It was partially my fault for encouraging Lucinda to write, so I felt I really shouldn’t complain about them using the majority of our cash to buy a computer, but that didn’t help the sickening knot in the pit of my stomach.
On the way home we stopped off at Wal-Mart to pick up cartons of cigarettes for both Lucinda and Jim. I insisted that Kevin needed gloves and a hat, so I shepherded him over to the kids’ department to see if they had anything. Not surprisingly, he picked the ones with Batman emblems plastered across them. On our way back to find Jim and Lucinda, we spotted a clearance section of backpacks marked down to three dollars apiece. Finding one with Batman that matched his hat and gloves, I grabbed it up.
“We can at least ask, right?” I said as he studied the backpack longingly.
Lucinda only agreed to let Kevin get his backpack once she was sure they had enough money for their cigarettes. What else was new? In the past, Kevin and I had witnessed Lucinda spend our last three dollars on her cancer sticks instead of getting us something to eat, so we were both well aware of where we ranked in the pecking order.
It came down to our very last cent, but Kevin left the store with the backpack clutched securely in his arms. He grinned the entire way home and I couldn’t help reaching over and ruffling his hair. Seeing him happy made me happy.
We arrived home moments before Max pulled into the drive. I grabbed my purse and peeked in on Kevin who was happily playing on Max’s iPad.
“Remember to keep that out of sight,” I reminded him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. “You remember how to
use the texting app too, right?”
“Yep,” he said, not taking his eyes off the screen.
“Okay, see you later, punk.”
“Bye, sis,” he said, finally looking up.
Max was just about to knock on the door when I pushed it open, making him take a quick step back.
“Oops, sorry,” I said, giggling at his quick reflexes.
“No problem, it’s only my nose,” he pretended to grumble.
“Seriously, I am,” I laughed, climbing into his Navigator, anxious to get out of the frigid temperatures that had come out of nowhere. The newscaster on TV had said that it would be too cold to snow which completely confounded me. It just sounded like an oxymoron. As far as I was concerned, if it was snowing, it was cold, so being too cold to even snow seemed crazy.
“How was your day?” Max asked, cranking up the heat as he backed out of our drive.
“Good. I found the perfect dress right away,” I said excitedly.
“Wow, that’s amazing. You must have radar senses or something to find one that easily. My sister, Trish, would drag us from one shop to the next, for hours, and then settle on one she had seen at the very first store. I personally think she did it to torture me.”
“I’m sure,” I agreed, not bothering to tell him I only had the option of one store.
Max slowed the SUV, turning down a dirt path two miles from my house. Right on cue, I began nervously tugging on my bottom lip at the thought of meeting his parents.
“You know, it’s very distracting when you do that,” Max said, putting the vehicle in park between another SUV like his and a dark blue pickup truck.
“What is?” I asked confused, turning to look at him.
“Tugging at your lip like that,” he said, reaching over to caress my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.
His hand slid to the side of my face and I sighed uncontrollably, running my tongue over my lip where his thumb had previously been. His eyes darkened as he watched. He slid a hand behind my neck, anchoring me in place.
I shivered in anticipation as he leaned toward me with clear intentions.
Suddenly, headlights flickered behind us, breaking the spell.
“Well crap,” Max said, dropping his hand reluctantly. “The others are here,” he continued, clearly disappointed.
I sighed, having a hard time curbing my own disappointment.
Max smiled. “Later for sure,” he said, climbing out of the vehicle.
He pulled my door open and reached up to help me down, pulling me in for a quick hug. “Is it later yet?” he asked huskily, voicing my own desire.