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She looks up at me, mildly annoyed, her face pinched “Get off the counter, boy, didn’t I raise you right?”

“Ma on with you lately? I hate seein’ you like this, all bothered and bad-mooded all the time”

“Why aren’t you bringin’ Bobby by the house anymore?”

She can never just answer a question “He’s got a job now”

“So? Have him stop by after work I’ll have Jacky-Ann cook us up a lovely dinner” Her eyes narrow “Or is Patricia going to have some problem with that?”

“Ma her son around Bobby was here all last summer, and that was just as much my fault as it was yours”

To my surprise, her eyes soften at s “Sure, ht to make amends with Patricia”

I quirk an eyebrow “Make amends …? For what? Y’all aren’t enemies The battle’s all in your head, Mama”

“She raised a sweet boy in that Bobby,” she says, ignoring my question “I’ll have Jacky-Ann make her a pie and send it to her house Maybe I can have his parents over for dinner sohta be friends”

This is certainly a sharp change in pace “Well, Papa and his papa are friends since school Guess it makes sense, don’t it?”

“It sure does,” she agrees, her voice flat and tired “He seein’ anyone, that Bobby boy? Any pretty young ht his eye?”

Suddenly I’ Bobby in his eyes

And he’s staring back, uncertain, the tension ripe between us

“No,” I answer “He isn’t seein’ anyone Single as a Pringle”

“H down in her spiral, like so just occurred to her

I glance down at her notebook, ether “What’re you busyin’ yourself with, anyway?”

“Plans”

My ue sometimes “With what?”

“Oh, you know” Her jaw tightens and her tone turns smart “Just ‘cause Billy decides he wants to hold the Spruce Ball at the McPherson’s doesn’tall the heavy-lifting They need my connections, anyway”

Despite the slightly e nod “That’sof you, Mama”

“Oh, I know” She jots down sohtfully

I pull my phone out, check it one h and stare off at the glass doors leading out to the patio, the stone ay, and the blinding, sun-sparkling pool beyond It’s Wednesday, and I haven’t gotten to hang with Bobby at all since that tension-filled Sunday night when I shook his hand and agreed never to kiss hiain