Page 105 of Give Me a Shot

“Thanks,” she said, patting his arm. “But no chickens before they’re hatched.”

“I understand,” he said. Vanessa squeezed his arm and returned to the couch, taking small sips of her Coke.

“Maddie!” Karim’s wife, Isadora, said as she walked through the open sliding glass door that led to the deck. “I’ve been looking for my husband all over. Thank you for finding him for me.”

“Auntie Isadora!” Maddie gasped. She ran into Isadora’s arms for a hug. “I didn’t know you’d be here!”

Isadora hugged her back, laughing.

“But that’s Uncle Khalil,” Maddie said. “Not Uncle Karim.”

Isadora kissed her head.

“I know, sweetie; I was joking. But I am looking for Uncle Karim, have you seen him?” Isadora asked.

“No, I haven’t, but I’ll help you find him.” Maddie grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the living room. Isadora waved at Mo and mouthed a “hey.” He waved back.

He wanted to smile. He had a lot to smile about. Brothers who cared about him and his daughter. A family that had never done anything but accept him, apart from teasing him when they felt like it. But what stung, as he watched Khalil lean down and kiss Vanessa before he went out on the deck, was his loneliness. He hadn’t felt that way before meeting Jess, but now it was a bone-deep feeling that was getting harder to manage.

He wove around the back of the couch and went to look for his dad outside. As expected, he found him next to the grill, in a hushed conversation with Mo’s mom as she flipped the burgers.

“Hey, Dad, happy birthday,” Mo said gruffly, reaching out for a hug.

“Mo, so glad you’re here,” he said, squeezing tight. “Where’s my poulette?”

Mo smiled.

“She’s inside with Isadora. Hey, Mom,” he hugged her, too, and started to step away from the heat of the grill, but his mom put her hand on his cheek.

“Mo, is everything okay?” she asked, searching his eyes. He couldn’t look at her.

“Yeah, some stress at work,” he said. He caught the quick glance between his parents.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

He nodded. She raised an eyebrow.

“If you say so,” she said. “Is it…just you and Maddie with us today?” She was looking at the chicken thighs she was nudging with the tongs. Mo cleared his throat.

“Yes,” he said.

“What lucky parents we are,” she said to Mo’s dad. “All of our boys here together.”

Mo appreciated what she was doing. His dad nodded at him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“We are lucky,” he said.

—

Twenty minutes later, his mom called out to the house in general, letting everyone know that the meat was ready, so they could sit down at the large table on the deck. Mo and Khalil volunteered to get the cold things out of the fridge. Reaching the kitchen, Khalil turned around quickly.

“How are things with Jess?” he asked.

Of course Khalil would be the one to say Jess’s name. Mo took a deep breath and let it puff out his nose. Khalil’s eyes went wide.

“Mo, hi, I didn’t know you’d arrived,” Rachid said to him as he joined them in the kitchen. He glanced at Khalil, who was shakinghis head hard. “Oh,” Rachid said. “I guess I shouldn’t ask about Jess?”

Mo exhaled again and walked past Khalil to the fridge. He wasn’t sure which big bowl to take out first, so he started from the top.

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