Page 49 of What We Burn

Sage clears her throat. “This corn is amazing, Gloria. What’s the seasoning?”

“Oh! It’s a chipotle lime butter. I’ll write down the recipe for you.”

We eat faster after that.

When we say our goodbyes, Gloria presses a loaf of banana bread into Sage’s hands then hugs each of us. They’re not polite hugs—these are full-body, bone-creaking embraces that last three seconds longer than expected and come with cheek kisses and direct eye contact that feels like being scanned at airport security.

“I’m keeping my eye on you,” she tells me, both hands on my shoulders, nails digging through my shirt. “You take care of my boy. And your girl. She’s special.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t be silly, dear. Call me Gloria.”

“Okay, Gloria.”

She pats my cheek. It stings.

We file out the front door. Down the driveway. Into the Suburban.

Nobody speaks until the doors are closed and we’ve pulled out of the cul-de-sac. Then everyone speaks at once.

“What the fuck—!” Sage gasps.

“Were those men—?” Eli shudders.

“The way they looked at her when she—?” Micah stammers.

“Why did those garden beds look like fucking graves?” Knox blurts, surprising everyone.

Milo drives. He checks his mirrors. He doesn’t seem to register that anything unusual occurred.

I lean forward from the passenger seat. “Milo?”

“Yeah?”

“Those men are afraid of your mother.”

Milo considers this for approximately two seconds. “I mean, sure. A little. Mom has high standards. But they’re happy. It works.”

“Dennis did a threat-assessment check before reaching for the corn.”

“Dennis has always been a careful eater.”

“Gene’s hands were shaking.”

“Gene has low blood sugar.”

“They’re all wearing shock collars, Milo!”

Milo’s grip on the steering wheel tightens for just a moment. “That’s a personal lifestyle choice and I’d appreciate if you didn’t kink-shame my parents.”

“It’s not kink-shaming if the man flinched so hard he nearly left the chair!”

“Gene’s always been jumpy.”

“Your mother said Rodrigo wasn’t behaving the way he should and three grown men flinched.”

Milo signals a turn, sighing. “Rodrigo was always a drama llama. He caused big issues in the house.”