I huff out a bittersweet laugh, feeling lighter and yet, sadder, than I have all day. I run a hand down the smooth wood of the stash box. “God, I’m going to miss her.”
“Me, too, sweetie.”
Just then, a small ball of floof hops up onto my lap, two little brown eyes gazing up at me through shaggy bangs. I flinch at first, then tentatively hug BonBon Jovi into my arms. “Hey, little guy.” I kiss the top of his head.
Mom smiles. “She left you BonBon, too.”
I blink. “Are you serious?”
“She said caring for a puppy would help your butthole. I’ve already packed up BonBon’s things so we can take him home later.” Mom smacks my leg and stands. “I’m going to find Vijay. You think about what I said, honey.”
“Vijay?” I arch an eyebrow, accepting BonBon’s furtive facial licking because he, too, is in grief, and I suddenly love him with my whole heart. “Since when did Dr. Appa becomeVijay?”
“Since we made out six months ago and started going steady.”
“What?!”
“Julian!” Marco, Aldo, and Ellio burst onto the porch in quick succession, then promptly start coughing and waving their hands in front of their faces. “Damn, is there a fire back here?”
“Here, you can have the rest.” Mom offers the joint to Ellio. “We were honoring Aunt Edna.”
“You’re—” I stare at Mom. “With Doctor…him?!”
She blows me a kiss, then disappears inside.
“Julian—hey.” Marco snaps his fingers in front of my face. “You’ve got to focus. This is big. Tell him, Aldo.”
“Tell me what?” I blink, my eyes feeling fully chapped by the weed.
“Last night, I was cleaning up the chambers late, and I overheard Mike Tonuto on the phone as he was leaving his office. I could’ve sworn he said the worddispensary.” Aldo lifts his brows.
I snap up straight, which is impressive since I feel like a giant noodle. “Yeah?”
“I snuck up behind him so I could listen.” He taps his ear. Aldo doesn’t usually tell the stories in this trio of brothers, and you can tell he’s enjoying it. “And you won’tbelievewhat I heard.”
I lean over so far, the porch swing nearly deposits me and BonBon on the ground. “What, man?”
“He was talking shit on Nomi!” Ellio bursts out in a bell of smoke. “Said it was ‘only a matter of time before the little lady folds and gives up the lease!’”
Aldo narrows his eyes at Ellio. “Way to steal my thunder, bro.”
“Huh.” So Tonutoistargeting Nomi specifically. Does he want her lease for himself? How could a sitting council member rent a building owned by the city council?
“Can you guys stay on him? Keep an eye out for anything that might suggest Tonuto’s benefitting personally from thwarting Nomi’s dispensary?”
The Ohs nod, and I stumble up to standing, my head feeling light and airy even as the thick, molten sadness of losing Aunt Edna and my big fight with Nomi weigh the rest of me down.
“Bro, I almost forgot.” Marco claps me on the back. “There’s a guy out there asking for you.”
I make my way back inside to Aunt Edna’s living room, where a man with short, neatly combed hair stands, arms crossed, watching Edna’s slideshow.
“Eric?” I press my hand to my chest. BonBon licks that, too.
He turns around, his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Julian. Hey, buddy.”
“What are you doing here?” I stand rooted on the spot.
“Other than developing a crush on your late Aunt Edna?” He gestures at the slideshow, squarely in the middle of The Sexy Years. “I thought you could use some support today. Was Iwro—”
