Mrs. Stonebrook leans closer, lowers her voice and asks, “Is he ready to be a father? That’s a lot to jump into all in one leap.”
Laura steps up next to me, looking Mrs. Stonebrook in the eyes and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
“Oopsie,” Laura says to Mrs. Stonebrook. “It looks like you dropped something.”
All our eyes collectively fall to the ground, searching the asphalt around Mrs. Stonebrook’s feet.
“I don’t see anything,” Mrs. Stonebrook says. Her brow scrunches in confusion when she looks back up at Laura.
“It was your manners,” Laura says with a sugar-sweet smile. “But, look at that. I think you retrieved them already.”
Laura’s arm drops from my shoulders and she busies herself dumping the fresh batch of hot popped corn onto the cooling table.
Alicia turns to me, stepping close so her words are just between the two of us. “Sorry, Angie. You know how my mom can be.”
“It’s fine,” I say quietly. “She’s just stating facts.”
“Well, don’t pay her any mind. EJ knows you have your two blessings. Any man who pursues you is well aware of the twins. He’s obviously willing to take them on.”
I smile politely. But something about what her mom said rubs me wrong. Mrs. Stonebrook isn’t wrong. It is a lot to jump into in one leap. Even Alicia’s words of comfort land a little off-kilter in my heart—willing to take them on—as if my boys are something to be endured.
I’ve surely had my moments where I thought they were more than anyone should have to handle, but every mom feels that way at times. That’s entirely different than asking a man to become a father to children he barely knows. His heart isn’t invested in my boys like mine is. He’d be taking them on just to be with me.
The Stonebrooks leave with their bags of kettle corn and Shannon helps the next customer.
Laura steps over to me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She arches one brow and crosses her arms. “That was a lot for me to swallow and I’m not even the one dating EJ.”
“It’s fine. I know I’m asking a lot of him.”
“Let’s focus on the part where Alicia said he’s obviously smitten with you, okay?”
“Right,” I say, my smile half as wide as it was the first time I heard those words. “Okay.”
Over the next hour, customers come one after the other. We’re popping batch after batch of popcorn, tipping it from the hot kettle onto the cooling table and filling new bags like we’re running an assembly line to meet the demand. I’m hot and sweaty, but the busyness has kept my mind from drifting back to the two reports about EJ and the various other comments from townspeople about him, or us, or the boys. I’m mostly distracted. Thoughts of EJ and my twins lingerlow beneath the surface like the tip of a buried splinter that only screams when bumped.
The line for kettle corn stretches halfway down the street that’s been cordoned off for the festival. All the vendors have equally long lines. We’re barely able to keep up at this rate.
The popping in the kettle slows. I walk over to dump a batch, replacing it with a fresh portion of oil, kernels and sugar.
“Looks good,” I say to myself and anyone else who’s listening. “We’ve got this.”
Sayingwe’ve got thisis often the moment things go haywire. I shove that thought aside and walk to the front of the booth.
Esther, Mabel and Memaw approach the table.
“We can help!” Esther says, rounding the booth and coming through the back without another word.
“That’s okay, Esther,” Laura says.
“What’d ya say?” Esther asks. “I can’t hear a thing over this machine!”
Mabel rounds the corner right behind Esther. “It sure is loud back here. I think she said,okay.”
“I said,it’s okay. We’ve got it. No need to help,” Laura says in a louder voice.
