He squeezed her hand. “She’s tired, hormonal, and a little scared.”
“Then she needs me more than ever—”
“Or she’s getting what she needs from her husband. Give her some space, Mother. I’m sure she’ll come around when she’s feeling better.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I have been a little stifling.”
Kingston’s eyebrow arched. His mother rarely had moments of self-awareness.
“Anyway, I’m not here to discuss Anita. I’m here to spend time with my wonderful son. Did you get a chance to practice with Sunny?”
“Yep.” He waited for her to say how pretty Sunny was and point out howsplendidormarvelousthey looked together. Or worse.
Silence.
Alarmed, he said, “You didn’t call her again, did you?”
“No. Why would I do that?”
He relaxed. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to set the two of them up on a date.
“However, I was hoping you could give Olivia more help.”
“Olivia? Why?”
“She seemed to struggle with the steps.”
She didn’t struggle to stomp on his foot several times, though. But that was before they had gotten back on the friendship track. He was more than ready to let bygones be bygones.
“I remember when she was young, bless her heart,” his mother continued. “She was never the most graceful child.”
Kingston didn’t remember that. Then again, he couldn’t remember ever seeing Olivia do anything physical. Wait, there had been one time. He’d managed to catch one of the church softball games. She played right field, and he couldn’t gauge her fielding ability because no one had hit any balls in her direction. But he’d seen her up at bat. She wasn’t horrible, but she wasn’t good either. He’d admired her for trying.
“If you could give her some basic pointers, I think it would really help.”
Kingston nodded. “That’s what Sunny’s teaching. The basics.”
Mother scoffed. “I mean the basic basics.”
Bailey came over to the table. “Hi, Mrs.Bedford. Haven’t seen you here in a long time. Tanner said lunch was on the house. What can I get for you?”
“Unsweet tea and a chef salad, minus the turkey, ham, cheese, and egg. No dressing.”
Bailey smirked as she scribbled on her pad and turned to Kingston. “What can I get for you?”
“Chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn, a roll, and pecan pie for dessert.” He closed the menu and spied his mother’s disapproving look.
“Coming right up.”
After Bailey left, his mother said, “That’s a lot of saturated fat, King. It’s never too early to take care of your arteries.”
He almost laughed, considering that his father, the cardiologist, wouldn’t have hesitated to order the same thing if he were with them. He and his dad didn’t eat like this all the time, but a few saturated fats here and there wouldn’t hurt. “I’ll work it off dancing,” he said.
“On Saturday,” she said.
“No, on Monday.” Weird. She never mixed up days.
His mother’s smile resembled that of a cat who lived on a dairy farm. “I stopped by the library and invited Olivia for supper Saturday night. She agreed to come.”
