Page 36 of His Team

“That’s great news. You sound happy. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” Daddy says.

Caleb and I scoff down our first plates and move for seconds in unison. One thing I can say I miss about being home is the cooking. Mama can’t cook for shit, but our chefs do a damn good job.

Caleb and I aren’t huge for nothing. We’ve been eating like two vacuums since we were fifteen. I’m sure we’ll both have a third plate before we get up from here.

Daddy watches us both with a huge grin on his face. Mama sits with her bird-portion plate, looking like she’s trying to find something to say to us.

I feel the moment she’s about to sour my appetite. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and the air in the room shifts. I drop my fork and look up as I feel her eyes on me.

“Have you spoken to Kayleen?” she asks.

“Not in a while,” I reply.

“You should give her a call. She’s going to need her friends,” she says cryptically.

I work my jaw. I don’t know why I thought I would get to come here and not talk about Kay. I haven’t forgotten about her. I’ve just been enjoying life without the drama.

Amina and I have been bowling, skating, and the movies. We’ve even had study sessions on late nights at a coffee shop not far from our neighborhood where not too many people would recognize us.

I’m getting used to smiling and laughing more in my life. Opening that door to Kay will open the door to all that shit I want to get away from. I want to enjoy this peace for a little while longer before I deal with Kayleen and the final decision on our future.

However, as her friend, I don’t want to leave her high and dry if she needs someone to lean on. Kay has tons of friends, but we’re her closest friend group. We’re her safe place.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What are you talking about?”

“Tammy Bell and Jimmy Dean are getting a divorce. I haven’t got all the details just yet, but there’s some stuff about the firm, a lawyer, and about some missing money. Somehow Jimmy Dean is caught up in the middle of everything and Tammy wants out,” Mama says.

I scrub a hand up and down my face. That is fucked up, and knowing Kay like I do, she’s probably taking it hard. I’m not ready to deal with us, but I can’t allow her to go through this on her own.

“That’s fucked up,” Caleb says out of nowhere.

I turn to look at him and he’s looking between me and my mama. I groan. He’s not going to allow me to ignore this, just like my mama ain’t.

“I’ll give her a call,” I grumble.

“That’s my boy. Kay is family. We help our family in need,” Mama says.

“You can be her support, but don’t let that family’s mess become your problem,” Daddy says.

“How can you say that? Tammy Bell is like a sister to me,” Mama gasps.

“And if I lost every dime tonight, would she be there to hold your hand?”

“I … I.” Mama gives a nervous laugh.

“I don’t think so,” Daddy says with a frown. “She’d run away from you faster than a plate of wings trying to get away from a pan of grease. I think you’re forgetting we have funds tied up in all this. It might be wise to separate ourselves from it all sooner rather than later.”

“Tammy Bell and Kayleen have nothing to do with the mess Jimmy Dean has gotten himself into. I always knew Howell was good for nothing—he’s the real one to blame.

“Jimmy Dean allowed him too much access. We’re all getting burned because of that scumbag. This is probably why Jimmy couldn’t make things happen for Kay to go to school with the boys,” Mama huffs.

“I don’t want to talk about this at this table. I thought we agreed we weren’t going to share the details with the boys. You don’t even know what Tammy and Jimmy told Kay. Cam, I’d use caution in what you say to Kay if you do talk to her. This is still a very delicate situation.”

From the pointed look on my daddy’s face, I get that my mama has shared a bunch of other folk’s business that ain’t none of mine. I’ll keep that in mind.

I frown down at my unfinished food, no longer having an appetite. Pushing my plate away, I grab my glass and wash down the food I didn’t get to finish enjoying.

Welcome home, Mama.

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