Stef Ann Holm, Lucy Back [paper ebook reader .TXT] 📗

had thoughts about what it might feel like, but actually doing it…no way. He’d never even had a girlfriend.

“But, Spin,” Jacquie said, “that was a long time ago. You had a love of your life. I thought Drew was mine. I mean—” she started to cry again “—I miss him. I miss how we were.”

Jason figured he’d heard enough. He wasn’t interested in the problems of adults. He had enough of his own.

Jacquie continued as he started to turn, and then he stopped.

“I…I never thought I’d be such a pussy about it. But when I found Lucy at his house—it really hurt me.”

Lucy?

Jason knew his mom had started cooking for Drew Tolman. She’d told them it was going to help her establish her business here. Jason hadn’t thought much about it. His mom cooked for people. That was her job. How come Jacquie was mad about it?

Spin faced the duck pond and her bony hands gripped on the railing as she stared at the water. “You know what I think? I think you need to give up men for a while. Stop using sex to get your way. Value yourself, Jacquie.”

Gasping, Jacquie acted as if Spin had suggested she jump into the pond with the ducks. “Give up men?”

“Yes. You need to discover who you are without a man. Learn to live alone.”

“I can’t!” Jacquie fumbled with the opening of her purse and came up with a pack of cigarettes. Casting a quick look over her shoulder through the recreational room window to see if anyone was looking, she put a smoke between her lips and lit it.

The smell of burning tobacco drifted to Jason, making his nose tickle.

“Have you ever tried?” Spin asked, her voice sounding tired.

“Well…not really. I mean, I didn’t have a boyfriend in grade school. Maybe not through the fifth grade. But then in the sixth, I had one.” Jacquie grew thoughtful. “And in junior high. Through high school. Of course I had a boyfriend,” she insisted, as if she needed to verify that. “What woman doesn’t need one?”

“You don’t.”

“You’re wrong, Spin. I do.”

“No. You just think you do.” Spin moved to one of the chairs and sat down.

Jason had to hop a few feet back or he’d be spotted spying on them. Unfortunately, when he did that, the fern wobbled in its pot and he had to reach out and prevent it from toppling. When he did so, he gave a little yelp. Busted.

Jacquie came right for him. “Hey, you!”

Jason was going to bolt, but he had no place to go. So he put on a defiant stance. “Yeah, what?”

“How long were you standing there?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You were listening!” she accused, then she narrowed her gaze, reading him like a book. “You’re Lucy’s son.”

“So?”

She didn’t say anything else about his mom and he was glad. He might have had some issues at home sometimes—maybe a lot lately—but he loved his family. She was a good mom. What Gary did to her sucked and it was wrong and she was doing the best she could.

In that moment, Jason wished that back in Boise he’d said he was sorry to his mom for all the crap he’d given her. He had said, “Sorry,” but it wasn’t something he’d really felt. Now he did mean it.

“You’re that young man who delivers the food.” Spin gave him a long look. “I had some of it today…and nothing came up on me.”

He wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but he figured she was meaning she hadn’t puked or something. Gross.

Jason didn’t feel like being razzed so he said, “I gotta go.”

He walked away, the scent of cigarette smoke following him on his clothes, his skin. Great, this was all he effing needed. His mom was going to think he’d been smoking.

Once he got to the front of the Sunrise, he saw his mom’s car pulling up. When he got inside, he was relieved she didn’t ask him if he’d had a cigarette.

Her radio was playing and she was in a good mood.

“Guess what?” she said, smiling and not waiting for him to ask. “I got another client! Now I have two people to cook for.”

“That’s cool, Mom.”

She told him about it and he listened, watching the smile on her face. When she was done, she looked at him.

“What?”

“Nuttin’.”

Her brows rose and she smiled once more. He felt like crying, something he hadn’t done in a long time.

“Mom…I’m sorry.”

That’s all he had to say. She knew.

When she leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek at a stoplight, he had a really hard time holding back his tears.

He loved her and he was glad she was his mom.

Sixteen

“If it’s got tits or wheels, sooner or later it’s going to give you trouble.” The mayor of the dock, Lloyd Zaragoza, was on his third Bud and feeling quite profound.

“C’hew got that right.”

Lloyd, Raul and Opal sat at one of the high bar tables at the High Country.

Opal took exception. “I beg your pardon. I ain’t never given a man trouble.” She thought for a moment about Sheriff Roger Lewis. Several years back she could have sworn he had a thing for her, but he’d never acted on it so she’d ignored him. Time had passed and the both of them had become involved with different people. Opal had nobody special in her life at the moment and she wondered if Roger was seeing anyone.

She hadn’t heard any gossip, and surely she would have heard some at the counter of the diner. The early birds slung more loose-lipped talk than she cooked hash specials.

“Present company excluded,” Raul said, sipping a bloody Mary. “I’m talking about that Lucy Carpenters.”

“Carpenter,” Lloyd corrected. “The Carpenters was a musical group.”

“C’hew making fun of the Raul’s accent?”

“Oh, hell, Raul,” Lloyd snorted. “Don’t go acting like you’ve got a couple French fries short of a Happy Meal. Get a grip. I was only making a casual comment.”

Raul’s hair gleamed from pomade,