“Don’t tell. It could damage my reputation.”
As promised, Lucy took PJ and Toby in search of food a little while later. As the day progressed, the temperature soared. Thank goodness, Tabitha’s little outburst had no effect on Beck’s honey sales, and Seth’s booth next door was a hotspot the entire day as potential customers were drawn to his artwork on display.
By the final hour of the event, Beck had completely sold out of product and they went to the local Dairy Queen to celebrate.
* * * *
Patrick watched with enjoyment as PJ scarfed his hot fudge sundae while he sat next to him and across from Lucy and Beck in the corner booth at the Dairy Queen. Patrick had to laugh as PJ got more of the hot fudge on him than in him and PJ cheered when he said they’d have to spray him down with the garden hose when they got home.
“Hey, dad?”
“Yeah, son?”
“What’s an abom…abom…”
“Abomination?” Patrick knew how PJ’s mind worked and that it was a matter of time before he started asking questions. People often thought that because he was constantly moving, he wasn’t paying attention, but that was far from true. PJ had an amazing intellect for a boy of nearly five.
“Yeah.”
“Let me ask you a question first. Do you want to know what the word means, or do you want to know what that woman meant by it this morning?”
“Both?”
Patrick looked at Lucy and then at Beck, who both looked nervous, and he smiled. He clasped Lucy’s hand in his on the tabletop and said, “An abomination is something disgraceful or atrocious.”
“Like when Mrs. Beavis says it’s disgraceful that the school janitor left his wife and eight kids for some other lady?”
“Um, yeah? I guess. It’s something to be ashamed of. And that woman today, Miss Lester, meant that God would be displeased about what she called an abomination.” He hoped he wasn’t confusing him more.
“Does she know what God thinks?”
“She thinks she does.”
“She really upset Summer when she said that stuff. God likes Summer, doesn’t he? She’s always nice to me.”
“I believe he does, son.”
“Dad?”
“Yup?”
“What’s sex? Miss Lester said that Summer, Ace, and Kemp had lots of it.”
“It’s how mommies and daddies show love to each other.”
Lucy’s eyes got round when he answered rather than deferring the conversation. PJ needed short and sweet explanations, otherwise he’d never let it go.
“Okay. Dad?”
“Yeah?” Patrick braced himself for what he knew was coming.
“Do you and Lucy and Beck have sex?”
Lucy choked on her root beer float and Beck patted her back and reached for a napkin from the dispenser for her.
“Son, remember how we talked about asking inappropriate questions?”
“Yeah, is that one of them?” At Patrick’s smile and nod, PJ added, “Sorry. Miss Lester was mean to Mommy—I mean Lucy.” PJ clammed up right quick and turned beet red.
The three of them shared a long, smiling look and Lucy’s cheeks turned nearly as red as PJ’s. Patrick gently nudged his son with his elbow. PJ’s head was hanging down and he looked sideways at his dad.
“Hey, PJ?”
PJ responded by a tiny upward tilt of his chin. “Yeah?”
“It’s okay. Do you like Lucy and Beck being around more lately?”
PJ relaxed but kept his eyes on his sneakers and nodded, a little smile on his face. “Yup. I like working with Beck with ‘the girls’ in the afternoons sometimes and I like it when Lucy hugs me and reads me a story.” The admission must’ve embarrassed him because he dipped his head down again.
Smiling, Lucy leaned forward and tapped on the table in front of PJ. When he looked up, Lucy whispered, “I love you, PJ.”
PJ grinned wide and kicked his feet back and forth in the booth and as he rebounded, he reached for his sundae and took another bite. “Sooooo if Summer, Ace, and Kemp are married then does that mean that y’all are all marrying each other?”
It was Beck’s turn to choke on his strawberry shake and Lucy looked ready to laugh.
He’s hitting all the high notes this afternoon.
“Summer is married to Ace and yes, they’re a family. Daddy, Lucy, and Beck only just got together so we haven’t talked about stuff like that yet.”
“Okay.” PJ said, “So that Miss Lester was really mean to y’all. Did you do something to her and not say sorry?”
“No. Sometimes people are just mean for no reason. Maybe she’s a very unhappy person on the inside.”