I can feel his eyes on me as I cross the street to my parents' house. Truth be told there wasn't anything I needed in my trunk, I'd seen Dakota out there with Lucy and I wanted to distract him. Distracting him is my absolute favorite pastime.
When I walk into my parents' house, I call out. "Anybody home?"
My dad swoops in, hugging me tightly. "Was wondering when you were going to come in here."
When he lets me go, I smile widely. "Had to go over and see how Dakota was handling trying to teach Lucy how to drive. Remember when I helped Levi?"
He snorts. "Really thought I was going to have to have a funeral for that kid at sixteen. I believe you said something about killing him and really meaning it."
Oh I had. The little shit hadn't wanted to pay attention to me. More than anything he'd wanted someone else to teach him how to drive, but it had fallen on me because of our parents' jobs. Little did I know back then that I'd be teaching a man who now patrols the back roads of the county. "I thought about it," I admit. "But I feel bad for Dakota, Lucy's got a quick mouth on her."
"Just like you," he grunts when I pinch his arm. "What are you doing today, Peanut?"
Even though he gave me that nickname when I was a small child, I still love to hear him call me it. Some people go their whole lives without having that kind of relationship with their parents, and here I am lucky to have it with both of mine.
"Mom invited me over for lunch. You know that she always makes the same thing." It's become well known in our family, everyone comes over to have black eyed peas, collard greens, pork chops, and cornbread. "You act like she doesn't do this every year."
He raises his eyebrows. "She does, but you're here pretty early for lunch."
"She wanted me to come over early and curl her hair. It's what we do, old man. Where's she at?"
"Hey Molls, thanks for coming over early. I know you're busy."
Tilting my head to the side, I put my hand on my hip. "Mom, come on. I'll do whatever you ask me, as long as I can. Where do you want to do the curling of your hair?"
She curls her finger and motions for me to follow her to the bathroom that's through her and dad's big bedroom. "In here."
When I look around, I see that she's got her hair products and curling iron set out, along with a chair. Mom takes a seat, and then I meet her eyes in the mirror that's in front of us. "Not that I don't love spending time with you, but what is this?" I ask, my voice deadpan, as I reach over and grab her brush.
"What do you mean, Molls? You know I don't like to curl my own hair."
This woman taught me how to bullshit. So she's not going to do the same to me. "Cut the shit, lady. You may not like to curl your own hair, but you do it almost every week. The only time you ask me to help you curl it is if you're injured, you have an important event, or if want to find out something about me or Levi. So which is it? What is it you want to know?"
The fact that she shifts uncomfortably in her seat means I've called whatever bluff she made to invite me early. She has the damn nerve to huff.
"Oh no, you don't get to huff, mom. You brought this upon yourself."
"Okay." She sighs. "You got me. I saw something the other day and I wanted to ask you about it. I knew that if I just came right out and asked, you wouldn't tell me either way, so I figured we could have a good afternoon together. Sue me."
Now we're getting somewhere. "So what is that you saw, or think you saw?" Because with her, she can sometimes write an entire story in her head about someone just seeing them once.
I take a piece of her hair and wrap it around the curling wand. There's a low-level buzz in the pit of my stomach. There's something telling me that this is about me. I'm not sure why, maybe it's the twinkle in her eye, the way she's smiling like she has a huge secret, or the way she's clasping her hands in her lap. It's as if she's holding it all in and it's about to burst from within her.
"Molly," she hisses. "I saw you."
"You saw me, what?" It's not hard to keep my expression impassive. I got away with a lot as a teenager, which wasn't easy to do, given the amount of law enforcement in my family. The only way I could do that was because I have the poker face to end all poker faces.
She shifts slightly in the chair rolling her eyes, and blowing out an exasperated sigh. "Coming out of Dakota's."
It takes everything I have to keep my poker face. "He's my friend too, Mom."
Her eyes meet mine in the mirror, and she's deadpan as she says the next words. "At two am, Molly? Even I know that's a booty call."
The laugh bursts through my chest and lips as I finish the curl and set the wand down. "A booty call? Mom? Me and Dakota? He's too young for me, and he's Levi's best friend. You know I don't date men who wear uniforms." I make a gesture with my hands, motioning to everything around us. "They all have attitude, and I know it from personal experience." My hands are on my hips when I tilt my head. "By the fucking way, what the hell were you doing out at two am?"
"Do not change the subject." She points at me. "First of all, Dakota is actually a couple of months older than you. Second of all me and Caleb had a late dinner."
"Dinner?" I giggle. "After midnight?"