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“It’s fine. I’ll be happy to see you,” she said.
They said goodbye and hung up. She went to the couch and sat next to Stevie, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Did you have fun at Daddy’s this afternoon?”
“Fun,” he said.
“I’m so glad.”
She sat back and put her feet up on the coffee table. She’d live her life for her son for the time being. She just didn’t need to live with Chris to be happy.
Chapter 7
Arriving at Chris’s new house with the rented trailer, Chris and his boys unloaded it in record time.
“Good job, guys!” Chris said, wiping his face off with a paper towel.
“I’m starving,” Joel said. “What’s to eat?”
“I’ll send Annie a text. She can make us lunch since she didn’t help unload.”
“I’m hungry, too,” Ben said.
When Annie didn’t respond right away, annoyed, Chris put his phone back in his pocket.
“Let’s drop the trailer off and run into the grocery store. Annie’s not answering and there’s no food here. Not even a bottle of water.”
After taking the trailer back, Chris headed to Spencers. Three handsome, muscular men got out of the big SUV and walked into the grocery store.
“Jesus!” Margaret Spencer, the matriarch of the store, hissed, elbowing her mother-in-law, who gasped, holding her belly.
“Watch where you poke me, woman,” Grannie Spencer said. “But I see why! Who in the hell are they?”
The duo watched the men who were talking and laughing together. “The older one is Val Amotte’s son,” Margaret said. “He comes in with Steve Casson’s ex from time to time. I have no idea who the other two are, but they are definitely related.”
“Val Amotte is in the produce aisle,” Grannie said. “I think I’ll sneak around to eavesdrop.”
“This place has the best fried chicken around,” Chris said, taking a cart. “Choose what you want. I’m big on microwavable and prepared, so keep that in mind. And my brother is bringing his wife over tonight. They feed me every Sunday and it’s my turn to start paying them back.”
“Ha! No home-cooked meals for us, is that what you’re saying?” Ben asked, chuckling.
“You got it if you depend on me to feed you. My brother, Justin, is the chef in the family. The bakery here is fantastic, and the deli out of this world.”
“Mom would have loved this,” Joel said, looking around. “She never cooked.”
“Never,” Ben replied. “I don’t want frozen mac and cheese or pizza, if it’s all right with you.”
“Your mother loved cooking when we were together,” Chris said defensively.
“She admitted that she got sick of it after you got the divorce. Then she married Kirk, and when he couldn’t stand the frozen pizza any longer, he’d make the effort to cook something. He’s actually a pretty good cook.”
“I can open cans with the best of ’em,” Chris said, throwing a couple of salad kits into the basket. “I make a mean pot o’ chili. Everything but the ground beef from a can.”
Rounding the next corner, Chris narrowly avoided crashing into his father’s cart. They looked at each other with wide eyes, stunned.
“Yikes! Val, I didn’t expect to see you in here,” Chris said.
“Boys! I’m so glad to see you. Is your mother here? I owe the three of you an apology for Betty’s awful gossip on Saturday.”
“It’s not necessary to apologize,” Joel said, exchanging glances with Chris. “Anyway, our mother passed away yesterday.”
