Hya tried a different tact. “I’m a dying woman. I mean not really but I’m older, I’m dying sooner, so give me something to take with me.” She even batted her lashes for emphasis.
Hank looked to the ceiling and muttered, “For fucks sake.” Then he looked at Hya. “Hya, you’re probably the healthiest one in this damn room, so tuck that card away, will ya?” Hank looked at Arissa. “Call me when the grilling is done, we’ll make plans for later, yeah?”
He was leaving her to the vultures. She loved them, but they were relentless. The second part of his comment hit and she smiled. She was going to see him later. Her expression turned soft. “Yeah. I’d like to cash in on some of those rain checks.”
Hank leaned into her, put his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Baby, you give me what you gave me last night, you can cash in as many as you want.” With that, he lifted his head, placed a firm kiss on her forehead and started out of the kitchen, dropping his mug on the table in the spot he knew Arissa’s ass was last night and tossed out a little crumb. “That spot was on fucking fire last night.” Then he walked from the room.
Silence followed his departure, all eyes to the door he’d walked through. No one spoke, not when they heard his footfalls coming back down the stairs, when the front door opened then closed. They heard the garage door, a car start and through it all, no one said a word. It wasn’t until his SUV was a distant rumble that all eyes turned back to Arissa.
Hya stood, walked to Arissa, pulled her to the table, pushed her down on the chair then stood in front of her. “Details. Start at the beginning.”
* * *
The time for the gossip train was getting shorter and shorter every month. This time, he only had a chance to go home shower and get his jeans pulled up before his mom was blowing up his phone.
He snatched his cell from the dresser and tapped the screen. “Status?”
Catherine’s mouth opened then closed then she asked, “Where have you been?”
Hank was just reaching for a tee in his drawer when his hand stopped. “Come again?” he asked. Yes, it was his mother, loved her dearly, but he dealt with her during his relationship with Phoebe and he vowed to himself to never let her ride the wave with him again. For Christ sakes, he was a thirty-six-year-old man.
Silence settled for several long seconds before she said, “I only meant with the storm, your father and I were worried.”
She wasn’t fooling anyone, his dad wasn’t worried, it was her. It was always her. He grabbed a faded black AC/DC shirt. “As you can hear, Ma, I weathered the storm just fine. All good by you?”
His mom dismissed his question when she rushed out, “Oh, yes, we’re fine. So, I was talking to Joanie Severs, you remember her, right?” But she didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyway, her granddaughter is in town and I thought it would be nice if you took her to dinner. She’s a pretty little thing.”
Hank had just reached the bottom of the stairs when his steps halted. He blew out a breath. He knew Joanie Severs, even knew who her granddaughter was. Hank would agree that she was a pretty little thing, but little was the key word. “Ma, she’s in her early twenties, come on,” he grumbled as he started toward his kitchen. He took the phone from his ear, tapped the speaker on the screen and laid the cell on the counter before he put his shirt on.
“I realize that but there’s something to be said about a young wife. They get older and get ideas.” She paused then added, “Not to be insensitive, but remembering what happened with Phoebe…” She huffed out a breath. “I’m just going to say it. I know you’ve got your eye on the new woman in town, but she’s Phoebe all over again. And it would just break your mama’s heart watching you go through that again.”
Hank was lucky for the counter behind him because he fell into it, his lower back hitting the granite. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Ma,” he started but couldn’t seem to find the right words. Silence hung in the air for a beat before he said, “I appreciate your concern, I do, but you gotta let me live my damn life. As for having my eye on the new girl, I don’t have just one, I got both. Not gonna pussy around it, Ma, she’s with me and I like that, a fucking lot. So I need you on board with it.” He hung his head, laid a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it, trying to ease the growing tension. He didn’t want to hurt his mom, never would. But it was time she cut the cord.
A long pause before his mom said softly, “Whatever makes you happy, Hank. That’s all I want for you and if this woman makes you happy then…” Another pause. “I’m on board.” She didn’t miss a beat when she added, “You should bring her to dinner.”
Hank took a deep breath and said, “Thanks, Ma, I’d like that. I’m sure Arissa would too.” He moved from his spot and went to the fridge to tag a beer then realized it was still morning so settled on a cup of coffee.
“Yes, well, that would be
