Paul pulled open the front door. “Let’s print out the branding stuff Carlin sent over for a visual reference, and we can order some pizza. Or maybe barbecue, to get us in the mood?”
“Nah. The only barbecue in this town is Susie Dupree’s Deluxe, and eating the competition will jinx us. Pizza it is.” I led him down the hall to the kitchen. “But we can— Oh, hey, Mama. We were just talking about Susie Dupree’s barbecue. I’m really excited for Paul to try it Saturday night.”
My mother stood by the kitchen counter in her Bermuda shorts and sleeveless polo and smiled lightly. “Dupree’s Deluxe is the best you’ll ever have,” she assured him, but then she looked at me and I got the same feeling I used to get when I got a C on an English test, only I wasn’t sure how I’d messed up.
“I’ll grab the laptop,” Paul said, touching my arm before he headed upstairs. I nodded. “Where’s your printer, Mrs. Johnson?”
“Oh, honey, we don’t have one, I’m afraid,” she admitted. “Mr. Johnson believes—”
I groaned and threw my head back to the ceiling. I’d heard this rationale before, I just hadn’t known they’d bought into it so completely.
“—printer ink is a corporate scam. They lure you in with a cheap printer, then charge you the same again for the ink.”
“I will personally pay for Dad’s cartridges,” I told her.
“You can’t, baby. Your father donated it to some politician he hated. Sort of a white elephant, you know? Let him pay for the ink. But you could go to the Iveys’ place. Monette and Brad have a printer in the basement. And since we’ll all be at the Melt for the presentation, I’m sure the house’ll be free. I’ll just call Monette and let her know.”
I hesitated. Ava’s house now felt like Mal’s territory, and I wasn’t sure where I stood with him. But if they weren’t home, it didn’t matter, right? I nodded.
“Dibs on first shower!” Paul said happily, running for the stairs.
I wasn’t sure why he felt the need to clean up when I was the one who’d gotten all sweaty. “Leave me hot water!” I demanded.
After he left, my mother stared at the spot where he’d been standing for a long minute.
Better get this over with. “Everything okay, Mama?”
“Of course.” She forced a smile, then got a tall glass from the cupboard and poured me some sweet tea from the pitcher on the counter. “Your boyfriend seems real nice, Brooks.”
That was maybe the last thing I’d expected her to say. “He is. Very.” When he wasn’t an asshole.
She pushed the tea in my direction, and I grabbed it, thankful for something to do, but the first sip was like stepping back in time to my childhood. It was way too sweet and way too strong and completely perfect. It was home.
“He helped Mrs. Rabinowitz across the parking lot to the viewing area today, and he fanned Ava with Mamie Luther’s fan when it looked like she was getting overheated.”
“Paul did?” I grinned. “I’m not surprised. He’s a good guy.”
Mama hesitated. “You know, you’ve been gone a while, but I still like to think I know when my son’s got his eye on someone. There was a tension in the room there last Sunday”—she nodded toward the front hall by the bathroom—“and it had nothing to do with Paul, did it?”
I blinked stupidly and my palms started to sweat. “I don’t—”
She held up a hand. “You don’t have to say anything, baby. Remember, a mother knows things. And then today, when you came out of those woods carrying Malachi’s broken bucket, and he had yours, that just confirmed it.”
“Wait, what?” My face burned. “How did you—I mean, what made you think we swapped?”
“You’re so unobservant, Brooks. Didn’t you notice the buckets have different colored plastic on the handles? You left with a yellow handle, and Ava’s boyfriend came back with it.”
I thought back to the Lope and literally could not recall the handle of my pail or anyone else’s. I shook my head, stunned.
“Well, trust me when I tell you, I’m not the only one who noticed and started getting ideas. Your father mentioned it to me before we left the parking lot, and Monette Ivey’s eyes were liable to bug out of her head when the two of you appeared.”
Damn. No wonder my dad had been giving me weird looks. I’d never dreamed…
“I know it’s none of my business, Brooks, but… that boy is sweet, and it’s clear he has real affection for you. Just don’t lead him on.”
My heart beat faster, thinking about prickly Malachi and wondering when my mom had decided he was sweet. “Real affection? For me? You think?”
“Of course, honey. The way he looked at Ava when she was kissing her boyfriend told the tale! He figured out you threw the race for Ava, and he’s jealous.”