Hank shook his head. “No, just no Hya.”
Arissa had her head tucked into Hank’s chest, trying to suppress the chuckle. Hya patted Hank’s ass. “I’ll get started. I’m sure you’ll join in soon.” She winked before walking away.
Arissa couldn’t hold back seeing the hopeful look in Hya’s eyes and burst out into laughter. Hank was enjoying watching her when Millie informed everyone. “Looks like we got company.”
Without hesitation, Hank’s eyes darted to the driveway to see his parents’ car come to a stop. His mother was getting out of the car before his father even had a chance to kill the engine. She held up a huge Tupperware container in the air. “I brought brownies!” she shouted happily and added, as she got closer, “With caramel swirl, just the way you like, Hank.”
Hank let out a rumbled sigh before he let go of Arissa and pressed her against his side, holding her close.
“Honey, I’m sorry I’m late but—”
Hank spoke over her, the tone in his voice not hiding that he was pissed. “What’re you doing here, Mom?”
Henry Weathers walked past them and asked Hya, “I know you always make your ribs, you have any left?”
Hya’s focus went from Henry, to Catherine to Hank and back to Henry. She wanted to sit and watch the show because she had a feeling there was going to be one. “There are a few in the kitchen, Henry. Cold, but they’re still good cold.”
Henry nodded. “Thanks.”
Catherine held her son’s stare. “You’re having a barbecue, why wouldn’t we come?” Her eyes narrowed before she added, “Unless there’s something going on here you know we wouldn’t like.”
Elmer butted in. “We were just about to start naked darts, you approve of that?”
Catherine turned her focus on Elmer. “Since I’m a dead eye, I don’t have a problem with that.” Her focus shifted back to Hank. “Can we join or are you going to run us off?” She turned her focus on Arissa with that comment.
“Jesus,” Hank grumbled and switched the conversation back to where it needed to be. “This wasn’t a family barbeque, Mom, just friends letting off steam.”
“Stop, Henry, it would seem we aren’t invited to stay at our own son’s house,” Catherine said, her focus turning back to Arissa. “Never had that problem before.”
Henry’s eyes shifted through the crowd, forgiveness written all over his aging features. Hank looked at his dad then back at his mom. “You know, I can do shit without my parents or my mom constantly being around.” He narrowed his eyes at his mother. “Don’t ya think, Mom?”
Arissa put pressure on Hank’s stomach when she pushed away and looked at Henry. “Come on, I’ll get you a doggy bag.”
Henry answered with a smile.
Fury swept through Catherine. “Enough!” she bit out. “We don’t need a goddamn doggy bag and sure as hell not from you. Henry, let’s go.” Catherine pushed the Tupperware of brownies to Hank. “Enjoy them.” But her tone suggested the opposite.
Hank took the container from his mother and let out a deep breath. “Just stay,” he said, defeated.
Catherine turned from him. “No, we won’t stay where we’re not wanted. I’ll call you tomorrow when you’re not being so unreasonable.”
Arissa had to bite her tongue because watching Catherine talking to Hank the way she was, and seeing how he wanted to take the high ground and still she was being a fucking bitch…she didn’t deserve a son like Hank. Instead of telling her what she thought of her, she offered her support to Hank when she walked up behind him, pressed her hands to his back so he knew she was there.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Maureen said, moving to Catherine, taking her arm but there was no southern hospitality in her tone.
Catherine leveled hard eyes on Arissa before she walked away.
Henry walked past his son, touched his shoulder and apologized again with his eyes before he followed Catherine and Maureen.
“Maybe I’m really drunk, but, damn, Catherine can be as mean as a rattlesnake,” Elmer said.
Sal grunted his agreeance before he took a pull from his beer.
Arissa felt the tension in Hank; his muscles were rigid. His mother had one purpose coming here and that was to ruin the barbecue. For a mother who was overprotective, her behavior was fucking contrary. Arissa moved to Hank’s side, her hand moving around his waist. She looked up at him; saw the knot at his jaw. How he kept his cool, kept his head, when he was clearly pissed was pretty spectacular to watch, but Hank was only human and one of these days he was going to reach his limit. And seeing Hank lose it, the one who kept everything together, was going to be a pretty terrifying sight. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, the edginess in his voice said he wasn’t okay. His eyes stayed on his parents’ car that was disappearing down the driveway. Once they had turned onto the street, Hank turned to the group. “Party’s over.”
Hya was the first one to move, grabbing the littered empty bottles. Arissa let Hank go. He walked to the barn and vanished inside. Hya moved to Arissa and whispered, “We’ve gotta fix this.”
Arissa was looking at the barn, her heart aching. “My thoughts exactly.”
Millie sided up to Hya and began taking the empty bottles from her hands. “Never have I seen her like that with Hank…” Both women looked at Millie when she added, “Ever.”
Elmer and Sal didn’t say anything but started moving the chairs back up onto the deck. Maureen was already inside putting covers on the food. It wasn’t long before the rest of the crew joined her, all of them leaving Hank his time to decompress.
18
Hank shoved another bite of pancake in his mouth. “Fuck, these are good.”
Arissa scooped up a forkful of the banana fosters pancakes. “Got the recipe from a woman during a shoot featuring home cooking the magazine did a
