“I needed to leave this place, at least for a while. Everyone knows everyone else’s business and I felt like I was suffocating all the time.” Logan chuckled. “Plus there were Mom’s crazy attempts to set me up with an ‘appropriate’ girl.”
His father grinned. “And you don’t think any of that will bother you now?” he asked. “You know that’ll be the first thing she does as soon as I’m back on my feet.”
Logan shook his head. “Nope. I’ll tell her I’m more than capable of picking out my own dates and I don’t care who gossips about me.”
“You’re dating?” Enid asked as she swept into the living room. “When can I meet her?”
Logan’s father leaned back in his recliner and laughed. Then he flinched. “Damn, don’t make me laugh. I’m still sore.”
“I don’t understand why that’s funny,” Enid stated.
“I’m not dating, Mom. I was just telling Dad that I’m capable of picking my own dates.”
“Oh, was your father trying to set you up with someone?”
Darren snorted, but didn’t say anything.
“No, Mom. We were talking about your, uh, tendency to try to find me a girlfriend.”
“I haven’t said a word,” she sniffed. After a short pause, Enid asked, “Have you seen Phoebe St. John yet? I know y’all used to be close in high school. And, bless her heart, she’s just getting over a nasty divorce.”
Logan shook his head again as Darren guffawed before choking back his laugh to put a hand to his chest.
“Woman, don’t make me laugh! It hurts!” he complained.
“Oh, you’re fine, you big baby.”
Pointing at his wife, Darren asked Logan, “Do you see how she talks to me? I just had major surgery.” His voice lowered to a grumble, “When I was out of the house all day every day, she never spoke to me like this.”
Logan stood up. “I’m not getting in the middle of this,” he muttered. “Dad, I’ll swing by tomorrow afternoon. Make me a list of everything that needs to be handled immediately and I’ll get started at the office on Monday.”
Darren waved a hand. “Griselda has all that. That girl has really stepped up to the plate since all this happened.” He paused. “Actually, what you need to do is give her a raise. The only reason she needsyouis because she can’t run the office and manage the crews at the same time.”
“Ouch. I see where I rate,” Logan answered with a smirk. “And Griselda is only ten years younger than you, so I don’t think she would appreciate you calling her a girl.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. You should stay for dinner and protect me from the Dragon Lady.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Enid offered, smacking her husband’s shoulder lightly as she walked by. “You behave.”
Darren grunted, picking up the remote to turn the volume up on the television.
Enid followed Logan out onto the front porch, pulling the door shut behind her.
“You know your father really appreciates what you’re doing, right?” she asked.
“I want to do it, Mom. I was getting sick of the rut I was in while I was in Dallas. I needed a change.”
Pulling him down for a hug, Enid stated, “Well, I’m glad you’re home. I’ve missed you.”
He squeezed her back. “I missed you, too.”
“Now, you come for dinner tomorrow. And bring some white wine,” his mother suggested. “Not the cheap stuff from the grocery store. We have a wine bar and shop in town, The Wild Vine. They sell local wines and a few others.”
“Yes, ma’am. Where is it?”
“Downtown, on the square. You’ll see it. It’s usually pretty busy.” She glanced at her watch. “If you head over there now, you can grab a bottle before they get too full with their evening crowd.”
“Crowd?”
