“Nope.”Jamie turned towards the door.“Not going there.Sorry.Not interested.”
When he got into the kitchen, everyone was dead still.It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.“What?”Jamie almost screamed.
Florence shook her head.“I think we’re pretty much done.”
“Good,” Jamie said, trying to regulate his voice.“Then let’s call it a day.It’s been a busy few days, and I know we’re all tired.”
“You want some help tomorrow?”Dexter asked, removing his ball cap, already in motion to hang it on the hook close to the back door.
Jamie thought for a moment.“No, I think we’ve done about as much as we can do.Thank you, though.”
No one seemed to be moving or saying anything.
“Go on home, y’all.Get some rest.”Jamie wiped his face with both hands.
“Okay,” Hazel said as she headed for the door.She rested her hand on Jamie’s forearm.“You just call me if you think of something.”
Jamie only nodded, letting his hands drop.“I will.”
Florence pulled him into a tight hug.“Promise?”She pulled back, her arms still around him.
Jamie nodded again.
“I still love you even though you’re a little shit.”She smiled, her lips bright red, obviously having reapplied her signature lipstick.
Jamie gave her a grin.“I know you do.I love you too.It doesn’t matter to me if your first pet was a dinosaur.”
Florence’s eyes popped wide, her mouth open.She pushed him hard, his back banging into the stainless-steel bench behind him.The whole room erupting in laughter.
Walter shook his head, filing past them.“I can’t say anything.I’m older than she is.”
* * * * *
“So, what happened?”Salzy asked, sipping his beer.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”Jamie drained the rest of his beer, holding out the empty to Joesph.
“I’m not a server,” Joesph said indignantly.
“No, but you’re the only one standing up.”Jamie shook the bottle at him.
Joesph rolled his eyes as he pushed off from the banister of the balcony.
“I’ll take another too,” Salzy held up a finger, then emptied his own bottle.
“You know,” Salzy started, waiting until Joesph had gone inside, “If he said anything to you, or...hurt you, I’ll kick his ass.”
Jamie turned towards his friend.“He would break you like a twig, and you know it.”
“I have a good baseball bat.”Salzy smiled, his white teeth glowing in the dusk light, the sun resting on the horizon.
“Just leave it, please.”
Joesph returned with three fresh beers.He leaned his back against a post.“I know things didn’t exactly...go as planned today, but I hope you don’t mind if I call Mike for advice on that beam.He knows a lot, and I’ve never installed one that went the full length of a building.”
“No.”Jamie took a long drink of the cold brew.“Won’t bother me none.”
“What are your plans for tomorrow?”Joesph asked Salzy.
