as you?”
So this was Bourbon.
El rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Stop laughing, you’re making her feel bad.”
A young, gorgeous woman—the only woman at the table—waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, we ain’t laughing at you, cher. It’s just Lottie got a reputation for being snooty. This is exactly the kind of thing he’d do.”
This had to be Rio.
El scoffed. “I’m not snooty.”
“You are very snooty,” another man added—one who looked like an older version of El. Genesis, I assumed. “Remember when you said you ain’t staying here ’cause there ain’t no AC? That’s snooty.”
El scoffed again. “Why would I bring my guest to a room with no AC?”
Genesis smirked. “Oh, so she snooty too?”
“Nobody’s snooty!” El groaned.
Rio waved us over. “Oh, calm down, we’re just playing. Come sit.”
El pulled out my chair before dropping into his own with a dramatic sigh, resting his arm around the back of mine.
I exhaled, trying to shake off the nerves. This was going to be a long day.
Rio leaned forward, eyes locked on El. “Lottie, why you ain’t introduce us to your ‘guest’?”
El let out a slow breath. “I was trying to, but you—”
