“Are we still going to stay with Sheriff Ahoka?”
“We are. He’s looking forward to having you and me there.”
“Are you sleeping with me or him?”
Oh. “I’d not really thought about it.” That was a lie. I’d thought plenty about it and hadn’t been able to decide whether I should or shouldn’t.
He rearranged the sleeping goat kid on his lap. “Sometimes it’s hard to sleep in a new bed.”
“True.” I gave his hair a comb with my fingers. Chaffe fell from the silken strands to his tee. “We’ll sort that out later. Let’s go inside. Grannie Helen and Aunt Joey are dying to see you.”
“Are they mad at me for getting in big trouble with the law?”
I had to chuckle. To hear him tell it, he committed armed robbery. “No, they’re not mad. No one is mad at you for making a mistake in judgment. People do it all the time.”Just look at my pick for a husbandI nearly said but bit it back. “Come on. Let Petunia rest for the night. Tomorrow will be a big day for her.”
“Okay.” He lifted the goat from his lap with a small grunt, placed her beside Willie, and rose as I did. He threw his arms around me, face mushed into my belly and hugged me with all the strength he had in those skinny, scabby little boy arms. I held him close, gazing down at the top of his head, vision blurry. It was hard growing up. Hell, it was hard being a grown-up.
***
Dinner that night was a boisterous but beautiful affair.
My mother and aunt fit right in with the rest of my newfound family. Granny and Bella had taken them under their wings, promising them some new frocks and perhaps a day of makeovers and hairstyling. Mom and Aunt Joey clung to Dahn throughout the meal, smiling at him as he ate his meal with gusto, replying to any questions in a polite but withdrawn manner. It was obvious he was still feeling chagrined, and rightly so. We spent an hour or so after the meal to start to digest and engage in a coffee klatch that had far too many tales of me as achild and teenager for my liking. Granny filled in any gaps with stories of Baker as a boy. My eldest brother and I exchanged eye rolls as the others laughed at our boyish escapades.
Dahn was starting to flag around nine, so I announced that we were heading to town. Dahn got kisses from his grandma and great-aunt as if he were heading off, never to be seen again. I also got plenty of affection. Perhaps I could see why they were so clingy. We’d not seen them for a long, long time, totally down to me being a putz.
I zipped Ollie a quick text before grabbing our bags to head to his place. He was ready for the Bastian invasion to take place. The ride over was quiet. Dahn wasn’t exactly sullen but more reserved than he had been even at dinner. I suspected he felt odd seeing Ollie again. There was little I could do to ease that discomfort. He’d just have to work through it by spending time with Ollie. Something that Ollie seemed very willing to do.
The sky was dark as velvet, the stars twinkling above, as we parked in Ollie’s drive beside his Jeep. We took a moment to stare skyward after exiting my SUV, our packed bags on our shoulders.
“That’s Cygnus, the swan.” I pointed out to my boy as the front door swung open, showering us with interior light. Ollie stepped outside, joining us with a kiss on my cheek and an extended hand to Dahn. The boy stared at the large mitt for a long time before placing his small one into it. They shook soundly.
“Welcome to Casa Ahoka,” Ollie said, dropping down into a crouch in front of Dahn. “There are no hard feelings of any kind. I’d like to pretend that what took place this morning is firmly in the past. Whatever punishment your father deems fitting will be dealt out by him. My job is done, so we can start over as friends. Is that cool with you?” Dahn nodded silently. “Cool. So, I have a bag of popcorn as big as you,” he said to Dahn and then lookedup at me. “And one of theAddams Familymovies ready to roll if that’s okay with you, Dad?”
“The one with Angelica Huston and Raul Julia?” I asked, and he nodded. “Those are very okay. We love theAddams Familyfilms.”
“Dad won’t let me watch the new series,” Dahn interjected with a tiny hint of hopefulness.
“Then we’ll stick with the older ones that you can watch. Let’s head inside.” Ollie rose slowly, gave me a smile that lit up the night far better than any heavenly body in the summer triangle could. I was truly smitten.
Ollie led us into his house. The living room was set up for movie watching, and the bag of popcorn as large as my child sitting on the sofa was ready for snacking.
“This is the guest room,” Ollie announced, showing us where we’d sleep. The bedding looked fresh and turned down, the wide queen plenty big for my boy and me. If this was where I would crash and it felt like it might be, it was perfect. “Drop your bags wherever. I’ll go get the drinks.”
Ollie gave my shoulder a soft little pinch and left us to it. I placed my bag atop a long dresser with an oval mirror attached to its back. Dahn handed his over to me, his sight darting around the cool room. The AC felt good yet. I wasn’t sure when summer would start to release its grip on the Sooner State, but I hoped it would be soon.
“Does he have his gun here?” Dahn asked as we toed off our shoes.
“It’s locked away.”
“Okay.” That seemed to be all he needed to know. Why he asked, I couldn’t say. Either he was worried about a gun, which I assume he wasn’t given Granny and Baker had been teaching him to plink cans with an old BB gun that once belonged toBaker, or he was simply curious about what a law officer did with his weapon.
We joined Ollie on the sofa, me on one end, Dahn and the enormous bag of popcorn in the middle, and Ollie on the other end. There was a jug of fruit punch on the table for Dahn and two cups of coffee for the adults. Over the crunching of my son eating popcorn, we all chuckled at the opening bit where the Addams Family—on the roof of their eerie mansion—were about to dump a steaming cauldron on the heads of some carolers. The familiar finger snapping theme came on, we all snapped along, and then let the film cart us off.
Dahn made it about halfway through, falling asleep with his head on my shoulder and one hand in the huge popcorn bag. I had no clue where the boy had put all the popcorn after the enormous meal he’d eaten at home. The lad was a walking appetite.
“I’ll get him to bed and join you for a nightcap,” I whispered to Ollie as he paused the movie. We’d pick it up later.
“Sounds good. Meet me in the kitchen.”
