“I’m good. Appreciate it.” Tre turned toward the half-opened office door, making her feel uncomfortable for being so presumptuous. She should have kept her stupid mouth shut.
“Okay, sorry. I’m not trying to meddle. Just thought maybe you might need someone to talk to.” She offered up a smile, hoping he’d see she wasn’t trying to manage him, and he nodded, his handsome face softening a little at her words.
“You a good lady.” He folded the check and tucked it into his back pocket.
“Thank you,” she murmured, rising and coming out from around the desk.
Tre moved into the store, jerking his head toward Shorty and Kenzie. The kids looked up from the flashing screen as he approached. “Let’s roll.”
“Hey, Tre. You want to ride with me to Eddie’s show? Pansy’s got cookies from Butterfield’s, and it’s casual. I know they’d love it if you came, and then I can drop you by your house.”
Tre shook his head. “I ain’t got time tonight. Gotta get Kenzie home and fed.”
“Please,” Shorty D whined, jumping off the chair. “Eddie’s my boy and Kenzie wants some cookies, don’t you, Kenzie?”
The little girl just sucked on her fingers and looked up at Shorty.
“She don’t want no cookies,” Tre said, taking the little girl’s free hand.
“I wanna see Eddie’s shit. He said he’d show me sometime.”
“Watch your language, Shorty D,” Tre said, kneeing his brother into motion.
“It’s no trouble,” Eleanor said, grabbing her purse and turning out the lights in her office. “I’m heading over. My daughter came home unexpectedly, and I want you to meet her.”
“Yeah,” Shorty D said, nodding as he followed Eleanor toward the back. “I hate ridin’ the bus at night. Freaky-deaky people on there always drunk and stinkin’ and stuff.”
Tre sighed. “Okay. Whatever. Only this once.”
Eleanor smiled at Shorty D as he jerked his elbow in and hissed, “Yesss!”
She winked at him. “You just want cookies.”
His wide smile was answer enough.
CHAPTER SIX
TRE SURVEYED THE PEOPLE gathered inside the cramped art gallery. Some were well dressed, others looked as if they smoked pot and created crap for a living.
Like Eddie.
Eddie McAdams was a bear of a man, with a full beard streaked with gray and a belly that spoke of extra helpings of Pansy’s cooking. Tre had already sampled her crawfish corn bread and some lemon pie things in the few months he’d worked at the Queen’s Box. Pansy wasn’t as good of a cook as Big Mama, but she was good enough to make Eddie fat and happy.
“Don’t touch,” Tre told Shorty D for the seventh time since they’d followed Eleanor through the creaking double doors of the former church that now served as an art gallery. Kenzie looked around wide-eyed as Shorty D scoped out the refreshments table and eased toward the plates of sandwiches and cookies sitting beside a bowl of pink punch.
“What?” Eddie said, flinging his heavy arms out wide. “You brought my man Tre? Oh, yeah, baby. Now we talkin’.”
Tre shrank back because Eddie was going to hug him. The man liked to touch people—slaps on backs, arms around the shoulders or just out-and-out bear hugs.
Tre lifted his hand for a five. “What up, Ed?”
Eddie’s high five smacked his hand so hard it startled a few people nearby. The artist grinned and reached out, grabbed Shorty D’s nearly bald head and turned him from the refreshment table. “And you brought my man Shorty D. What’s happenin’, lil’ bro?”
Shorty D spun and performed some kind of complicated handshake with Eddie. Kenzie squirmed and held out her hands to Shorty D so he could pick her up. Baby girl didn’t share her older cousin so much.
“And who’s this beauty?” Eddie asked, bending down to peer with copper eyes at Kenzie.
“This my cousin Kenzie.”
“Oh, but you’re a looker, little one,” Eddie said, reaching out and plucking Kenzie from his arms. Kenzie’s dark eyes widened and Tre knew she’d start wailing at being surrendered to a white-bearded giant who was more Jerry Garcia than Santa Claus. But she didn’t. Just stuck her fingers in her mouth, slurped, studying Eddie.
“Let’s get you a cookie, yeah? Pansy, get over here and look at this little sprite I found.”
Pansy stood on the other side of the gallery, but turned when Eddie called her. She wore a cotton dress that fell to the floor. It had a weird tribal pattern, which didn’t look right on her, but somehow suited the occasion. Pansy crossed the room to stand beside her husband. “You brought Tre and Shorty D.”