Southern Sunshine (Southern 8)

"I don’t need your money, Mom," my father says. "Okay, I have to go back tomorrow. I’ll take a look and see if I can find all the outstanding bills Kaine owes."

"Isn’t that illegal?" I ask, and it’s his turn to glare at me.

"If it’s on the internet, it’s not illegal." He gets up now, kissing his mother and then turning toward me. “Find a way home." He turns and walks out of the house.

I wait for the door to close behind my father before I look back at my grandparents. My grandmother sits down. “I don’t know how she’s going to do it." She shakes her head. “It’s bad enough raising a child as a single mom, but to do it without family." I take in the part where she’s single. "And they were so close." She grabs a tissue and wipes the corner of her eyes.

"I thought she left to go to college,” I say. “Didn’t know she came back home."

"She doesn’t live here," my grandfather says. “First time she’s been back in six years."

I look at him as all the questions come at me at once. “She was probably embarrassed," my grandmother says. “Getting pregnant in college." My mouth hangs open. “And then having a baby alone. That would be hard on anyone."

I get up, ready to jump out of my skin. “I’m going to go,” I say. “I have to meet Ethan,” I lie to them. “See you tomorrow."

Walking out of the house, I walk toward the house I’m staying at, the whole time wondering what the fuck Hazel has been up to.

Chapter 10

Hazel

"Tilt your head back," I tell my daughter as I grab a plastic cup and rinse the shampoo out of her hair.

"Momma," she says. “My eyes." I grab a clean, dry towel and dry the little drops of water running down the side of her face. “Thank you, Momma,” she says with a smile, and it knocks me on my ass because she has his smile. I never saw it before, or maybe I didn’t want to see it before, but the way she smirks and then smiles, she’s exactly like him. Seeing him again and then seeing some of the stuff she does, it’s like I forgot or ignored it. But now seeing him and knowing that he’s so close to her, it’s almost like they stick out more. It’s not just her smile either. It’s the way she puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head to one side just a bit.

"Five more minutes,” I say, and she turns around in a circle in the big tub. "We have a big day tomorrow,” I say. Sitting on the wooden stool by the tub, I watch her fill the cup with water and then throw it on her legs. “We are going to take care of those weeds out front.” She looks up at me. “Cut them down. Pops always loved his flowers in the front. It’s because Meemaw planted them.” I take a big inhale when I think of what I need to do in order to make it look a bit better. “We just need to go into the barn.”

Her eyes get big now. “Momma, the raccoons," she tells me. "They looked mad last time."

"It’s fine.” I’m not sure it’s fine, but they’re not going to stop me. I need the tools in the barn because without them, I’ll be cutting the weeds with the scissors. "Momma will bring out a big pot and a wooden spoon, and we’ll scare them all away." She looks at me like she isn’t sure, and it doesn’t help that I think she’s right.

She stands, saying, “Okay, I’m done." I hold out my hand for her as she climbs out of the old tub. She stands on the little square rug while I pick up the big dry towel on my lap and wrap it around her. Pulling her to me, I squish her to my chest, blowing kisses in her neck until the sound of her giggles fills the room. "Momma, that tickles,” she says, and I finally dry her off so she can slip on her nightgown. I start combing her hair to braid it. "Momma, can I have a cookie?"

"One cookie, some milk, and then bed,” I say, and she smirks at me, the same fucking smirk that Reed gave me when he was over. The smirk I forgot about until today.

"Okay," she sings, knowing I’ll give her two cookies.

We walk back downstairs to the soft light coming from the kitchen stove. She sits on the chair on her knees while she eats two cookies and then drinks her milk. "Let’s go brush your teeth,” I say, walking upstairs to finish her nightly routine. I’m trying to keep the same schedule for her.