“I didn’t spend $400 on this so it could sit around waiting for perfect. Perfect is a myth.” Shay repositioned them with a wooden skewer and looked at Aaron, waiting for a better explanation.
Aaron shrugged. “That’s what Momma used to say,” he said quietly.
Shay sighed as the reason dropped into place. “Is that why you haven’t used the grill?”
He nodded. “Grilling was Momma’s favorite… You remember all those times the whole family would come on over, and we’d sit in the yard until it got dark, ‘till we were all sent to bed. But me and you would climb out on the roof just so we could smell the smoke?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “I loved Daddy’s ribs with Momma’s special sauce,” she said.
“I still have two bottles hiding in the back of the pantry, up high on a shelf so Bisa doesn’t use it.” He smiled, but the grief in his eyes was plain to see. “Pops hasn’t used his grill since Momma died either, y’know?”
Shay clenched her jaw. “He doesn’t need to; Mrs. Robinson’s always feeding him up.” It bothered her that the old woman was trying to take her momma’s place.
Aaron shook his head. “It ain’t about that. And she brings over the occasional dish, but mostly he lives on TV dinners. Bisa keeps offering to cook for him, but he won’t hear it.”
Thatwasa surprise. From what she’d seen, Bisa only cared about Aaron and her kids. But she’d been Aaron’s high school sweetheart, and they’d been married for over thirteen years now,most of which, Shay hadn’t been around. She guessed she’d missed plenty while she’d been in the Army. And her efforts to make up for lost time had been more or less useless, except when she was coming to the rescue in one form or another.
She heard the rumble of Eli’s bag of bolts truck pull up and let out a deep breath. If she focused on preparing the food, she could stop trying to analyze her daddy’s behavior, which everyone else seemed to be trying to find an excuse for. “Light her up. I’ll be out with some ribs in ten minutes. And Aaron,” she touched his arm lightly, “how about I raid your sauce stash for one bottle…for Momma,” she said, her voice cracking.
He frowned. “I don’t know…”
“Come on. It’s your birthday, and Momma’s looking down on us. Let’s do ribs in her honor.” She took a second and looked up to the sky to stop the tears from escaping. “She’d like that, right?”
Aaron nodded slowly. “One bottle.”
She headed to the kitchen and reached the side door just as Cyrus came out of it.
He nodded toward the kitchen. “If Dad’s ever gonna be comfortable seeing you with a woman, we figured it’d better be a beautiful Black woman like Nia.”
“That’s outmoded thinking, brother.”
“That’s the only mode of thinking he’s got.”
Cyrus had a point, but she didn’t need her relationship with her daddy to get any more complicated, and she didn’t need to be responsible for one more person. She moved to go around him, but he sidestepped.
“She’s gorgeous, ambitious, intelligent, and single,” Cyrus said. “I’d be making a move if I wasn’t trying to be faithful to Kali.”
“Good to know Kali’s still around.” Shay hadn’t seen her in the melee inside, but she was petite and easily missed. “I’m not looking for serious.” She pushed him aside and cracked the door. “I’m not looking for anything.” And she already had Rosie for everything she wanted and actually had the time for. “If anything happenedwith Nia, I’d walk away, but she’d still be Aaron’s neighbor. How awkward do you think that gets at every get-together thereafter?”
“That’s a poor excuse, sis.”
She shrugged. “It’s the only one I’ve got.” She went into the kitchen and closed the door behind her.
Nia had already spread out a range of chopping boards on the kitchen island and was creating some kind of a special rub for the meats. She looked up and smiled. “Special recipe for a special occasion.”
Before Shay could respond, Eli and Luke hustled in, loaded down with bags of meat and groceries. When they’d put everything on the counter, she held out her hand.
Eli pulled her credit card from the top pocket of his shirt. “You sure I can’t keep it to put a down payment on a new truck?”
She snatched it from him and slipped it back in her phone wallet. “You don’t need a new truck. You just need to look after the one you’ve got.”
“Aren’t you supposed to do that? What’s the point of having a magic mechanic in the family if you don’t make sure my truck runs like a dream?”
Shay clenched her teeth. “I’ve told you to bring it to the garage, and I’ll check it over.”
Eli curled his lip. “I can’t come all the way out to Chicago. The truck won’t make it.”
“Fine.” She’d been putting this particular call of duty on the backburner for long enough. “Talk to Anderson and see if it’s okay for me to use his garage next weekend, and I’ll service your damn truck.”
