Page 17 of Bending The Rules

I shook my head. “No, he has. And you know I came for the funeral, when his mother passed. But…” I shrugged. “I couldn’t talk to him. I mean… what could he possibly say to make it okay?”

“Maybe nothing back then. Maybe alotnow. Your anger says you still care, and if you care… that’s enough reason to at least have a conversation.”

“I had a conversation with him just a few days ago.”

Aviva scowled. “Not about the signing, smart ass. About you and him. You broke up with your fiancé, Tee. Wouldn’t it be nice to gain a relationshipbacknow?”

“I don’t know about all of that. I can be nice… maybe. But I don’t see anything else happening.”

“Don’t be pessimistic. Justin is a good man, and you know that. Something in him made you want to be his friend from the time you were…how old were you again when Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Greg adopted you?”

“Seven,” I laughed.

“Well there you go. Something kept you calling him your friend, through elementary, high school, college, all of that. I bet that something is still there, if you give it a chance.”

“I’m done talking about this, Vi.”

Aviva raised her hands. “Okay, okay. Let’s go eat. So I can get you liquored up, and you can tell me about Russell.”

“I’m about to call a cab.”

“Okaaaay,” Aviva said, laughing as she grabbed my hand again. “I’ll let you tell me when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.”

“You ready now?”

“Aviva!”

“To go in the restaurant,” she insisted, laughing.

“Uh huh.”

We climbed out of the car, and as soon as we were beside each other, she pulled me into a hug. “I know it’s only supposed to be two months, but I’m glad you’re back, cousin.”

I grinned, and hugged her back.

“Yeah. Me too.”

- & -

“I always wanted this, you know?”

I looked up from my kneeled position at the front counter, where I was rearranging a shelf of newly released black romance. My mother was on the other side, and had just finished checking out a line of customers as the lunchtime busyness calmed down.

“Wanted what?” I asked as I stood up, ignoring the big poster with Justin’s face hanging behind the counter.

She smiled. “This. You beinghere, instead of God knows where. Working in the store.”

“Well for the next two months, I’m all yours.”

My mother frowned at that. “So you’re holding strong on not making it a longer stay then?”

I rounded the counter to put an arm around her shoulders. “I can’t, mama. I told you. I have to be available for my authors, and that means going where they are. It’s part of my business model.”

“Well isn’t that what you hire people for? To help you run your business, so you can have time for other things?”

I chuckled, then moved to straighten the display of bookmarks on the counter. “I can’t believe you just said that with a straight face after I had to practicallybegyou to hire another manager. The store is absolutely doing well enough for you to afford it, and you and daddyneedto be working toward retirement.”

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