Colebounced in behind Lexi and stopped when he saw Spencer too.
“I waswith Harper,” Lexi told Spencer hiding behind Cole. They both looked like theywere ready to run at any moment.
“You meanthat little shit that you’ve been seeing that was in prison?” Spencer askedstanding up to tower over his kids.
“It’s notlike he just got out of prison, dad.” Lexi rolled her eyes. “It was like amonth ago.”
“Well,”Spencer gave me a look and then focused on his kids, “that makes me feel somuch better.”
“Itshould.” Lexi seemed completely satisfied with her response and smiled. Shelooked exactly like Alley when she smiled. Aside from the black hair, she was aspitting image of her mother.
Spencerwalked to the door with his kids when Cole took off running from him. “Get backhere Cole! You’re not off the hook either!”
Clint heldup his hands coming to sit next to me on the couch, a contemplative warningheld his features. “I left them with Spencer in charge. When I heard Arie wasmissing, I found her walking to Brian’s house. I might add that Spencer’s kidsare little jerks.”
“I knowthat. It makes me feel a lot better about my own.”
“Why isArie so mad at Casten?”
“Uh, maybebecause he left her at the gas station,”
“So shewasn’t here for this?” I motioned around to the madness.
“Nope,this was all Casten and the hood of hoodlums.”
“Hood ofhoodlums,” I laughed and Clint cracked a smile.
“That’sAries’ nickname for the boys.”
Rosa walkedin, smiling again, and mouthed something to Tommy who giggled again. Tommydisappeared after that to find food. Apparently, his hangover was making himsick and he thought he needed food.
“How wasyour vacation?” Clint tried to make conversation.
“Horrible.I got bit by a fucking turtle and I think my leg is infected.”
“EwwwJay!” Rosa looked down at my swollen ankle. “That’sdisgusting.”
“Rosa,shouldn’t you be cleaning? And do not call me Jay. I don’t like being calledthat.”
“Yeah, probably,”She grabbed the remote from Willie makingherselfcomfortable beside me.
“Wellthen, do it. This place looks like shit and I don’t pay you to sit around.”
“I know.”She reached for the chips Willie had. “If you did, Willie would get a raise.”
“Hey, whatdid I do to you?” Willie stood and then fell back against the couch, “I stoodup too soon.”
Rosa hadan excuse for why she couldn’t clean every day. Some days she would say thather back hurt. Other days she would say that she just wasn’t feeling it and mypersonal favorite, she couldn’t clean because it was her country’s national “noclean” day. Rosa said she was Mexican but she was Caucasian. She had pale skinand brown hair with blue eyes. She was not Mexican.
“Hey dad,”Casten stuck his head inside the door, his voice carrying throughout the foyerand into the family room. Apparently, he’d gotten away from Arie. “Can I go toShane’s party tonight?”
“Get yourass in here!” I hollered back. I hated having a conversation when he was halfhanging out the door. Mostly because he always said things that I couldn’t hearvery well and before we knew it, streets were set on fire and my wife wasconvinced our son was a pothead.
“So aboutShane’s...can I go?” He asked standing at the edge ofthe couch, his phone in hand.
“What? No.Jesus. Look around this place. Do you honestly think I should let you go to aparty?”
He lookedaround and smiled. “I’m legendary. That was pretty much the best night of mylife.” Casten chuckled as he stared out the window reminiscing.
