Love Turned Blue by Evan Gilbert

Author:Evan Gilbert
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 9781634765374
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2015-09-16T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

SLADE WAS waiting outside in front of the apartment building when Jackie drove up. It was a sunny but cold morning, the air still and crisp. Jackie let down her window and smiled at him. She was an attractive woman who looked much younger than thirty-six, the light brown skin of her face smooth and unlined, her beauty enhanced by just a touch of makeup. No fan of winter, she was heavily bundled in a thick coat, muffler, and cap.

Hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket, Slade bent down to her. “Good morning, Jackie,” he said, smiling back at her. “Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you too,” she replied. The exchange was perfunctory but pleasant. “You didn’t have to stand out here to wait for us. You gave Kent a key to your apartment last year, remember? I’d have sent him on up.”

Slade moved his head to one side so he could see past Jackie into the passenger seat. Kent sat there connected to his iPad via earbuds, head bopping in that I’m-too-cool-for-you fashion he’d developed when he was ten. He wore a jacket but no cap, apparently out of deference to the Mohawk sticking up defiantly from his crown to his nape. The rest of his scalp was as smooth and polished as a cue ball. “Hey, son.”

Without looking up from the screen of his iPad, Kent half lifted his right hand, the index finger drifting upward ever so slightly. It looked as if he was flicking away a fly. Since it was too cold for flies, Slade took the gesture to be some version of a greeting.

“Right,” Slade sighed, and he looked at Jackie again. “What time do you want me to bring him back?”

“The court order says you have him from seven o’clock Friday evening until seven o’clock Sunday evening,” Jackie replied. “Since you’ve already missed twelve hours with him this weekend, why don’t you just drop him off at school Monday morning? He has to be there at eight. Also, he has an essay to write on the philosophies of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, minimum of five pages, a joint project for his English and American History classes. It has to be finished and e-mailed to his teachers by 8:00 a.m. Monday.”

“How far along is he on that?”

Jackie’s smile got bigger but with a bitter twist. “He hasn’t even started it yet. I’ve been after him all week. See what you can do, huh?”

Slade almost rolled his eyes. Great. “Well, if that’s the case, I’d better take him upstairs so we can get rolling.”

Jackie leaned over and planted a kiss on Kent’s cheek. “Get out, son. Go have fun with your dad. I’ll see you Monday afternoon.”

“Okay, Mom.” Kent opened the door and climbed out. Holding his iPad in one hand, he reached down with the other, opened the rear door, and hauled out a bulging backpack. After he nudged the door shut, he walked around the back of the car and stood on the sidewalk a few feet from Slade.

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