Page 21

21

I LIKE CHUBBY BABIES

Jack

“ W ow-wee, Jackie! There’s a woman in your car!”

I help Grandma to the car with one hand as I wheel her oxygen tank with the other. I also ignore her announcement about the woman in my car. “Mom is going to kill me when she sees you not on your oxygen.”

“I’m fine. Magnolia always finds stuff to nag at me about,” Grandma bites. “Who’s the woman?”

“You know her. It’s just been a while.”

Grandma’s wrinkled hand grips my forearm tighter. “I’ve never seen that woman in my life.”

“Trust me, you have. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t scare her away.”

“If I don’t like her, I’ll damn well do whatever I want.”

“I’m sure you will, Grandma.” I reach for the back door and open it for her.

“Who are you?” Grandma demands before her ass hits the seat.

Emma twists to greet her with a big smile from the front. “Hi, Miss Maple. We used to be neighbors. I’m Emma, Levi Hollingsworth’s sister.”

Grandma huffs an exhausted breath when she gets settled in her seat and exclaims, “Emma Hollingsworth? Well, I haven’t seen you since you were a toddler. You were always a chubby one. You sure grew out of those fat cheeks and that belly.”

Emma laughs.

I do not. “Didn’t I just warn you not to scare her away?”

“It’s okay.” Emma focuses her smile on the woman who raised me while my mom worked night and day. “It’s true. I was a chubby baby.”

“I’m just telling the truth. The Hollingsworth girl wouldn’t want me to lie.” Grandma glares at me while I put her oxygen on the floorboard next to her. “What’s she doing here?”

“She’s here to go to Dollar General just like the rest of us,” I say.

“Who doesn’t love the DG?” Emma states the most rhetorical question of the day.

“Amen, child,” Grandma agrees. “I hate the new fancy grocery markets. The buggies are too big, and the stuff is overpriced. Don’t even get me started on the Walmart. The last time I went there, I had to get a scooter. The battery putzed out on me right in the Depends aisle. Jackie had to push me over to the toothpaste. Heck, I’d rather be caught in front of the condoms. And I don’t even have to wear diapers. I was doin’ a favor for my neighbor. She can’t blow her nose without wettin’ her panties.”

“That’s nice of you to shop for your neighbor,” Emma says.

It’s the last thing I hear before I shut Grandma’s door and jog around the back of the car. Grandma is still talking about her neighbor peeing her pants when I put it in drive.

I change the subject. “Mom is meeting us there. She just called—she’s running late.”

“Well. That’s going to mess up our together time,” Grandma complains. “It’s her day off. I bet she’s with Pierce.”

My foot hits the brake harder than necessary. We all rock forward against our seatbelts, the oxygen tank crashes sideways on the floorboard, and Emma braces a hand on the dash.

“Jackie!” Grandma exclaims. “If my tank explodes, we’ll all be goners!”

I stop in the middle of the parking lot and turn to glare at the old woman who’s been front and center my entire life. She tells it like it is—no bullshit, so I’m counting on her to be straight with me. “Who the hell is Pierce?”

Grandma’s eyes go as big as her arthritic knuckles clutching her purse.

She says nothing.

“Who. Is. Pierce?” I repeat.

A horn honks from behind us.

Emma lays a light hand on my forearm. “You’re blocking cars.”

I turn to Emma. “Someone named Pierce is in the same sentence as my mother. The parking lot can wait.”

“Shoulda kept my trap shut,” Grandma mutters. “Magnolia is gonna kill me.”

I turn back to the blabbermouth in the backseat who’s never been able to keep a secret in her life. She used to make games of hinting what I was getting for my birthday because she couldn’t stand keeping the secret. “So Pierce is a man. And from the way you’re acting, he’s not her accountant or a coworker. He’s a man who’s into my mother. Am I right?”

Grandma releases her purse to point a crooked finger at me. “Now you listen here—your mama is a beautiful woman who has spent most of her adult life alone. She works hard. She took care of me so I could take care of you all those years. She deserves this bit of happiness.”

I gape at her. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Because she knew you’d do this!” Grandma exclaims.

The car honks again.

Damn. Senior citizens are impatient. It’s not even close to their afternoon dinnertime. They can wait.

“My mom is seeing someone and didn’t tell me,” I state. “Of course I’m doing this.”

“Well, you’re seeing the chubby baby next door.” Grandma motions to Emma who is not chubby or a baby. “You didn’t tell us. How do you think we feel?”

“That’s different,” I bite. “And don’t call her names. We’ve been seeing each other for about twenty seconds. Why do you think I brought her to Dollar General Day?”

“Because everyone needs something at the Dollar General! In fact, we’re late. Put this fancy car in drive, and let’s go. If anyone sees me in here while you’re holding things up in the parking lot, they’ll talk about me in the dining room. That’s the last thing I need.”

I shift in my seat and stare out into the cold, gray day.

“Jack,” Emma calls for me. “You don’t want anyone to talk about your grandma at dinner.”

