“Josephine invited us to dinner tonight,” I say. “Want to come?”
He shakes his head. “Naw.”
“Why not?”
He doesn’t look at me. “She just wants to set you up with another girl.”
I shake my head. “Who would she be setting me up with? I’ve already turned down every single woman on the island. Josephine knows I’m not interested.”
He shrugs. “I already put a pizza in the oven.”
I nod and let it go. “Did you get your homework done?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you hear back from the University?”
“Not yet.”
He’s applied to several colleges, but I know he’s hoping for Georgia University. He’s got several friends going in the fall. He plays with Skyler until his phone alarm goes off, then he disappears upstairs with his cardboard pizza.
I change into a clean, white shirt and grab a bottle of wine as a dinner gift for Josephine. Skyler climbs into the car and buckles herself into her booster seat. Guilt rises in me when I see her little fat lip. Her injury is my fault. I should have been paying attention. The weight of everything presses down on my shoulders, and I try not to think about hiring a nanny, or the gallery and how I might have to tell Josephine it’s time to stop pumping dollars into it.
I pull into Josephine’s driveway and cut the engine. I get Skyler out of the car and grab the wine. I let Skyler press the bell, and the door opens a moment later. Josephine’s mouth pops open when she notices Skyler’s fat lip. “What happened to you?”
“A small accident. She’s fine.” I shift, trying to take the attention away from Skyler’s unfortunate injury. I give the bottle of wine to Josephine. “Here. This is for you.”
She smiles and ushers us into her home, which is a typical southern plantation style with columns on the porch and doilies on every surface. “This will go great with dinner. I’m so glad you could come.”
I walk into the dining room and balk when I see Kiki sitting at the table. She’s wearing the same two-sizes too large for herblouse and ripped jeans she wore to church. She’s far too skinny, but I admit, there’s something about her large, blue eyes that strikes me. She’s not horrible to look at.
Her gaze slides over me and pink flushes on her cheeks. I guess Josephine kept my dinner invitation as a surprise. I feel a set up coming on.
“You’ve met Kiki, right?” Josephine says sweetly. “Please, have a seat.” She points to the empty chair next to Kiki.
I take in a deep breath to calm myself before sitting down. Micah was right. I should have known. There’s fresh blood on the island.
Josephine pulls out a chair for Skyler and she climbs up. Josephine must have put a phone book on the chair because she sits taller than normal.
“I’ll go get the roast,” Josephine says. “You two can chat.”
She leaves and I’m left to make small talk with the woman sitting next to me. Except Kiki is staring at Skyler, her face draining of color. “What happened to her?”
I cringe. Of course she’d ask about her purple lip. “A small accident.”
Kiki jumps up from her chair and rushes over to Skyler, examining her face. “Are you okay, sweetie? That looks painful.”
Embarrassment threads through me, which makes me grumpy. “She’s fine,” I say, which comes out sounding about as annoyed as I feel.
Kiki glares at me. “Did you put ice on that?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Is she questioning my abilities to take care of my own daughter?
“I think it needs more.” Kiki hurries off to the kitchen, and I’m left to stare after her feeling like a rotten parent. Did I not hold the ice on long enough? Am I messing up this fatherhood thing that badly?
Kiki comes back into the room holding out a red Popsicle. “Here, sweetie. Suck on this.”
Skyler’s face lights up. “Okay!”
