Page 100 of Free Heart
Peggy Jo bats her eyes at him—yes! bats her eyes!—and follows at his side, hooking an arm through his. “Let me show you where you can put your things, Buck.”
Dan shoots me an outraged look.
I shoot him one right back.
“Don’t mess it up,” Leenie says again right by my ear. “He deserves this.”
But he loves my mom…
I shake my head. It’salwaysbeen my mom for him…
My mom, who’s dead and isn’t coming back.
I try to let go of my discomfort, walking over to Dan instead and helping him get safely into the house.
“If your dad seduces and uses my kinda-mom, I’m gonna have to have words with him.”
“Usesher?”
Dan’s brows lift pointedly.
“What aboutherusinghim?Peggy Jo’s been widowed a lot longer than he has. She’s hard up.”
“Are you saying my kinda-mom can’t get any?”
“No. I just…” I scrub a hand over my face before kneeling in the entryway to help him get his shoes off. “I just didn’t think this was something that could happen.”
“Hey, he still loves your mom,” Dan says after a moment, with surprising awareness. “Even if he screws Peggy Jo, he still loves your mom. You don’t have to worry about that. It’s only sex.”
“Shut up,” I gasp.
“He better not screw Peggy Joover.That’s what I’m saying. He can have at her—” Dan gestures toward where they’re now standing at the kitchen counter, laughing and touching casually like they know each other well.How long was that layover in Dallas-Fort Worth anyway?“He can have her body, but—”
“Shh,” I say, as Peggy Jo heads toward us.
“Sejin, I didn’t even get to say hi to you.” She gives me a big hug, and I hug her back a lot better than Dan had. “I can’t thank you enough for watching after my babies.”
At first I think she only means the cats, but then she pats Dan’s cheek. “This one, especially.”
Dan rolls his eyes and limps by her, but he kisses her cheek on the way.
“Brat,” she says, smiling after him. “He’s ornery, as your father says.”
She takes hold of my arm, like she’d taken hold of my father’s earlier. “By the way, your dad’s really thrilled to be here. He’s missed you.”
“Yeah?” I don’t tell her that it’d be super cool if my dad ever said as much to me. “I missed him too.”
“He’s such a kind man.” Her eyes seek him out. “Since Dan said we’d be on the same plane from Dallas, I had my eyes peeled at the gate for someone who could be your father. I heard him ask the attendant if dinner would be served on the flight, and I recognized his accent as the same as yours and Martin’s. Knew straight away he must be your dad.”
Dad walks over then, and he smiles at Peggy Jo. Like a full-face smile, and I can barely keep my eyes from bugging out. “Turns out theyweren’tserving dinner,” he says. “But we had a long layover. Peggy Jo offered to get something with me at the airport Applebees while we waited.”
“Applebees,” I squeak out.
“Three margaritas and a nacho plate later, we’re the best of friends,” Peggy Jo says, winking at my dad.
Holy shit, sheisflirting with him. In front of me. In front of everyone. Thekidscan see this! I feel like I should shield Jeremiah’s eyes lest he get the idea that old people can fall in love with each other.
Which I guess they can.
