“He tell you what’s going on yet?”
The man who had asked that was stomping toward their table had once been the most unsociable in Lyntacky. He’d owned the bakery before Ryder and used it to play cards and sell nothing resembling food. Now, Larry Limpet still dressed the same in overalls and work boots, and he looked in need of a shave, but suddenly he was in everyone’s business.
“Larry, this has nothing to do with you,” Jay said through his teeth.
“Nobody’s business is private in this town. Now let me tell you, Jay, I like that girl. You do right by her.”
Jay actually blinked at those words.
“I think I liked you better when you were an asshole and never stepped out of your bakery, and I use the term bakery loosely,” Sawyer said.
“Yeah, well, I got time on my hands now,” Larry said.
“Seeing as you were up at the asscrack of dawn, baking and stuff?” Ryder asked.
Larry bared his teeth. “Blue helped me out a time or two when I needed it. She’s a good one, and if you can’t see that, then more fool you.”
“She’s living in my house,” Jay felt the need to clarify.
“I know you young’ns don’t think marriage important, but alls I’m saying is, in her condition, you watch out for her. I’ll have my eyes on you,” Larry Limpet added. He then stomped away.
“There are no words,” Jay whispered.
“What the fuck just happened?” Dan asked.
“I’ve never heard him string that many words together,” Brody added.
“I tell you, it’s them aliens,” Sawyer said. “I’ll take the blueberry waffles thanks, Esther.”
“Need me to cook something up to take back for Blue?” Esther offered when she’d taken their order. “Now it’s out in the open, we can discuss it.”
Jay shook his head because he had lost the ability to speak.
“Okay, now they’ve gone and we’re alone, tell us what you need advice on,” Brody said.
“Nothing at the moment, thanks,” Jay said.
“Some of us have kids and are in relationships,” Sawyer added.
“Lay it on us, and we’ll offer pearls of wisdom,” Dan said.
“Look. Blue has moved in. We don’t know what’s happening or where anything is going. For now, we’re just living together because she can’t live with her brothers. So let’s leave it there, okay?”
“My brothers used to get all up in my business.” LouJean’s voice reached Jay from somewhere behind him.
He leaned forward and banged his head on the table.
But if Jay were being honest with himself, he wanted to ask relationship advice because he’d never really had one—a relationship. There had been plenty of women, but none had lasted long.
Jay liked to be in control and have a plan, but he could honestly say he had no clue how to proceed with Blue. He was playing things cool, but inside, he felt tense about making a wrong move.
“Well, if you need advice, you know where to come,” Dan said, giving Jay a hard look.
When he finally got home,after the grilling he’d received from the Dukes and half the town of Lyntacky, the peace he’d hoped to achieve leaving the house earlier had definitely not happened.
It was dark out, and all he wanted was a shower and some mindless TV with Blue.
Is she home?
