wondered what my mother was thinking,” Michael said.
“Why didn’t she just call you John?” Nana asked. She ate half the grape, slowly.
Malachi’s big white teeth flashed. “It would have made my life a lot easier, I can tell you that.”
He seemed enormous in the middle of them, towering over all the women, even Jane, who only came up to his shoulder. Lost in the forest of legs and knees, Danny adamantly slapped Malachi’s big thigh. “Hey! You want to come outside with me?”
“Okay with me.” He raised his eyebrows for permission from Jasmine. “But you gotta promise no blood, all right? I get kinda woozy.”
Michael met my eyes across the room, that little secret smile on his mouth, like he wanted me to notice his big sex god brother taking a little kid outside to play. “Predictable,” I said.
Malachi got the joke, chuckling low as he took Danny’s hand and headed for the door. He winked. “Works, though.”
Nana, who also got the joke, pushed my hair off my face. “You’re too old to wear your hair down like that.”
I didn’t look at Malachi, who left the room with Danny, leaving only the chaos of my family behind. Manageable. “I like it this way,” I said, and pulled the hair down that she had pushed back.
Jane touched it. “I
love
it,” she said, her fingers lazing through the curls. “Very Renaissance.”
“Thank you,” I said, and plucked a few grapes out of the bowl myself.
My mother still hadn’t said a word, and I looked up to see her staring out the kitchen window at the man and boy playing in the yard, her mouth in a straight, measuring line. “Hey,” I said, “let’s take this out of Michael’s kitchen. He’s creating.” I grabbed the bowl of grapes. “Come on, Nana.”
She waved me away, and I knew she wanted to sit alone with her guy. For whatever reason, she’d adopted Michael Shaunnessey, and loved coming here to fuss over him. He loved it, too. He gave me a nod. “About a half hour,” he said.
We settled around the giant dining room table, little pockets of chatter rising and falling. Shane deposited Karen in a chair. “I’ll be upstairs,” he said. The long, long day was starting to tell in his face. He’d be asleep in five minutes.
“Don’t you want something to eat?”
“Not right now.” He went up the stairs, his combat boots heavy, even clumps instead of the usual two-at-a-time race. I smiled to myself. A hangover is a good teacher.
Jane caught the smile. “Not feeling top of his form, is he?”
“Nope,” I said. “But tell me what you guys were doing. How’s the wedding going?”
“Oh, it was just a fitting,” Jane said. “They still have to take up the waist a little more, but the dress looks good. The big thing is,” she said with glowing eyes, “we found a house!”
“A house?”
“It’s real pretty,” Mama said, relaxing enough now that That Man was out of the room to take a handful of grapes into her palm and start eating them, one at a time, gesturing with them as she talked. “Even has roses growing up the porch. We can get over to Eagles and fix it up in no time.” She pursed her lips. “What’s that paper Carol got for her stairway?”
“Oh, the paisley! Yeah,” Jane said. She took my hand. “It’s so beautiful, Jewel. You’ll love it—the light is so pretty. Two bedrooms and even a family room. Over by City Park, so we can take walks in the evening, and when we have babies, it will be so easy to go to the zoo.”
I listened to her descriptions with a sense of missed possibilities. She was so responsible, this baby sister of mine, and it hadn’t appreciably ruined her life. She had been going steady with her boyfriend, Steve Candelario, since they were both juniors in high school. They’d done everything by the book, these two—homecoming dances with corsages, and the prom in tuxes and evening gowns and limousines. They both went to college right here in town, achieved their degrees in four
“Why didn’t she just call you John?” Nana asked. She ate half the grape, slowly.
Malachi’s big white teeth flashed. “It would have made my life a lot easier, I can tell you that.”
He seemed enormous in the middle of them, towering over all the women, even Jane, who only came up to his shoulder. Lost in the forest of legs and knees, Danny adamantly slapped Malachi’s big thigh. “Hey! You want to come outside with me?”
“Okay with me.” He raised his eyebrows for permission from Jasmine. “But you gotta promise no blood, all right? I get kinda woozy.”
Michael met my eyes across the room, that little secret smile on his mouth, like he wanted me to notice his big sex god brother taking a little kid outside to play. “Predictable,” I said.
Malachi got the joke, chuckling low as he took Danny’s hand and headed for the door. He winked. “Works, though.”
Nana, who also got the joke, pushed my hair off my face. “You’re too old to wear your hair down like that.”
I didn’t look at Malachi, who left the room with Danny, leaving only the chaos of my family behind. Manageable. “I like it this way,” I said, and pulled the hair down that she had pushed back.
Jane touched it. “I
love
it,” she said, her fingers lazing through the curls. “Very Renaissance.”
“Thank you,” I said, and plucked a few grapes out of the bowl myself.
My mother still hadn’t said a word, and I looked up to see her staring out the kitchen window at the man and boy playing in the yard, her mouth in a straight, measuring line. “Hey,” I said, “let’s take this out of Michael’s kitchen. He’s creating.” I grabbed the bowl of grapes. “Come on, Nana.”
She waved me away, and I knew she wanted to sit alone with her guy. For whatever reason, she’d adopted Michael Shaunnessey, and loved coming here to fuss over him. He loved it, too. He gave me a nod. “About a half hour,” he said.
We settled around the giant dining room table, little pockets of chatter rising and falling. Shane deposited Karen in a chair. “I’ll be upstairs,” he said. The long, long day was starting to tell in his face. He’d be asleep in five minutes.
“Don’t you want something to eat?”
“Not right now.” He went up the stairs, his combat boots heavy, even clumps instead of the usual two-at-a-time race. I smiled to myself. A hangover is a good teacher.
Jane caught the smile. “Not feeling top of his form, is he?”
“Nope,” I said. “But tell me what you guys were doing. How’s the wedding going?”
“Oh, it was just a fitting,” Jane said. “They still have to take up the waist a little more, but the dress looks good. The big thing is,” she said with glowing eyes, “we found a house!”
“A house?”
“It’s real pretty,” Mama said, relaxing enough now that That Man was out of the room to take a handful of grapes into her palm and start eating them, one at a time, gesturing with them as she talked. “Even has roses growing up the porch. We can get over to Eagles and fix it up in no time.” She pursed her lips. “What’s that paper Carol got for her stairway?”
“Oh, the paisley! Yeah,” Jane said. She took my hand. “It’s so beautiful, Jewel. You’ll love it—the light is so pretty. Two bedrooms and even a family room. Over by City Park, so we can take walks in the evening, and when we have babies, it will be so easy to go to the zoo.”
I listened to her descriptions with a sense of missed possibilities. She was so responsible, this baby sister of mine, and it hadn’t appreciably ruined her life. She had been going steady with her boyfriend, Steve Candelario, since they were both juniors in high school. They’d done everything by the book, these two—homecoming dances with corsages, and the prom in tuxes and evening gowns and limousines. They both went to college right here in town, achieved their degrees in four
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