What does Gabby think about walking into all of this?
“I missed you guys so much.”
“I missed you too, dad,” Max says. “Oske isn’t an evil Indian witch like mom said she was.”
Thankfully, Oske wasn’t there to hear that little comment, especially since I owe it to her for risking possible gunfire by Selma.
“Your mom is wrong about a lot,” I tell him. “But we don’t have to talk about that now. How was the drive over?”
After the kids excitedly tell me about their road trip with Oske and Brinley, who they officially think are superheroes because of all the fast food and cartoons, I beckon for Gabby to join us. She hasn’t pushed anything, which only makes me want her more. I know she plans on going to Harvard once I take care of what I promised… I doubt she wants this in her life.
“Kids, I want you all to meet Gabrielle. She’s a special friend of mine.”
Gabby looks at me a little awkwardly, like she isn’t sure that she’s doing the right thing. If there’s anyone massively screwing up between the two of us, it’s definitely me and not her.
“She’s pretty,” Max says.
“Yeah like Tiana,” Kyler says.
I have no idea who Tiana is, but it might be one of the Disney princesses. I’m assuming it’s the black one.
“Gabby. This is Kyler. This is Max. And this… is Aimee.”
Once they realize that Gabby is a friend – and a new one at that – the kids take an interest in her. I watch her with them, this strange sense of guilt growing that I come with all of this. I don’t regret my kids and I would choose them every single time but… what woman in her right mind would want to be with a single father who hasthreechildren?
It would be selfish to expect that of her. Too selfish. Gabby smiles and seems to get along with them. I feel so guilty for dragging her into this, but it’s a turn on watching her nurture them. Men can’t help it. When you watch a woman getting all nurturing and womanly with people, it does something to your mind that you really can’t help.
The kids get some real food and showers. I want to do everything on my own but Amanda and Brinley insist on helping out so that I can talk business and what’s happening next with Gabby. It’s not great that Tylee got away.
Oske isn’t happy with us for that and neither is Brinley. Ethan suggests the two of them take a break and head off to Canada, but Oske starts complaining about money, which shuts Ethan up about Canada very quickly, because he can be a miser.
“How much do you two lovebirds need for Canada?”
“Who says we’re lovebirds?” Oske snaps defensively, as if any of the adults in the room missed the marks on their necks. “Can’t a girl have friends anymore?”
“We need twenty-grand,” Brinley says quickly. “And we’re not just friends, Oske.”
“Whatever we are, we’re also not talking about it here,” Oske mutters, ignoring Brinley throwing her arms around her.
“You brought my kids back in one piece. Twenty-grand sounds fair. Take a trip and come back when we have Tylee in custody.”
“Or dead,” Oske mutters.
Ethan clears his throat. “Be careful, Oske.”
“What? She’s gone off the deep end. Hanging out with racist bikers, abandoning the kids. What if she goes back to Selma?”
“What if?” I grumble. “We’ll find her before that.”
“You all need to be more careful,” Oske says. “That’s all I’m saying. I take my money, I fix up The Fire Spot and I stay out of trouble. You all start running guns from Texas to Boston and wonder why you keep getting shot at.”
“It sounds like you’re victim blaming,” Ethan ventures cautiously, looking over at Amanda whose eyebrows raise slightly, then she buries her head in a mug of whatever it is she’s drinking – staying out of it.
“Victim blaming?” Oske responds. “Are you stupid, Ethan? Tylee hooked up with some ex-DHS guy who now wants to go on a rampage against your family.”
“We don’t need you worrying about that.”
Oske doesn’t know about Scum.