“It’s true,” Jessie said. “When I found out what he did for a living, I told him I thought hockey players were supposed to be bigger.”
Mom and Lori cackled, eating that up. Peach margaritas lubricated the situation.
Jessie looked over at me with her tiny little dimple out and went on. “He informed me that those are pads that make them so big. How was I supposed to know?”
Mom patted Jessie’s hand on the table. “I like this one, Benny. You should keep her around.”
Jessie blushed and I squeezed her thigh, looking at her all moon-eyed. My stomach even did that dippy feeling. A mousey squeak of a voice in the back of my head screamed to stop, that this was dangerous, but it was too late. I was genuinely enjoying pretending like Jess was mine, so much so that it didn’t feel like pretending. “I plan to try.”
The waiter came by to ask if we wanted drink refills before our food came.
“I do!” Mom chimed in.
“Me, too!” Aunt Lori said.
“Not me. I’m cut off,” Jessie said. I also gestured that I was good, since I’d be playing the next day and I was DD for those clowns.
“Aw, come on,” Mom whined. Lori booed. Man, theyreallyliked Jessie.
“I have to work early, and I’m going to head out to Kitty’s for the night tonight.”
“What do you mean, honey?” I asked. I didn’t know she and Kitty were close enough to be having girl slumber parties.
Jessie waved her hand. “No, y’all need to catch up without me in the way.”
“Jessalyn, we’re not prudes. We don’t mind if you two shack up together. We weren’t born yesterday,” Mom said.
“Mom,” I sighed.
“What? You’re grown adults. You can have all the sex you want,” Mom pushed.
Lori cackled. “Deb, you’re making them turn beet red!”
Indeed, Jessie’s gaze was locked on the empty chip basket, her face a deep crimson.
“Mom,” I whined. “Let’s leave our sex life out of this discussion, please.”
“Oh, you kids. So uptight. Your father says hello, by the way. You should call him sometime.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I will,” I said tersely.
“I’ll just slip out to the ladies,” Jess said. I scooted out of our booth to let her leave.
“I’ll join you,” Lori said, leaving me and Mom some privacy.
“Mom, I don’t want to talk about Dad. I’m glad you came to visit. Let’s just enjoy this time, okay?”
“Benjamin, when are you going to forgive your father? I forgave him years ago,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Not like he’d change.”
“That’s what makes me mad. He’ll never change.”
“Well, I’m glad to see you’re not like him, Benny. Jessalyn is such a catch for you! So pretty and sweet. I know you did your fair amount of sowing your oats—”
“Mom,” I protested again. What was wrong with my mother?
“Mikey, is that you?” The timing couldn’t have been worse. A busty blonde woman whose name escaped me but whose body I had definitely been inside approached our table. At that moment, Jess came back from the bathroom, laughing over her shoulder with Lori.
“Hey there,” I said, trying not to show off exactly how much I had no clue what her name was.
