Page 93 of Overkill

When Marcus and I got back to the porch, we sanded, primed, and painted one coat of white paint before he said anything.

“Mel doesn’t like me much, does she?” he asked quietly as we sat drinking water on the bed of the truck.

“Why would you say that? She loves you.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. She likes Miriam. But not me.” His fingers played with the bottle. Was this what had been going through his head? “Because I look like my dad’s side of the family.”

I couldn’t refute it; I didn’t know for sure, but I doubted it.

We looked out onto the valley as I pondered my words. They had a swell view from their house. We saw rows and rows of mountains and spurs. Green at our feet, then fading to a blue-gray mountain range in the distance as the shining silver river became a ribbon flowing out of the spool of Mourningkill Lake.

“I doubt it, son.” I clamped a hand on his shoulder.

“You have to say that.” He squirmed out of my hold. “If she wasn’t forced to, she wouldn’t have come back here. She takes care of us because she has to.”

I pulled my leg up and twisted until my back was against the side of the bed. I wanted to look the kid in the eye when I said what I would say. He didn’t have to look back. But he did need to know that I was looking to him.

“I don’t have to say it.” Wished I had an ice-cold beer, but it wouldn’t help unless the kid could have one, too—and I was already too deep in Melody’s shit list to risk that. Did not need to add enabling underage drinking to my list of sins right now. “My Ma didn’t like me. I’m the oldest of twelve.”

Yeah, son, let’s talk about who was less loved, shall we?

“When your sister found out your dad was gone—and not coming back—you could have been sent to your uncle’s house. She didn’t have to be your guardian. She didn’t have to drop out of law school, but she did. Because she loves you.” I ran my thumb along my lower lip. “My Ma? When her new boyfriend didn’t like kids—especially a hotheaded teen shithead like me—she sent me to live with Aunt Daisy.”

Aunt Daisy, who had other reasons to keep me in her house. None of them maternal.

“Ma didn’t send me to school, make sure I got on the bus, and pick me up after. If she coulda thrown me and my siblings out, she would have. But her cult was the only thing that forced her to keep a roof over our heads. She didn’t want to be embarrassed in the eyes of the congregation, or in the eyes of the pastor.”

Who she had the damn hots for…

“Melody loves you so much that it doesn’t even occur to her to go back to school, leave you guys behind, or leave you in the care of someone else. And it might look like she does it because she has to, but she doesn’t. She coulda let you go into foster care.” I shrugged. “She loves you so much that it’s not even an option for her.”

“Is that why you like Mel so much?” he asked, brow furrowed. The next thing that came out of his mouth probably wasn’t meant to sound insulting, but it sure as hell was. “Mommy issues?”

I almost cackled, but he looked so damn serious.

“Yeah, a little. Melody is unlike anyone I’ve ever known in all the best possible ways.” I sighed. “I like nice people. I like good people. She’s both.”

I shook my head. Teenage boys had so much angst and so much going on in their heads, but at the same time, there was also nothing between the ears. Too thoughtful and too blind. Teens were all things at once. On the one hand, they were kids, but on the other, they were old enough to understand what was happening around them.

“It’s all our fault.” Marcus slumped. “Why she’s not in school. Why she’s still in this town. She hates it here.”

“You’re not wrong,” I said. He was not a bad kid. Just a bit lost. “But if you love her—if we love her—then we do what we can to get her back on the path to her dreams. It’s gonna take work on our part, the way being your sort-of mom takes work on hers. But if we can do things for each other, life gets a whole lot easier for everyone all around. You understand?”

He looked at me, brows furrowed. I’d probably thrown too much at him.

It was getting too serious and too heavy, so I jumped off the bed.

“Let’s get to painting the next coat before Miriam calls.”

Chapter 32

That’s New

Melody

Miriam came every day. When I asked where Marcus was, she just smiled. “He’s working on something at the house.”

“Like…what?” I asked.