Page 46 of Brews & Bartenders

He breaks the awkward silence between us first. “So, you like my mom?”

This kid is definitely more of a man than I am. He goes in for the kill. “Yes, I do, very much.”

I can feel his eyes on me as I throw the bag across the yard, missing the target completely. “Will you be mean to her?”

That catches me completely off guard, and I’m not sure what to do with the question. He could be trying to mess with my mind to ensure he wins, but if he’s been watching, that’s going to happen anyway. He has to know I’m horrible. The other implication is he knows how his actual father treats his mom, and he doesn’t like it. I know Caroline tries to keep her cool in front of David, I’ve never seen it, but that’s the type of mother I’m sure she is. Kids, though…they’re perceptive. “I don’t plan on it.”

He studies me before throwing his bag, his gaze moving from head to toe then back on my face again. Squinting his eyes, he makes whatever judgement he’s going to about me. “Okay.”

It’s not a glowing endorsement, but I’ll take it. I know dating her comes with David, and I’m okay with that. There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll fuck up around him sometimes. I can only hope they both will give me some grace. “Okay.”

“Prepare to lose worse than you are now.” He tosses the bag and it goes straight into the hole. This kid is either lucky, or he’s going to make one hell of a quarter back. Without a doubt, it’s the latter.

“See, what I meant,” Marisol yells across the yard once she sees the small progress, I’ve made with him. I toss the bag and hit the side of the board. “He sucks, and you stuck him with me. It’s not fair.”

Gabi rolls her eyes. “Get over it. I got stuck with him last time. It’s exactly fair. We should keep rotating whose team he’s on every time we play.”

Mom sensed the battle is about to begin, “Girls, that’s enough. The game needs to end soon anyway. I’m sure everyone here has school tomorrow.”

All three of them groan. David looks over at me, “Game point?”

“Sure.” We could go five more rounds, and it wouldn’t change the fact they are going to win, and we’re going to lose.

“Go ahead, David.” Marisol sighs. “Even if you missed, there’s no way in hell we’d win.”

“Language, Mari.” My mother’s voice is stern. “After David’s throw, I think we need to call it a night.” She shoots a glare at my sister for her behavior.

Marisol doesn’t say anything else. Simply nods and waits for David to throw the bag. He takes a deep breath and throws the bag. It lands in the hole again. “I’m going to need lessons from you.”

“Next time,” David nods before turning toward his mom. “I’m going to help clean this up.”

The shock that crosses over her face is comical. I have a feeling he doesn’t offer to clean often. “Okay.”

He runs off to gather the boards while my sisters pick up the bags. They head to the small storage shed I built for my mom a few months ago. Mom excuses herself to go inside, leaving us alone for a few moments. “How did I do?”

She leans forward in her chair as I sit on the ground beside her. “I think you did well. He definitely seems to like your sisters.”

“I don’t know why. They are a pain in the ass.”

She smacks my arm. “Be nice. It’ll get better once they are older. My brothers and I fought like cats and dogs, but now we talk more than we ever did.”

“That day can’t come soon enough.” I stand and help her out of the chair. “Maybe the three of us can do something without my sisters, though.”

“I think that sounds like a good plan, especially so he can get to know you one on one.” The shed door closes, and David comes running over to us. “Let’s tell everyone bye so we can get you into bed.”

“Okay.” He hangs his head. I’ll take that as a sign he doesn’t want to leave. He walks ahead of us inside and goes to my mom giving her a big hug. “Bye. Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re very welcome, Mijito.”

He leans back and looks up at her. “What does that mean?”

“It’s an endearment. It means my little boy.”

The grin that takes over David’s face is the widest I’ve seen all night. “I like that.” He heads toward the living room to tell my sisters goodbye.

“Thank you so much for dinner. It was amazing.” Caroline wraps her in a hug.

“It was nothing.” Mom gives her a tight squeeze. “Let me know when you’ll be back.”

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