He bends at the waist and swats the dog away, shaking his head. “He’s a humper, dat one. No matter what we do, he just won’t stop.” When he straightens up, Darnell gives me a little nod. “So, you’ve been keeping Emma busy, eh?”
“Uh, yes. She’s been helping me with my book.”
Shaking his head, he says, “Your book? Kids these days. I can’t keep up wit all the new slang.”
“Come on. Let’s get out of this damn heat,” Rosy says, gesturing for us to make our way up the front steps.
When we walk inside the house, a blast of air conditioning hits me, immediately drying out my eyeballs. Good God, it’s cold in here. But on the plus side, the dogs seem to hate it too and they scurry through the living room, through the small kitchen, and out the doggy door into the backyard.
Rosy stands in front of the noisy air conditioning unit for a moment and closes her eyes. “Ahh, that’s better.”
“She’s been gettin’ them hot flashes so she keeps the place like an icebox,” Darnell mutters.
“You don’t be telling my secrets, you old fool, or I’ll start telling everybody how many times a night you get up to go pee,” she says, narrowing her eyes at her husband.
I can’t help but laugh inwardly at their exchange, trying to imagine what my mother would do if my father mentioned anything to do with menopause, even to her.Shedoesn’t even want to know how old she is, let alone have it broadcast to strangers.
“You two are a little late so everybody’s out in the backyard,” Rosy says. “Emma, you stay inside and help me with dinner. Pierce, you go relax and have a beer so we can talk about you without you hearing.”
I look at Emma to see if she’s okay with this plan. She smiles widely, then leans in and murmurs, “Remember, you’re the one who wanted to come here.”
A moment later I follow Darnell out into the small but lush garden. Tall palm trees line the space, filled in with flowering, leafy shrubs that surround the cement patio. A wooden picnic table sits under a makeshift awning that looks like it’s made from a sail that has been repurposed. In the far corner, a turquoise wooden boat is flipped upside-down, resting on a couple of sawhorses. Based on the bucket of sandpaper and rags, I’m guessing it’s being refurbished. Smoke rises from a barbeque and the smell of charcoal briquettes blends with the floral scent of the air.
Darnell takes a beer from an ice-filled cooler and hands it to me. “Now, have you met everybody yet?”
“I’ve met Harrison and Will, yes,” I say, raising my beer to the two brothers who are sitting in metal folding lawn chairs. (One of them is grinning and the other is not. You can probably guess which one is which.)
“Yes, we’ve seen a lot of Pierce, actually,” Will says, standing and shaking my hand.
“Really?” Darnell asks, looking confused. “I thought you just got in last night?”
“I did,” Will answers, then turning to the woman next to Harrison, he says, “Libby, have you met Pierce?”
“Not yet,” she says, blushing a little when she gets up to greet me. I can tell by the look on her face she knows exactly what happened this morning but she’s trying not to think about it.
I extend my hand to her. “Libby, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Emma has nothing but the best things to say about you.”
“Aww. Thank you. She’s like the little sister I never had.”
“She’s like the little sisterheshould never have had either,” Harrison mutters.
“What’s that?” Darnell asks Harrison. “You got to speak up, man. My hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
Libby gives Harrison a sharp look, then settles back into her seat next to his. Will flops down onto his chair as well, while Starsky gives Hutch a look that somehow sets off a full-on dog fight, complete with rather vicious-sounding growling. I watch for a moment, wide-eyed, but since it doesn’t seem to concern anyone else, I decide to leave it be. Besides, better they’re having a wrestle than trying to hump me.
“So, Will, Emma tells me you’re filming a television series,” I say, smiling as I take a seat on the end of the picnic table bench.
“Oh, yeah. Just on a quick hiatus between locations. We were in the Brazilian rainforest for a month and next we move on to Nepal to wrap up.”
“Excellent. She said it’s an adventure show?”
Will nods. “I’m a bit of an adrenalin junkie so I guess you could say I’ve gotten lucky to be able to make a career out of it.”
“You have to go back home soon, don’t you, Pierce?” Harrison asks, his expression saying that can’t happen a moment too soon for his liking.
“Tomorrow, yes.”
“Right,” he says, running his tongue across his front teeth. “So, when will you be coming back, then?”