“I like your little girlfriend,” Grandma states. “She gets it.”

“Has your mom never seen anyone? Dated at all?” Emma asks.

“No. Never.” I drag a hand through my hair before giving up on life and putting it in drive to save my grandmother’s reputation in the dining room. “Well, damn. At least not that I know of.” I glare at Grandma through the rearview mirror. “Has she been doing this on the downlow all these years and not told me?”

“Cool your hotpants, Jackie. Your mama has taken care of her family. Once the sperm donor was out of the picture, she focused on us. Pierce has a good job, and he’s a looker. She deserves a little nookie.”

“Grandma! You’re going to make me throw up.”

“Jack Hale, do not yell at me. If I had a wooden spoon, I’d bop you with it.”

Emma laughs.

“Was she going to keep him a secret forever?” I demand.

“She was waitin’ to tell you until after you got home from Vegas. Dagnabbit, she’s gonna get her knickers in a twist when she finds out I spilled the beans.”

“Maybe it’s better this way. Jack can prepare himself.” Emma turns from Grandma to me. “You cannot act like this when she tells you. I haven’t seen your mom in years, but she’s the sweetest. She’s obviously worried about telling you.”

“I approve of you, Emma. Bop him on the head for me, will you? I’m also glad you grew out of your baby fat. Some people aren’t as lucky.”

When I come to a stoplight, I turn in my seat. “If you talk about anyone’s baby fat one more time, we’re skipping Frank’s today.”

“I’m eighty-four years old. I can say what I want.” Grandma motions to the front of the car. “Keep your eyes on the road. The light’s green. And you never know how many more meals at Frank’s I’ll have. I know you won’t rob me of my chicken fried steak and pie.”

“I agree,” Emma says. “And I’ve hardly eaten anything today. I’m starving.”

“Now that we’re past that, I wanna know all about your athlete. Did he really pay for those hookers?”

Fuck me.

“I can tell you all about that,” Emma says.

And for the rest of the short drive, I listen to Emma give the condensed version of what’s been going on. She proves she’s just as perfect as she’s been since I barged into her life at Nebula, because she gives the condensed version that doesn’t include kidnappings, shootings, or Deep Throat.

So much for a normal day with all the women in my life.

The two old ones and one new one.

I mentally add this Pierce guy to my list of shit I need to obsess over.

Maybe I’ll ask Emma’s “uncles” for another favor.

Emma

“Gimme a box of those Pop-Tarts. The brown sugar cinnamon ones. Jack gives me grief for these, but I’ve eaten one a day for the last twenty years, and I still don’t even need my oxygen in the Dollar General, so I ignore him.”

I’m not sure what Pop-Tarts have to do with her need for oxygen, but the last thing on earth I want to do is argue with Maple Hale.

“You’re eighty-four, Miss Maple. You should eat what you want.” I put the boxed pastry in her cart and walk alongside her.

Jack’s mom is exactly as I remembered from back in high school with a few more smile lines around her eyes. I never thought much about Magnolia Hale when I was growing up. I’d see her from time to time when she’d drop Jack off to spend the night with Levi. I only knew Jack didn’t have a dad and his mom worked a lot.

The moment the automatic doors slid open inviting us into Dollar General, Jack proved he has no chill. The interrogation started right there in front of the batteries and seasonal display of Valentine candy.

To everyone but her mom, she goes by Maggie. Jack must not take after his mom by keeping secrets about his love life, so Maggie wasn’t surprised to see me join their weekly outing. She gave me a warm hug and told her son she’d fill him in over pie.

Jack refused to wait.

That’s when I grabbed a cart, took Miss Maple by the elbow, and led her to the pantry goods.

“What else is on your list?” I ask.

“Toilet paper, triple A batteries, and I want to look at the magazines. I like to read the gossip about the rich and famous, but they don’t always get the magazines in. Oh, I forgot to put it on the list, but I need some scotch tape.”

“That sounds easy enough. Maybe Jack will have chilled out by the time we get to the office supplies.”

“Jackie loves his mama. Don’t get me wrong, he loves me, too, but he and Magnolia are close. I kept telling her not to keep it a secret, but she worries. He’s just not used to her datin’.” Miss Maple grips my sweater and gives it a pull to get my attention. She even lowers her voice which she hasn’t done once since she got in the car when we picked her up. “Between you, me, and the Pop-Tarts, I spilled the beans on purpose. I know my grandson. I had a feeling he wouldn’t take this well. The last thing we needed was for him to lose his cool at Frank’s. Everyone would talk about us!”

If there’s one common theme for the day when it comes to Maple Hale—she doesn’t want anyone talking about her.

“I’m sure Jack will come around. I can see how much he loves both of you.”

“And that’s it right there. Since he started that company, he’s gone overboard taking care of us. Magnolia has paid my rent at Rolling Hills Ranch since I moved in. That wasn’t easy for her. But a couple years ago, Jack bought her that house. His mama told me that he pays my bills now, too, but he doesn’t want me to know.”

