Page 20 of Worth the Trip

His face threatened a smile before he disappeared beneath the sink again.

Mama entered, carrying two glasses of sweet tea. “I told him leave that sink alone.”

Pops answered from beneath the cabinet. “And I told her I had it.”

She handed me a glass. “You believe him?”

I took a slow sip. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“Whether y’all got running water when I leave.”

Mama laughed hard enough to brace one hand against the counter, while Pops muttered something I couldn’t hear and probably didn’t need to.

Before I could respond, Lennox came down the hallway with exactly zero interest in the plumbing situation. His eyes skipped over me and went straight to the grocery sack near the pantry.

“You brought snacks?”

“I brought tools.”

His whole face dropped. “Damn.”

Mama snapped her dish towel toward him. “Watch your mouth.”

“My bad.”

I looked at him. “That disappointing?”

“Extremely.”

“I just saw you yesterday.”

“Food relationships require consistency.”

Pops snorted. “What you know about consistency?”

“I’m consistent about eating.”

I lifted my glass. “Can’t argue with the evidence.”

Lennox came over and pulled me into a quick hug. “Still my favorite brother.”

“I’m your only brother.”

“And yet you continue to outperform expectations.”

I looked at Mama. “He been talking like this all day?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Y’all hate greatness.”

Pops’s voice came from under the sink. “You got homework?”

“I finished it.”

“When?”