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She shook her head. “Dad was even more of a carnivore than Angus. If Mom would’ve let him, he would’ve eaten prime rib every night for dinner.” She took another bite, a swipe of the jam landing on the side of her mouth, suddenly making her seem more her age, despite her advanced vocabulary and dietary habits.
“When I was ten, I watched a documentary on industrialized farming and haven’t eaten meat since. Basically, you are what your cow, chicken, or sheep ate, which is usually GMO grains soaked in glyphosate.”
Grant took a sip of his coffee. “Yeah. That’s… disturbing.”
Lucas was willing to bet Grant had no idea what glyphosate was.
“So how old were you when you met my mom?” she asked, adding another spoonful of jam onto her bread.
Copious amounts of sugar didn’t seem to bother her, and Lucas wasn’t going to mention the likely non-vegan ingredients in the bread she was scarfing down.
“We were both eight,” Lucas replied.
“Did you like each other?”
Grant chuckled, and despite a fair dose of a disapproving look from Lucas, said, “Your parents had more of a love-hate relationship.”
Mia nodded as if commiserating. “Mom can be a lot once she gets going. Angus said that’s where I get my gift of gab. He’s always saying, ‘Tis a good thing it’s no summer else yer tongue wid be burnt.’”
Lucas and Grant chuckled at the unexpected Scottish bur from the young girl.
Mia smiled with deep satisfaction, showing off dueling dimples in her round cheeks. Dimples that mirrored his own. For the moment, Lucas was mesmerized. He had never contemplated what it would be like to have a miniature version of himself. He’d only imagined the pain of losing one.
Grant wiped at his eyes, still laughing, and then delved a little deeper. “How about your aunt, Maisie? Is she vegan?”
“I dunno?” she said, twirling back and forth in a chair once again, her mouth full. “Who is she?”
Lucas and Grant glanced at one another.
Then she piped up, “I’ve got an Aunt Pearl.”
“But you’ve never met your aunt, Maisie?” Grant repeated.
She half shrugged a thin shoulder. “Not that I’m aware of. Where does she live?”
“Not sure. Was hoping you would know.”
Mia shrugged.
Lucas was shocked. The two sisters had left together that night. Had helped themselves to his wallet and the cash he’d saved working part-time jobs. Money that was to pay for his transportation to the university where he was invited to tryout as a walk-on.
To invite someone to tryout was a rare occurrence for an SEC football coach. Especially when the student played football for a class 2-A high school. From the perspective of a college recruiter, Lucas had been virtually unknown, despite receiving all the fanfare and accolades of being a hometown football star.
The Chief had gone to school with one of the defense coaches and shared Lucas’s stats, who in turn, shared with a friend high up in the athletic department of a Division 1 university. The following week he got the invitation of a lifetime.
An invitation that was just as quickly revoked after arriving, and within an hour, told he had failed the drug test. They found cocaine in his system. When he returned to Wayward, he went straight to the fire station. With swollen red eyes and his chest caved-in, he told the Chief the bad news. As well as everything that happened the night before, including the Solo cup Birdie had handed him.
The Chief made his own arrangements for a second round of tests that were more comprehensive. They soon discovered that not only did he have cocaine in his system, but MDMA also known as Molly or ecstasy, as well.
When the Chief knocked on the Wellborn’s door asking to speak with Birdie, Shelby shoved the note the sisters had left prior to making their great escape at the Chief and began her usual hellfire and damnation diatribe regarding her jezebel daughters.
So, where was Maisie?
At the time, it had surprised the hell out of him when he deduced the two sisters had conspired against him. Birdie and Maisie had never been close. A gross understatement if you had ever seen them together.
Maisie had always been openly critical of her older sister. One of the first to call her out on her misdeeds.
As for Birdie, you could almost see her visibly stiffen and then deflate when Maisie came around.
