Page 14 of So Right
Chapter Four
“Get the fuck out of the bathroom!” Luke yelled as he pounded on the door for the third time.
“Language!” Jamie responded loudly, citing their mother’s oft-repeated admonishment. “You could ask nicely.”
“Get the fuck out of the bathroom,please.” Luke slammed his fist against the wood again. “You said you’d be ten minutes. That was twenty minutes ago. Meanwhile, I’m going to crawl out of my skin if I don’t get this dirt off me.” He’d come from the vineyard without showering at the winery, which he typically did. He’d wanted to get home because their mom was bringing them dinner tonight, something she insisted on doing from time to time, much to their appreciation.
At last, the door opened. And Jamie came striding out with a smug little-brother look on his face. “I made sure to leave you plenty of hot water.”
“Gee, thanks.” Luke scowled at him as he went into the bathroom to take his long-awaited and much-needed shower.
Fifteen minutes later, after he was clean and dressed, he stalked into the kitchen and went straight for the fridge and a beer. He popped the top off and turned to glare at Jamie, who was bent over theNew York Timescrossword puzzle on the kitchen table. “You lied. I ran out of hot water before I even finished rinsing the shampoo from my hair.”
“Oops.” Jamie filled in some boxes. “I think we need to have the landlord look at the hot water heater.”
The landlord lived across the street and was eighty-five years old. “You mean we should have Dylan come look at it? Fred isn’t going to fix the damn hot water heater. Anyway, I don’t think that’s the issue.”It’s you using all the hot water.
Jamie glanced up. “What? Oh. Sorry.” He went back to scratching his pencil over the newspaper. He was almost done.
“Did you just start that when I got in the shower?”
“Not quite.” He shrugged. “I dunno. I wasn’t paying attention.”
Typical. Those sorts of details didn’t always hit his radar. He was too busy solving crossword puzzles or complex math problems in record time.
The doorbell rang, prompting Luke to lurch away from the counter where he’d been leaning. “Don’t get up,” he said to Jamie as he walked by.
He opened the door to their mom standing on the mat, her arms laden with her casserole tote and a grocery bag. “Sorry I’m late, I had to stop and get bread, but Barley and Bran was out of sourdough. I had to get the cheaper, mass-produced kind at the store.”
She winced, and Luke knew just how much that bothered her. She prided herself on taking care of her boys, and that included giving them the best dinner she could. That sourdough bread mattered more to her than it did to them didn’t matter. Shethoughtit should matter to them, and so she went the extra mile.
“It’s fine, Mom, thanks. Let me take that.” He still had a beer in one hand, so he took the grocery bag, which—as he’d expected—held more than just the bread. There was a sealed plastic bowl in the bottom, which certainly held salad. She’d say they needed a balanced meal. If she only knew how they typically ate… Of course she knew. It was why she brought them dinner periodically.
He stepped aside so she could move inside past him, then he closed the door with his foot and sealed it shut with his shoulder.
When they arrived in the kitchen, Jamie was setting the table.
Mom beamed at him, her green gaze shining with pride. “You’re such a good boy, Jamie.”
Luke rolled his eyes. As the youngest, Jamie was pretty much the golden child. The crossword puzzle was now on the counter, and it was finished. Brilliant golden child at that.
Mom opened her tote to reveal her lasagna, and Luke’s stomach growled. She set it in the middle of the table and went to prep the salad next. “I brought dressing. I thought I saw you were low when I was here last week.”
Luke and Jamie sat and allowed Mom to wait on them. They stopped protesting and trying to help a long time ago.
She put the salad between them with a pair of tongs. “Here’s balsamic for Luke.” She set the bottle near his bowl and put a second bottle beside Jamie’s. “And bleu cheese for Jamie.”
Jamie smiled up at her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I actually bought salad dressing the other day,” Luke said. “We do know how to take care of ourselves.”
She waved her hand. “Oh, I know you do. I just like to do my part.” She smiled and sat down next to Jamie, opposite Luke.
They’d also stopped inviting her to join them since she always declined, having eaten with their dad earlier. Sometimes Dad came with her, but not tonight. He probably had something at the middle school where he was the principal.
“We appreciate it,” Luke said, helping himself to a large piece of lasagna. “Thanks, Mom.”
They ate for a couple of minutes while Mom caught them up on what she and Dad had been doing this week. Nothing exciting beyond their new cat attacking one of Mom’s houseplants.
