I looked back at Ol’ School, he was so mesmerized by the puppy that he didn’t hear a word we said.
“What are you going to name him?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Well, give it some thought. I’m going to go to my car and grab the rest of the things you’ll need for him.”
“There’s more?”
“Of course. You’ve got to have somewhere for him to sleep.”
“He can just sleep in the bed with me.”
“Maybe after he’s potty trained,” I said.
“Now, nephew,” Aunt Myra stepped in. “You know how I do things. They don’t leave my home until they’re trained.”
“Oh, right.”
“He just needs to get familiar with his surroundings, so he can do what he needs to do here. You know what? How about you go ahead and do what you were doing? I’ll fill Mr. Ol’ School in on how to care for his new little friend.”
“Alright,” I said lifting my hands and walking toward the door. “I’ll get out y’all way.”
When I made it to my car, my phone beeped.
Skye: Raincheck? I’m just going to call it a night when I get home.
Ocean: A night? What time are you getting home?
Skye: I don’t know yet. But regardless, I don’t think I’m going to feel like going out. I just want to relax.
Ocean: Understandable. I guess I’ll see you when you make it in.
Skye: K
Oh, she was definitely pissed with me.
“Hey,” My aunt called from the porch, “Chef Sutton said lunch is ready, and I’ve been invited to stick around, so get your butt in here so we can eat.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grabbed everything from my car and rushed back into the house.
I wasn’t at all surprised that my aunt was sticking around for lunch. She never missed out on a chance to get some of Chef Sutton’s cooking. Whenever I had him cook something at home, I always made sure to drop her off a plate.
I tried to keep myself engaged in the conversation as we sat at the table and scarfed down our meals, but all I could think about was Skye. I didn’t want her to be upset, and I damn sure didn’t want to spend the evening without her.
I had to figure out?—
“Earth to Ocean,” my aunt said, snapping her fingers.
“Huh? Yeah, what’s up?”
“What’s got you all quiet over there?”
“Quiet? I’m not quiet?” I took a sip of my water.
“Oh, you’re definitely quiet.”
“I think it’s woman trouble,” Ol’ School chimed in.
