Thin Love(168)
“That’s not the point. New Orleans isn’t Nashville.”
“Please.” Another small laugh and Kona reclines against the island, staring down at her. “You know what I was doing at sixteen in this city?”
“Someone cheap and tarty, I’m sure.”
Ouch. Not completely wrong, but that was still below the belt. Kona shuts up, not eager to piss her off, but can’t seem to stop himself from glaring at her.
“Mom, it’s fine. I’ll tell her I can’t go.” Ransom doesn’t pretend to hide his disappointment and Kona hates that the kid’s voice goes soft, that he immediately moves his thumb across his phone, likely telling his girl he can’t see her. “We’ll go back to Mandeville after we watch the movie. That okay?”
When he walks away, not waiting for answer, Kona widens his eyes at Keira, motions toward the sad slump of Ransom’s shoulders.
She watches him for a second, then slaps at Kona’s touch when he tries pushing her toward Ransom. “No, that’s okay, son. You go. I’ll wait for you here so they won’t have to drive all the way out to Mandeville.”
“You sure?” he says, turning on his heel.
“Yeah. It’s fine, just be careful and please text me when you get there.” Kona clears his throat. Keira sighs, but doesn’t fuss at Kona. “Well at least text me when you’re on the way back, okay?”
“Thanks, Mom.” That sad attitude vanishes as Ransom sends his text, then kisses Keira on the cheek. She waves him off and returns to the sink, attacking the mess Ransom had made in Kona’s kitchen when the boy catches Kona’s eye. His kid is not remotely subtle, gives Kona a nod, then another that he directs toward Keira.
He’d asked Kona a week or so ago what he thought about his chances were of getting Keira back. The kid was curious; kept asking, kept hinting that he caught the vibe between them and more than once Ransom had caught Kona staring at Keira. His boy wasn’t stupid. He knew what Kona wanted so for the past few days Ransom had been pushing Kona to make a move. He didn’t have the heart to tell his son he’d tried already, at his party. Kona didn’t think Ransom would be cool with him groping his mom outside on that balcony.
Another nod at Kona and a silent whisper of “I’m so not coming back,” then Ransom backs away, eyebrows waggling. “You two kids behave now. First time without a chaperone in while, right?”
Keira’s shoulders stiffen and Kona jerks his fist up at his son, a mock threat that Ransom finds funny. “Boy, leave before I smack you.”
The click of the door sounds across Kona’s large house, the noise making Keira look over her shoulder. Kona stands next to her, reaches for a cup to put in the dishwasher, but she stops him with her hand on his wrist. “It’s okay, I’ve got it.”
“You’re my guest, Wildcat. I can’t let you do that.”
“And you bought us breakfast, lunch and dinner. Besides, I taught Ransom better than this.” She waves to the collection of plates on the counter. “You have to let me do something.” She removes her hand and shoves him back toward the table. “I need something to distract me.”
Keira’s shoulders haven’t relaxed and as Kona watches her from his spot at the table, he realizes that it is more than Ransom leaving with a girl that has her worried. “You really scared about him being in the city?”
She gives him a half shrug. “He’ll be okay. I know he can take care of himself.” She looks out the window above the sink, eyes unfocused for a moment before her attention is back on the silverware in her hand. “He’s been running high for weeks. That’s because of you.” Her smile is soft, real, when she glances at him. “But I’m worried that something will set him off. End of the summer when we go back, him having to say goodbye to Tristan or this Emily girl. Or you. I’m worried that he’ll have another episode.”
Kona gets up from the table, fingers itching to touch her, tell her it will be okay. “He’s not medicated?”
“No. He hates what the doctors had him on. Said it killed all his motivation.” The muscles around Keira’s eyes tighten and her gaze slips to Kona for a moment, as though she expects him to lecture her, tell her she is a bad mother. “We handle it with diet, with exertion, that’s why he runs so much and then the same things you and I both had to learn—the counting, the breathing. But he’s much worse than either of us were, Kona. Calming him takes a lot of effort.”
“You mentioned something about the piano.”