Page 19 of Bone Dust

I turn and shout to Sam down the hallway. “I brought wine. I’m putting it in the freezer to chill.”

He pokes his head out of the bathroom doorway, wiping his hands on a fuchsia towel. “I saw it in your hand when you two walked in.”

“I felt like chilling out with a glass or two today. It’s been a long week. Gigi got a booster shot the other day and was up all night complaining about her arm. Then there was laundry to do, and bills to pay … you know what I mean. I just want to relax a little.”

“Then put it in there. Just remember it’s there or you’ll have a wine slushy.”

A mental picture of a huge slushy cup of wine makes an entrance into my thoughts. It’s an idea I’ll bet lots of moms would enjoy. As I close the freezer door, I sense Sam behind me and tip up my chin The mixed scent of spice and wood swirls in the air. I peck a kiss on his freshly shaven face. “You smell nice.”

“Thanks.” We move in opposite directions, him toward the stove and me toward the table and chairs where I pull one out and take a seat.

“What have you been up to?”

His brow quirks. “Savi, it’s only been three days that you ain’t seen me, so not a whole helluva lot.” He takes a wooden spoon from the counter to the pot and stirs the contents. “What about you? Did you enjoy your days off?”

“Kind of,” I shrug. “I caught up on a lot of stuff. Cora took Gigi for a day while I cleaned the house. It looked so nice and orderly until hurricane Gigi ran through. Honestly, I thought you might stop by. I can’t remember when you’ve gone longer than a day or two without seeing your princess.”

“Yeah. I would’ve but I’ve been more busy than usual with Mac quitting on me and interviewing for his replacement.”

“Why did Mac quit? I thought he loved it at Mad Dog.”

“Yeah, well … let’s just say he loves his fiancé more. She lives over on the East Coast.”

“So, he left for her?”

He nods. “Yup.”

“And Ian’s taking his place?”

“Yep. You’re right on both counts. Mac’s leavin’. Ian’s stayin’. He offered to help. I lucked out. It would’ve been just me and Jeri. That bar gets too crowded for one person to cover a shift. I’m gonna hire two people to take Mac’s place: one bartender and one bar back, and cross-train them both. It’s not rocket science. It shouldn’t take long to bring them up to speed once I pick who I’m going to hire.”

I’m quiet, taking in every word. He eyeballs me, studying my reaction. I catch a curl of his lip before he turns his back to me and tends to his cooking.

“Sam?”

“Yes, Savannah.”

“How long will Ian be working there?”

He turns. “Why don’t you just spit it out, Savi? You don’t like him, and you don’t want him there.”

“I don’t, and I don’t. How long do you plan to keep him there?”

“As long as I need him, I suppose.” He shrugs, matter-of-factly.

“Any idea how long that will be?” Exasperation shades my tone.

“I don’t know yet.” His eyes catch mine. “Maybe long enough to address the elephant in the room.”

My spine stiffens. “And that is?”

Gigi runs into the room, interrupting our conversation. “A ELEPHANT? Where’s a elephant?” Her voice is a high-pitched squeal. She runs over to me bouncing up and down. “Where’s a elephant, Momma? I wanna see. I wanna see!”

“It’s you, Chickadee!” Sam sets the spoon down and hunches over. An observant Gigi watches as he buries his nose into his armpit and sways his arm loosely back and forth to mimic an elephant walk. “C’mon, Gigi. Let’s pretend we’re elephants.”

Gigi squeals again then wiggles out from between my knees, impatient to follow Sam’s lead. The mounting tension I felt a moment before dissipates as I, too, surrender to the silliness and assume the same posture. We drop heavy footsteps, swaying back and forth as the three of us take our best shots at being pachyderms. We keep up the act for several minutes until Sam, feigning exhaustion, falls to the floor. A horrified Gigi runs to him.

“Is you okay?” Gigi grabs his hand and pulls, as I quietly move back into a chair and watch their exchange.

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