I stop next to the toilet paper and look down at the old woman. “I had no idea. Jack was only slightly sarcastic when he said we’ve only been seeing each other for twenty seconds. It’s been a hectic week. But he’s been generous in a way that isn’t showy. I’m not surprised.”

Miss Maple tosses a package of toilet paper in the cart. “That’s how I raised him. I think I need some chocolate. Let’s do a U-ey back to the junk food. If you’re here, Jack might not complain about my sweet tooth.”

I haven’t seen Maggie and Jack since we left them at the front of the store. But his grandmother seems like an open book, so I decide to be nosy. She did call me a chubby baby, after all.

“Do you like Pierce?” I ask.

She uses the cart for support as she shuffles back to the candy aisle. It’s evident Dollar General is her home away from home. She knows this place inside and out.

“Seems like a good man. And that’s something my Magnolia has never had in her life. Her daddy was a jerk. Back then, it was hard for someone like me to get divorced. I wasn’t a career woman. I was stuck. When Magnolia got pregnant, her good-for-nothing boyfriend wanted nothing to do with a baby. By then, my husband had run off. I told Magnolia we’d make a life together, and that’s what we did. When she had Jack, we were bound and determined to make sure he was a good one. He got the attitude and the good-looking genes from the sperm. Other than that, we take credit for him. I’m not saying it was easy, but we did it. Anyway, she and Pierce have been together for a few months. Magnolia wanted to make sure it was real before she told Jack. She knew he’d react just like he did. It’s why I had to break the ice.”

“I have a feeling when it comes to Jack, you know best.”

We stop in front of the candy, and Miss Maple squints to study her options. “Hand me those chocolate covered pretzels. And pick out something for you. My treat.”

“Oh, you don’t have to?—”

“Don’t argue,” she snaps.

I shut my mouth and pick up a bag of M&Ms.

“Good choice. I think we’ve wasted enough time. My knee hurts. Let’s finish this list and find my daughter and grandson. Shopping for all these sweets makes me hungry. We need to get to Frank’s before someone takes our table. I like to sit in the booth by the window.”

I smile. “Sounds good.”

When we turn the corner to go back to the front of the store, Jack is still talking to his mom. Miss Maple was right, her grandson just needed a minute. His gaze shifts to me the moment he sees us shuffle to them. Maggie’s smile is almost a carbon copy of the one I’ve become addicted to in the last few days.

Jack might’ve taken after his father in other ways, but he has his mom’s smile.

He might be cocky, but he’s a good man. Good to the bone.

And it’s their doing.

Maggie’s warm expression swells the closer we get. “Once Jack threw his fit and realized I could live my life as I wish, he told me all about the two of you. My Jack and Emma Hollingsworth. I have to say, I like it.”

I say nothing, but I do smile.

Because I like it too.

“I saw your interview with Brett,” Maggie goes on. “Both of them. Jack filled me in on everything that’s happened. You two have had a big week.”

“What interview?” his grandmother asks.

“Mom, Emma was the one who ran out on the field after the game. Remember? We watched it together.”

Miss Maple looks up at me. “That was you?”

I shrug. “It was.”

“Well,” Miss Maple exclaims. “No wonder you’re not chubby anymore. You’re fast.”

“Mom!” Maggie exclaims.

“For fuck’s sake,” Jack mutters.

Miss Maple nudges me with her elbow. “For your information, I love chubby babies.”

I smile. “Thank you.”

“Which is good for you two if this fling lasts. I’m eighty-four. I don’t have time to sit around and wait for great grandbabies. The chubbier the better. You two need to get busy.”

“Okay,” Maggie says. “Let’s get you checked out. We’re all hungry.”

Maggie pulls the cart to the checkout. Her mother follows, but pokes Jack in the chest on her way. “Watch your mouth, Jackie.”

Jack shakes his head. “Sorry.”

“You can’t talk that way around babies. Might as well go cold turkey now.”

Jack pulls in a deep breath and looks at me. “I knew this could be interesting, but not to this level. I don’t know what to say.”

I try to bite back my smile. “You’d better hope Frank has cobbler on the menu. Blueberry—none of that fake peach stuff from a can. And if it’s not á la mode, we’re done.”

“My future is hanging in the balance, and it’s all on Frank. Good to know.” Jack stuffs his hands in his pocket and pulls out his key fob. He leans down and puts his lips to my ear. “I don’t care what anyone thinks, including your father—we’re getting a room tonight. I’ve had about all the family I can take for the day.”

“Don’t just stand there, Jackie. Go get the car!” Miss Maple yells loud enough for the entire Dollar General and beyond. “I feel my knee swellin’.”

Jack lifts his chin to his grandmother and turns for the door. “Outings with you are always interesting, but this one takes the fucking cake, Grandma. I’m getting the car.”

His grandmother doesn’t miss a beat as she pulls a wad of small bills out of her purse and yells, “I love you, Jackie, but that mouth is going to do me in!”