comfortable around her family. Overall, it was amazing that Gina drank as little as she did. Makayla was rarely seen without a drink in her hand, and none of her kids remembered seeing her without one. The Ex and most of the men Makayla dated drank heavily too, that just seemed to be the circles she traveled in.
Glasses often accumulated by the mother's bed or were scattered throughout the apartment, but he rarely tried to hunt them down. Since he did more than his share of dishes, he almost always had a clean one, after a fashion of course.
From the kitchen he heard the door open and the rustle of bags, but he continued eating his meal.
Makayla had come in through the front door with two arms of groceries, headed for the kitchen. "Steven," she said in the living room as she handed Ava's boyfriend both bags and aiming him at the kitchen, "you dropping my little girl off, or picking up?"
"Dropping off," he said, bashfully, "she wanted to see the last showing of that—"
But Makayla just pushed him toward the kitchen while she poured herself a finger of Scotch. "Drop them off too, while you're at it."
Steven walked in as Jason was finishing up his pasta. "I'll put them away," Jason said, knowing where most of it was going.
Steven waited, a bit puzzled now that he had nothing to do. "Where's Gina?"
Jason checked his watch, "Still at work." He sorted cans as he filled the cabinet under the microwave, then put the cereal on the shelf by the refrigerator. "Why aren't you with Ava in her room?"
"Well, she. . . uh, well—"
Jason had known that Ava was just about done with Steven. The only one at the house who didn't know was the boy he had just asked. "So, what was the movie about?"
"Oh, uh, it was that Will Smith one that everyone was raving about. It didn't have enough action in it for me. You know, sure, he's got some acting chops but, that ain't enough to hold my interest. No car wrecks, no car chases, no gun fights, Hell, I don't even think I ever saw him run!"
"Chick flick?" Jason said, folding up the empty bags and putting them away.
"Total."
It was sad that Steven didn't know what was coming his way. He wasn't a bad guy, he just wasn't what Ava was looking for, right now. A chill ran through him. What if Gina was breaking up with him, too? Would he know, or would he be this clueless too? Gina's normal persona was cool and a little distant, that would make it especially hard to tell.
"Hey uh, you worked on the behemoth, right?" Steven said sitting down.
"Yeah, that's right, but not anymore."
"What, uh, what happened?"
"Well, my contract was over, and they didn't want to renew. Technically, it was a layoff, not fired, but the results was the same."
Steven looked toward the living room where Makayla was settling down to some TV. He pulled the chair closer. "High pay?"
"Oh, it was nice for what little I did. I just sat in a sauna-like room and babysat some gauges. Can't get any better than that. But, high pay? Not exactly. It had perks, though. Free room and board, discount meals. They rented a room on the mainland for our week off. All that was nice. It really insulated us from the high prices of everything on the island."
"Saw in the news that they were gearing up to make one or two a year, now that the legal stuff was cleared up."
"Yeah, well, I mean, they kinda had to. It's a boat, it can go anywhere, sell, or uh, pay taxes in any country they wanted. Mind you, the chemistry of Hawaii lava seemed prefect, but all they need is an active, steady flow, without risking an eruption."
"Well, it's getting very fashionable among the billionaires' club. That first one is already decked out and working right now off of North Carolina. They say they charge fifty thousand a night to rent out one of the conference rooms, plus rooms and amenities. Saw a helicopter tour of the topside, looks like a cross between a golf course and the Garden of Eden."
Jason smiled, but checked his watch. "Yeah, saw that too. Said they
Glasses often accumulated by the mother's bed or were scattered throughout the apartment, but he rarely tried to hunt them down. Since he did more than his share of dishes, he almost always had a clean one, after a fashion of course.
From the kitchen he heard the door open and the rustle of bags, but he continued eating his meal.
Makayla had come in through the front door with two arms of groceries, headed for the kitchen. "Steven," she said in the living room as she handed Ava's boyfriend both bags and aiming him at the kitchen, "you dropping my little girl off, or picking up?"
"Dropping off," he said, bashfully, "she wanted to see the last showing of that—"
But Makayla just pushed him toward the kitchen while she poured herself a finger of Scotch. "Drop them off too, while you're at it."
Steven walked in as Jason was finishing up his pasta. "I'll put them away," Jason said, knowing where most of it was going.
Steven waited, a bit puzzled now that he had nothing to do. "Where's Gina?"
Jason checked his watch, "Still at work." He sorted cans as he filled the cabinet under the microwave, then put the cereal on the shelf by the refrigerator. "Why aren't you with Ava in her room?"
"Well, she. . . uh, well—"
Jason had known that Ava was just about done with Steven. The only one at the house who didn't know was the boy he had just asked. "So, what was the movie about?"
"Oh, uh, it was that Will Smith one that everyone was raving about. It didn't have enough action in it for me. You know, sure, he's got some acting chops but, that ain't enough to hold my interest. No car wrecks, no car chases, no gun fights, Hell, I don't even think I ever saw him run!"
"Chick flick?" Jason said, folding up the empty bags and putting them away.
"Total."
It was sad that Steven didn't know what was coming his way. He wasn't a bad guy, he just wasn't what Ava was looking for, right now. A chill ran through him. What if Gina was breaking up with him, too? Would he know, or would he be this clueless too? Gina's normal persona was cool and a little distant, that would make it especially hard to tell.
"Hey uh, you worked on the behemoth, right?" Steven said sitting down.
"Yeah, that's right, but not anymore."
"What, uh, what happened?"
"Well, my contract was over, and they didn't want to renew. Technically, it was a layoff, not fired, but the results was the same."
Steven looked toward the living room where Makayla was settling down to some TV. He pulled the chair closer. "High pay?"
"Oh, it was nice for what little I did. I just sat in a sauna-like room and babysat some gauges. Can't get any better than that. But, high pay? Not exactly. It had perks, though. Free room and board, discount meals. They rented a room on the mainland for our week off. All that was nice. It really insulated us from the high prices of everything on the island."
"Saw in the news that they were gearing up to make one or two a year, now that the legal stuff was cleared up."
"Yeah, well, I mean, they kinda had to. It's a boat, it can go anywhere, sell, or uh, pay taxes in any country they wanted. Mind you, the chemistry of Hawaii lava seemed prefect, but all they need is an active, steady flow, without risking an eruption."
"Well, it's getting very fashionable among the billionaires' club. That first one is already decked out and working right now off of North Carolina. They say they charge fifty thousand a night to rent out one of the conference rooms, plus rooms and amenities. Saw a helicopter tour of the topside, looks like a cross between a golf course and the Garden of Eden."
Jason smiled, but checked his watch. "Yeah, saw that too. Said they
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