Page 13 of The Hardest Hit

Olivia was silent. She didn’t think that Grams would be that effective. Jimmy Green had been married fifteen years and he was alwayspesteringsomeone.

“Well, how about next time he pesters you, you just knee him in the balls and tell him that if he touches you again, you’re going to take your sewing scissors to the same spot?”

“Olivia!”

“What? There’s no reason he should get to touch you.”

“It’s fine. I don’t know why you’re harping on this.”

“Neither do I,” said Olivia, rubbing her head. “Did you do anything else fun?” she asked, forcing a smile into her voice.

“I went out to dinner with George Hatterson.”

“Isn’t he the one with the lazy eye?”

“No, you’re thinking of his older brother.”

“Oh, right. George was the good-looking one.”

“Yes. How about you? Did you do anything fun?”

“Yes,” said Olivia. “I went to a party and met a guy.”

“Oh! That’s exciting! What’s his name? Was he cute?”

“Evan, and very cute.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“I hope so,” said Olivia. “We’ll see. How’s everyone else? Tyler and Dad, OK? Grams and Pops still in Washington?”

“Yes,” said Sofia with a sigh, the creepy sincere church tone returning to her voice. “I talked to Grams already. You know how she always has a hard time.”

“Sure. But she pretty much has a hard time all the time. You know that, right?” asked Olivia. “It’s called a drinking problem.”

“Olivia! Grams does not have a drinking problem!”

“Sure,” said Olivia, “and Pops isn’t sleeping with his assistant.”

“Our grandfather is an upstanding, church-going man,” said Sofia icily. “He is not having an affair. I don’t know why you insist on saying these hurtful things.”

“Pops is a hypocritical blowhard. Which you would know if you listened to anything but Fox News and bothered to read something that wasn’t the Bible. Or you know, opened your eyes and ears for once,” said Olivia. “I mean, I pretty sure that one girl had an abortion because of him.”

“I’m hanging up,” said Sofia. “I will not listen to you talk about Pops like that.”

“No, but you’ll listen to him call me an immoral harlot who couldn’t keep a fine man like Clark Stewart.”

“Goodbye, Olivia,” said Sofia and hung up.

Olivia took a deep breath and set down the phone with a shaking hand. Over a year since breaking up with Clark and she still got mad just thinking about it. Sofia was right. They all did get weird around this time of year. The anniversary of her mother’s death loomed over everything, making holidays weepy and tempers flare over imagined slights. But this was no imagined slight. Their grandfather had built his career on solid Christian values. And that was fine as far as it went, but Olivia didn’t see what was so Christian about wanting her to stick with a man who couldn’t stick with her. Her break up had crystallized many things for her, one of which was that she needed to get the hell out of Georgia.

7

Jackson – Hipster Vegans

Jackson Deveraux slid into the booth and waited for his cousin Dominique while scrutinizing the restaurant décor. There were crystal chandeliers, but the walls were lined with roughly sawn wood and chalkboards. It looked suspiciously trendy.

“Nika, this is some hipster vegan place, isn’t it?” he demanded as she sat down. Tall, blonde, and wearing heels that made a lot of people think dirty thoughts, Dominique caused head swivels around the room as she entered. He decided that she must have the day off. Dominique worked under her father’s name—Casella—and usually dressed plainly to keep her Deveraux identity, and money, hidden.