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“Who’s Deacon?”
“What?” Apple looked up at me, her eyes innocent.
“Deacon. Who’s Deacon?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You said Deacon could take care of her.” I narrowed my eyes at the girl, knowing I’d missed something.
She rolled her eyes. “I said someone should take care of her.” She turned to her sister. “Right, Lemon?” Which didn’t surprise me. They always had each other’s back.
“Yep. Hey, Dani, I think I see what I’m looking for over here.”
I sighed and followed the girl, knowing their game. She was trying to distract me. I let them get away with it because sometimes it was best to pick your battles. We moved down to the end of the aisle we were in.
“I think this will work.” Lemon picked up some kind of glaze for the pottery she wanted to make for whatever art project she was working on. I didn’t ask too many questions. I just bought what she told me she needed. It was the way we worked. They knew the score and only got what they absolutely needed, never going overboard when most kids would.
“Is that all? Is there anything else you need?” She looked back down the aisle in the direction of her sister and bit her lip. “Um…” That was when I realized Apple was at the very end of the aisle talking to a guy. Great. Just what I needed. My sixteen-year-old sister dating. Not happening.
I sighed, raising my voice. “Apple. Come here, please.”
Apple rolled her eyes but said her goodbye and sauntered our way. Surprisingly, the young man looked at me and gave a respectful nod of acknowledgment. He was still too old for her, no matter how polite.
With a shake of my head, I gave Apple a warning look before addressing the man in question. “You know she’s sixteen. Right?”
He narrowed his eyes. “No, ma’am. I didn’t.” Apple gasped and glanced over her shoulder. He nodded at Apple, a look of deep disapproval on his face. “You’re in trouble, girl.”
Apple shrugged. “Not like you can do anything about it.”
“I can spread the word to my brothers. Good luck with you or your sister finding a date until you’re eighteen.” His look said that was a promise.
“I didn’t do anything.” Lemon raised her hands innocently. “So, I don’t deserve that.”
The guy raised an eyebrow. “Seem to remember you pushing me toward your sister. You’re the one who told me she was nineteen.”
With a shrug, Lemon turned back to the shelf she was looking at with the pottery glaze. “No worries. You’re not the only fish in the sea.”
“Nope. But me and my brothers are mean as shit. Any guy not your own age gets near you, they’ll feel our wrath.” He pointed at Apple. “Be seein’ you in a few years, girl.”
Apple gaped at him. I knew how she felt. He walked away and none of us seemed to know what to think.
“What the hell have you gotten into now, Apple?” I sighed.
“Trust me when I tell you, you do not want to know, Dani.” Lemon pursed her lips and glanced at her sister knowingly.
“Shut up, Lemon!” Apple snapped.
“We’ll talk about this when we get home,” I said. “Let’s just get this stuff and get out of here.”
We made our way to the checkout, chatting lightly with each other. I wanted with all my heart to ignore the fact that my baby sisters were not only interested in boys, but trying to hang out with men. There was no way that guy was still in his teens. Gave me hives just thinking about what could happen. And probably would happen if I didn’t keep a closer eye on them. I just hated to smother them when they’d had such a rough life.
The girls were only eleven when our mother died. I’d barely been eighteen, but had dropped everything to become their guardian because there was no way I was going to leave my baby sisters to the tender mercy of foster care.
It was because I was preoccupied with the issue of Apple and her would-be boyfriend I missed the fact that two policemen were right in front of us until they didn’t move to let us pass.
“Officers?” I smiled as I looked up at the two of them. They had hard features and looked at me with disapproval.
“We’re going to need you to come with us, ma’am.”
