Page 18 of Flame
“People who wear Chicken Daddy hats,” Mom says, laughing.
Jess glares at her, snatching a glass of sweet tea out of her hand. “You’ve been spending too much time with Maddox. You think you’re funny.”
Mom swats at his shoulder, making him laugh.
“At this point, Moss and Maddox are the only two of you who I don’t fear are losing their marbles,” Mom says. “The rest of you are starting to concern me.”
I hold a palm in the air.
“You were in a bachelor auction today, Foxx,” Mom says. “That’s concerning.”
“Tell me about it.”
Jess downs half the glass of tea before shoving it back in Mom’s hand. “Thanks for the drink. I have to go find the girls before dinner.”
He marches out of the house like a man on a mission.What the fuck is happening here?
“He’s not right,” I say, shaking my head.
“He’s happy.” Mom gathers a stack of notebooks off the counter and heads to the table. “One day, you’ll understand.”
“I don’t mean this the wrong way, but I hope to hell not.”
She grins. “You will. Trust me.”
“If I ever get chickens and refer to them asmy girls, I’m not happy. I’m ill.”
She laughs, shaking her head while she organizes her notebooks. “Sometimes you just need to be reminded about the things that make you happy. That’s Jess right now. He was always slightly goofy and fun-loving.” She looks at me briefly before going back to her books. “You’ll see what I mean someday.”
Or not.
I should get up and go home. I should check on Bianca and figure out how I’m going to maneuver the next few days without losing everything—my sanity and my career. But there’s something centering and calming about sitting with my mother at her kitchen table.
“So,” she says, easing her way into a conversation she’s clearly nervous to broach. “Are we talking about the beautiful young lady who bid very aggressively to win a date with you today?”
“No.”
She stops, a notebook balanced in her hand.
“No,” I say again, this time with more emphasis.
“It was Jason Brewer’s sister, wasn’t it?”
“How in the hell did you know that?”
“I’ve seen him a few times, and that bone structure doesn’t appear out of thin air, Foxx.” She smirks. “And I saw him there today, so I put two and two together.”
Oh.
“She looked pretty enamored with you,” Mom says, her voice far too …hopeful… for her own good.
“Stop it.”
She puts the notebook down. “What’s wrong with a woman being smitten with you? It’s a completely natural thing—”
“Can we not do this, please?”
“Sure.” She shrugs. “Are you here for advice, possibly?”
