Infuriating - Onley James Page 0,49
the city in a quiet subdivision, but everything in LA took at least an hour to get to.
Jackson pulled up to a modest craftsman style home with a trellis over the walkway. The exterior was painted a buttery yellow with a pale blue door and white trim. Flowers bloomed all around the steps and the railing of the porch. Jackson’s mother clearly loved her home.
The overwhelming scent of night blooming jasmine hit Day like a fist, his stomach swooping like he was on a roller coaster and plunging to the bottom. He wasn’t sure he could go through with his plan. As much as he hated to admit it, he desperately wanted to be somebody Jackson’s mother would approve of, to be somebody who could be part of a real family. But that wasn’t ever going to happen. It was better Jackson saw that now. There was no world where Day would ever fit into his life or his family.
Jackson walked around and opened Day’s door. He couldn’t help but notice the two late model luxury SUVs and a four-door Mercedes crossover. Were all the Avery children successful, or was Jackson just generous with his money? Day suspected it was probably both.
Jackson didn’t knock, just opened the door and called out, “Hello.”
A series of high-pitched screams erupted in response to Jackson’s greeting, and then six children came running from the back room, surrounding Jackson and Day, all of them talking over themselves to get Jackson’s attention. All but Chloe. Chloe approached Day with her finger in her mouth. She beckoned him with a wave of her little arm, her big brown eyes wide, like she thought he might refuse. When Day leaned down, she whispered, “Do you like my dress?” She twirled, her fluffy skirt flying up around her.
“It’s beautiful. You look just like a princess.”
“Where’s my boy?” a voice boomed over the noise of the children. A heavyset woman with warm chestnut skin and long wavy black hair approached wearing a pair of perfectly tailored slacks and a butternut yellow sweater set. She used a cane when she walked, but she moved at a pretty good clip, cutting through the children like a knife through warm butter.
“Hey, Mama,” Jackson called, meeting her halfway to lean down and kiss her cheek. “You haven’t been standing up while you were cooking, have you? Dr. Schneider said you need to be careful until your surgery.”
She scoffed, waving a hand at him. “What am I supposed to do, wait for one of the girls to cook a meal? Those girls are smart but not one of them can so much as boil water.” She turned and narrowed her eyes at Day. The children abandoned Jackson, running back to the back room now that all the excitement was over. All except Chloe, who grabbed Day’s hand with her own, the fingers from her other hand still stuffed in her mouth. Jackson’s mother stepped closer. “You must be Day. My granddaughter had a lot to say about you. My daughter, Ruby, too. I tend to trust Chloe over Ruby, though. She gives people too much credit.”
Day had no idea what to say to that, but luckily—or not—two more people emerged from what appeared to be the kitchen. Ruby and another woman Day had never seen. She was clearly one of Jackson’s sisters. She looked almost identical to Ruby, though she had a more curvaceous figure and her mother’s shrewd look in her eye.
“Mama, leave that boy alone. Can’t you see he’s scared?” the woman said, holding out her hand to Day. “I’m Della. I’m the nice one.”
The other three adults scoffed at her statement, but then Jackson’s mother was waving them into the dining room. “Come in, come in. I’m Beverly, but everybody calls me Bev or Mama. I answer to both. Dinner’s ready. We just been waiting on you.”
Chloe let go of Day’s hand and ran off to join the other children. Day had to fight the urge to run after her. He didn’t want to be left alone with the grown ups. Apparently, the kids were eating chicken nuggets and mac and cheese in the back room by the television. That sounded alright to Day.
Day had hoped to shock Jackson’s family with his clothing or makeup, but he was disappointed to see none of them so much as gave it a second glance. Was everybody in Jackson’s family just that liberal? It seemed hard to believe, but then Day had spent his early