If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook

Author:Cat Shook
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Celadon Books

* * *

“What are you doing here?” Red asked Brady when he walked into his kitchen and found the guy sitting at the table. Theatrically, an ear-splitting clap of thunder shook the house right after Red finished the question. This was lucky for Red, as it distracted Jennifer, who sat at the table with Brady, from the opportunity to berate him for being rude to their guest. “I mean, it’s great to see you again so soon! Just surprised, is all,” he tried to save himself.

“My parents went to go see my grandpa today in Vidalia, and I came home from the Liquor Barn and realized I had forgotten my key so … I’m locked out,” Brady said, looking amused.

“Wow, you really must be new around here if you’re lockin’ your door when you leave the house,” Red said, and smiled. Brady smiled back.

“Well, I’m selfishly glad for it,” Jennifer said, nodding to the glasses of white wine in front of her and Brady. “I’m the only wine drinker here usually. It’s nice to have a drinking buddy.” They touched their glasses, and Brady winked.

There were decks of cards between them. “Wanna play with us? We’re about to start a new game. I’ve never played this and I’m loving it,” Brady said.

“Double solitaire, babe,” Jennifer told Red, “but we can easily make it triple.”

“Uh…” Red said, feeling like he should find a way out even though he wanted to stay and play cards with his mom and this intriguing boy. He squared his shoulders and said, “Sure.”

Jennifer pushed a deck of Snoopy playing cards that were as old as Red was in his direction as he sat down. Brady took another sip of his wine, and tipped the glass in Red’s direction, silently asking if he wanted some, as though Red were in his house and not the other way around. Red shook his head and looked away, the force of Brady a little too bright for him.

“Where were you?” Jennifer asked.

“I was…” Red started, not sure how to finish his sentence. He worried that declaring he was at the graveyard would bring about unwanted attention, and he didn’t want anyone near his reasons for wanting to go. “Out.” Brady kept his eyes on the cards in Jennifer’s hands as she shuffled and redistributed the decks, but Red could not miss his cocked eyebrow at his choice of words. Jennifer shrugged; she wasn’t going to force her twenty-five-year-old son to tell his mother where he had been. She pushed another deck of cards, with racehorses on them, to Brady.

The trio began silently setting up their solitaire games. “Ready, set, go!” Jennifer said, frowning, eyes glued to her cards, and they began furiously playing against themselves, until Jennifer got the game started by slapping an ace of hearts in the middle, which Brady followed with a two of hearts almost immediately.

“Really getting the hang of this, Brady,” Jennifer said, biting her lower lip, perfectly waxed eyebrows knitting together in concentration. She slapped another ace between them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.