"Maybe whenever we get that drink-because this doesn't count-we should invite Dana." I twisted my hands in the hem of the tablecloth brushing my lap, my knuckles cracking in protest. "Tammy or Kitty could probably babysit and it would be good for Conway to make friends in his class."
"We can certainly extend the offer, although you shouldn't take it personally if she says she's busy." Beth shrugged. "She's got a lot of pride and she gets upset if she thinks people are doing something because they feel sorry for her."
"Gee, I wonder what that's like." I couldn't hold back the sarcasm but I could sigh and say, "Sorry. That was bitchy when there was no need to be."
"Honey, I'm bitchy about half the day, whether I need to be or not. Keeps me in shape for when I actually do have to be bitchy." She stood, wobbling on her heels for a moment before tugging down her dress. "You'll have to excuse me for a minute. All those mimosas are making the bathroom something of a requirement."
As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to Abraham. "You okay?"
"Peachy keen." He kissed the tip of my nose. "Why?"
"All that talk about Dana's parents." I hesitated before adding, "I thought it might make you think of yours."
"It does but now I also have the memory of you putting the fear of God in my father so that almost makes up for all the shitty things they did." He brushed his lips over mine, light and teasing. "Now, as much as I've enjoyed watching you relax and socialize and make a friend, I'd really like to take you home and fuck you without worrying about the kids walking in on us."
I pulled back, glancing over my shoulder. "Where's the server?"
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Later that afternoon, after three separate rounds of extraordinarily vigorous sex, a lunch of leftover pizza, and a shower which had almost deteriorated in to a fourth round of sex, Abraham and I stood outside the main building of the school waiting for Dolly and Conway. Kitty was in the library catching up on homework from the summer and Tammy was at her beloved cheerleading practice. Dana had promised to drop both of them off at the house before dinner and I'd volunteered to do carpool duties next week.
If someone had told me six months ago that I'd be setting up carpool schedules and picking up kids and marking the next Parent-Teacher Association meeting on the wall calendar in my home office, I would have called them a liar. And then I would have asked them what drug they were holding and if they were in the mood to share.
And yet here I was, doing all of those things and doing them with women I'd spent most of my teenage years hating. And somehow, I'd stumbled in to a relationship with someone who seemed tailor-made for me and who, unless I was way off on my judgement of his character, loved the kids I'd wound up with as much as I did.
This might be as close to happy as I'd been without the influence of alcohol in a long, long time.
Almost as soon as I had the thought, a chill ran up my spine and I shivered, pulling my jacket tighter around me. Abraham glanced over, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me against him. "Cold?"
"Somebody walked over my grave." I choked out a laugh, leaning my head against his shoulder. "Or at least that's what my mama would have said. A little morbid, now that I'm thinking about it."
"Old Southern sayings usually are." He propped his chin on the top of my head and sighed. "I'm not ashamed to say that if Dolly comes out and starts weeping and wailing, I'm leaving you alone with her and me and Conway are walking back to the house."
"I'd call you a coward but since you handled her this morning I guess that's an even trade." I shifted until I was able to hook an arm around his waist, doing my best to ignore the people looking at us and pointing and whispering. "Do we have some sort of neon sign overhead screaming ‘We had hot, sweaty, dirty sex'? Because that's the only reason I can think of for all the attention we're getting."
"It's because we're both so pretty." He leaned back, placing one finger under my chin and tilting my head up until he could brush his lips over mine. "Or rather I'm pretty and you're fucking gorgeous."
"You're gonna make me blush if you keep that up."
"You're already blushing."
"Am not." I was pretty sure my cheeks were hot because of the sun overhead and not because I was embarrassed. I squared my shoulders and huffed out a breath when the bell rang. "Okay. It's go-time."
Almost immediately children of all sizes began to pour out of the main building. Unlike larger school districts, which tended to stagger start times and dismissal times, all the kids in Cotton Creek started school at exactly eight in the morning and got out at exactly three in the afternoon. According to Beth, it made it easier for parents to set up childcare options, whether it involved older teenagers or simply restructuring their own workday.
As far as I could see, it was really an excuse to watch a little organized chaos.
"Where are they?" I rose up on my tiptoes, doing my best to see through the veritable sea of tiny humanity flooding the sidewalk and the front lawn of the school. "There's not like a back entrance to this place or something, is there?"
"You know there isn't." Abraham patted my shoulder absently, scanning the crowd himself. "Maybe the teachers hold the younger classes a few extra minutes so they don't get tramped in the hallway."
"Then maybe they should have said something so we're not standing out here wondering if some lunatic wandered in and snatched up our kids and wandered back out." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling and opening my eyes, not surprised to find Abraham staring at me, clearly struggling to suppress his laughter. "Okay, I realize that was a little dramatic but I'm sorry, okay? I'm feeling a little dramatic at the moment."
"And you wonder where Dolly gets it from." He let out a tiny chuckle before swallowing it down, nodding toward the school entrance. "Calm down, tiger. They're coming out right now."
"Oh, thank you, baby Jesus." I pushed off the car, nearly tripping over the curb in my haste, starting to rush up the sidewalk only to catch myself at the last second. Forcing myself to slow down, I pasted on a smile and planted my hands on my hips, waiting for them to come to me. "Hey, guys. How was your first day?"
Dolly sucked in a deep breath. Her lower lip quivered.
"Oh, no, you don't." Abraham appeared next to me, kneeling down and all but jamming a finger in her face. "No waterworks. If something happened then we can talk about it but you're not going to start crying."
"Was somebody mean to you? Did they tease you?" Ignoring the very real possibility I might wind up with gum on my ass, I sat down on the sidewalk and pulled her down in to my lap. "Dolly, what happened?"
"She wanted pizza for lunch and today was fish stick day." Conway smoothed down his dress, humming to himself. "I like fish sticks."
"Eat them once a week for the next thirteen years and I can almost guarantee you'll have a change of heart." Brushing Dolly's hair back from her face, I poked the tip of her nose with one finger. "As for you, ma'am, I understand the disappointment. I hate fish sticks, too, but believe me when I say my first reaction isn't to start crying."
She gave a huge sniff, rubbing the knuckles of one hand against her suspiciously dry eyes. "But I hate fish sticks."
"Something we'll remember when it comes to dinner choices but it's still no excuse for tears." Abraham shifted Dolly from my lap to his and even though I would have sworn I was immune there was a good chance my ovaries-as well as those of every straight, childbearing woman in a one hundred yard line of sight-went in to overdrive. He cuddled her against him, stroking a hand down her back as she tucked her head in the crook of his neck. "So you don't like fish sticks. That's fine. On Mondays you can bring your lunch so you don't have to even get in line and smell the fish. Deal?"
"Uh-huh." Her voice wavered some but her eyes stayed dry. "Can we get ice cream on the way home?"
"Why don't we wait and get ice cream later in the week, when we have a reason to celebrate?" Abraham rose, perching her on one hip, her backpack dangling from his free hand. Looking down at me, he said, "Maybe, if you ask your aunt nicely enough, we can stop at the pizza place and see if Sally is in the mood to whip you up a miniature version of one of her famous back to school specials."
"Can we, Aunt Jeannie?" She looked just woebegone enough that the adult in me who knew indulging her would only reinforce the negative behavior stood no chance against the adult who'd hated fish sticks since I was her age. She sniffled, fiddling with the collar of Abraham's shirt. "Please?"