Page 66 of About That Night

He doesn’t sound particularly busted up over the fact, just very matter-of-fact.

“No? Well, not everyone does. But you’re lucky you have such a great mama.”

“Yeah.” He seems pretty solid about it. “She was a cheerleader.”

“I do remember that.” Oh, do I remember that.

I squat by the edge of the pond, and he slides off.

“What happens if you fart in the water?” he asks.

“You make bubbles.”

This strikes him as hilarious, and he doubles over with laughter. His laugh is so infectious that I start laughing too. Which makes him laugh harder. So I tickle him, and he squeals. He can scream almost as loud as his mother. But not quite.

Then I show him how to skip rocks. He picks at the dirt, he finds a worm. We discuss the fact that I’m a chef and that he’s actually an alien in Josiah’s body (according to him), and then we head back to the house.

Guy bonding complete for today. I figure it can’t hurt for him to have some form of male influence in his life.

“Why was he laughing?” Chastity demands the second we’re back up at the house. The patio has Dad’s jumbo outdoor TV, a fireplace, a fire pit, the table for crawfish, and multiple coolers filled with beverages.

I drop Josiah down onto the pavers. “Because something was funny.”

“Oh. What was so funny?”

“Farts.”

“Oh.”

“You sound psychotic,” Nevaeh comments to Chastity.

“I’m glad she said it first,” I say with a grin. “Here, Nevaeh, let me introduce you to some people, since you’re new in town.”

“That would be awesome.”

My mother appears out of nowhere, like a toxic mist. One minute she’s not there, and then suddenly she is.

“Chastity, come on over and help me with this gumbo.”

Chastity gives me a panicked look.

“Mama, let Chastity say hi to people before you put her to work.”

“I don’t really need her help, Hank. I just want to talk to her. Leave us be.” My mother waves me off.

There’s not much I can say to that. I figure me and Chastity are just friends, anyway, so there isn’t much damage my mother can do. Shrugging, I give Chastity a look of “I tried” with a smile and walk away.

Chapter Twenty-One

Chastity

I can’t believe Hank is abandoning me to the mercy of his mother.

The mother who I am almost certain saw me creeping out of his bedroom all those years ago.

“I shouldn’t leave Josiah,” I protest weakly.

“He’s fine,” she says, dismissing my concerns. “He’s having fun.”

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