Page 142 of Buy Back My Love

“The same one dropped you off over here after all that mess with JB?”

I opened the refrigerator and started looking for something to drink. “Can we please not talk about the pumpkin patch on Christmas?”

“I was making sure it was the same one.”

“It is.”

Mama put her phone down. “What he coming over here for?”

“He said he got me a Christmas gift.”

Her eyebrows went up, and she made that little noise she always made when she had something to say but wanted to pretend she didn’t.

“Mhm.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Don’t.”

“I ain’t said nothing.”

“You did that mhm.”

“That ain’t saying nothing.”

“With you it is.”

Mama went right back to scrolling through her phone. “What you get him?”

I slowly closed the refrigerator.

“Nothing.”

She looked up again. “Damn.”

“I didn’t know we was exchanging gifts!”

“That boy bought you something and you ain’t get him nothing?”

“Thank you, Mama. I already feel bad.”

She laughed. “I’m just asking.”

“You not just asking. You judging.”

I was still fussing at her when somebody knocked about twenty minutes later. I headed toward the door before Mama could get up because I did not need her answering it and embarrassing me before Van even got all the way inside.

When I opened the door, he was standing on the porch holding one of those oversized Christmas gift bags in front of him.

I looked at the bag, then at him.

“You put my gift in a bag that big?”

Van shook his head. “Merry Christmas to you too.”

“Merry Christmas.”

I stepped aside so he could come in. “Hurry up before Mama start yelling about letting cold air in.”

“I heard that,” she called from the kitchen.