“No,” he answered quickly, his attention still below him.
Sliding my heel down into my nude shoe, I gave my toes a wiggle to make sure my foot was in there as deep as it would go, telling myself not to freak out over his shirt. It had been inevitable, hadn’t it? Hadn’t I known this was going to happen and tried to prevent it? With a deep breath, I glanced back at his shirt and stood up, tugging on the skirt part of my dress. “Gooey, did you get something from the fridge?”
“Apple juice.”
I pinched the tip of my nose again. “Did you grab the ketchup bottle by any chance?”
He stopped playing his game to glance up and give me a curious expression. “How’d you know?”
“Because there’s a big red stain on your shirt, Goo.”
Louie’s hands immediately went to his chest and started patting around as he tried to find the spot. “I didn’t eat anything!”
“I believe you,” I moaned, trying to think if he had any other dress shirts that he hadn’t out grown.
He didn’t, and we didn’t have time to wash this one. Ginny’s wedding was in half an hour.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized.
It was just a shirt and he was just a kid. It wasn’t the end of the world. “It’s fine.”
“I promise! I didn’t eat anything!”
“I believe you. You probably just held the ketchup bottle too close to you, you sloppy mess.” I stared at him for a moment longer before telling him, “Come here. Maybe I can wipe off the worst of it with a napkin.”
He tipped his chin down to try and see his collar. Without a warning, he poked at the button closest to his neck, tugged the material away from him and stuck his tongue out. He licked at the ketchup spot. Over and over again.
“Louie! Oh my God, give me a towel. Don’t lick it off, Jesus.” I laughed, knowing I shouldn’t but not being able to stop myself.
One blue eye peeked at me as he licked it again. “Why? I’m saving water. I’m saving the Earth.”
Saving the Earth. If I hadn’t just spent twenty minutes putting on makeup, I would have smacked myself in the forehead. “Stop.Stop. Leave it alone. It’s fine. You can save the Earth another way.”
“Are you sure? I can lick more.”
That really made me laugh. “Yes,stop. Put your tongue back in your mouth, nasty.” I laughed even harder as the tip of it peeked out between his lips.
Louie cracked up as he inched his face closer to the spot, as if daring me.
“Stop. Just pretend there’s nothing there now,” I ordered him, right before he gave the ketchup stain one more lick. “Oh my God, look at that! There’s no stain anymore!”
“What are you doing, ding-dong?” came Josh’s voice from behind where I was standing. “Why are you licking your shirt?”
“Ketchup,” was the boy’s reply.
I looked at Josh as he muttered, “What a weirdo.”
Dressed in black pants my mom made him wear when they went to church, a blue long-sleeved shirt, and a black vest, my little Josh looked so much like my earliest memory of Drigo it nearly took my breath away. I had to bite my lip to keep from saying anything. “Looking good, J-Money.”
He rolled his eyes. “I look stupid.”
“And if by stupid you mean really handsome, you’re right.”
He rolled his eyes so far back I was surprised they managed to make their way forward again.
“Ready to go?”
“Yes.” He paused. “Do I have to go?” he asked for the fourth time since I’d told him we were all going to Ginny’s wedding.
