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“No, ma’am, no scam,” smirked Ghost.
“I was already living here,” said a young man. “I didn’t want to move, but my place was a mess. Once the new owner took over, everything was fixed. No leaks, no roaches, no drips, nothing. My place looks like a magazine ad.”
“I’m glad you’re staying,” said Ghost. “I like places that provide a mix of generations to learn from one another.”
“Oh, I am!” he said excitedly. “Mr. Houston is teaching me to play chess, and Miss Maggie is teaching me to bake. I’ve already perfected the brownies. Well, not perfected, but they’re edible.”
“We just wanted to check on y’all,” said Max. “Glad everything is okay. If you need us, Mr. Houston has our card. Just let us know.”
They waved goodbye, not saying a word to one another as they drove back to Belle Fleur. When they stopped at the café to grab some pie and coffee, both men smiled at one another, shaking their heads.
“Another wedding tonight,” said Max.
“Yep. Dan and Finley, can you believe it?” said Ghost.
“No,” he laughed. “Hell, I remember Paige toddling around the place as a little girl. I remember all of them.”
“Do you regret only having one?” asked Ghost.
“No. No, not at all. Riley and I were both older when we married. Having CC was blessing enough. We were very lucky that it was a healthy pregnancy and birth. What about you? You had two pretty late in life.”
“Don’t remind me,” growled Ghost. “Truth is, Grace thought she couldn’t have any more children. We were surprised when it happened, but what a fucking blessing. It made me shift my entire idea of what was important.
“Now, I’ve got two grown, married sons. Four granddaughters and a grandson. Brother, I’m a happy man.”
They sat quietly, eating their pie and drinking coffee. It seemed everyone in the café had a smile on their faces. Max looked around, frowning.
“What’s wrong?” asked Ghost.
“Just checking to see if Mama Irene is around. Everyone seems happy here. No one is arguing, no one is sad, everyone seems content.”
“Brother, Mama Irene doesn’t control all of that,” laughed Ghost.
“Really? Is that what you think?” smirked Max.
“Well, not really, but I don’t want to admit that I believe it either.”
