yourself from eating your grandmother’s sardines. I know what a temptation greasy fish in a can can be.”
He grinned at her, shoving his hands in the pockets of his low-slung jeans. “I’ve sworn off fish in a can—it binds me.”
Maxine pressed a kiss to his cheek with a giggle. She was so grateful for her baby boy. Connor was a shiny penny in a puddle of piss. “I’ll see you around ten. Oh, and if Mrs. Dewit calls about that cracked-out poodle of hers needing a ‘walkie,’ tell her I died. Love you.” Sweeping out of the bathroom, she grabbed her purse off the kitchen table and stopped just shy of where her mother stood rooted to the kitchen floor.
“What?”
Mona pursed her lips. “You’re wearing that ?”
Maxine looked down at her outfit once more. Was it really as bad as everyone was making it out to be? “Yeah. What’s wrong with it?”
Mona tucked her suitcase-sized patchwork purse under her breasts, crossing her arms over it. “Would it hurt you to gussie up a little, Maxine?”
“Why?” Maxine’s response was lifeless and flat.
Her mother’s sigh was ragged. “Because it’s good for the soul, young lady. I remember a Maxine who didn’t leave the house without at least a carat’s worth of diamonds somewhere on her body.”
A hand went to her hip in a defiant gesture. “If Maxine had a carat’s worth of diamonds this minute, she’d have hocked them for cash at Chester’s Tchotchkes. I don’t have diamonds, and I don’t have a whole lot of bingo-appropriate attire. I don’t have a whole lot of attire, period, remember? When I left Fin, I packed very little, fully expecting he’d let me get my clothes once I was over the initial shock that he was boinking my best friend’s sister. And I borrowed this from your closet.”
“Does that mean you can’t brush your hair and put on some lipstick?”
Maxine’s hand flew to her ponytail. “I did brush my hair, and I don’t want to wear lipstick. It’s bingo, Mom, not The Bachelorette .”
“What about maybe plucking your eyebrows? They look like a Siberian husky’s taken up residence on your forehead.”
“I couldn’t find the tweezers . . .” she mumbled.
“Rumor has it, Campbell might be there.” Mona used her enticing motherly voice to try and coax the will into her to glam up.
The mention of Campbell brought back the memory of his kiss. A kiss she wasn’t able to leave alone since it happened. She’d relived it twice daily for the last nine days—all right, sometimes hourly. An excited butterfly swirled in her stomach, but it was only one, so she mentally stomped on it and crushed its fluttering wings. All that talk of coffee and more than a week had passed since they’d last seen each other, and not so much as a phone call to have even a bottle of water. “So?”
There was a snort of disgust and the shuffle of orthopedic-shoe-wearing feet as Mona, clearly not making the impact she’d hoped for, pushed open the screen door and stomped off to her car.
Maxine rolled her head on her neck, taking a deep breath, then threw her purse over her shoulder to head out and get in her mother’s conservative Kia Rio. They drove in silence to the rec center where Bingo Madness was aglow. Twinkling lights adorned the neatly trimmed bushes, and colorful lantern-shaped globes were strung across the low roofline.
When word had gotten around that Maxine was for hire, her mother’s phone had begun to ring. In the days since she’d walked Jake for Mr. Hodge, she’d acquired four more dog-walking positions and one weekly hair-rolling session with Maude Grandowski, who suffered from tendinitis in her neck and shoulders. Maude made her macaroon cookies and served her milk when Maxine was done washing and setting her hair. Plus, she’d tipped her five bucks.
When she’d gotten the call to replace Midge, she’d been hesitant. A lot hesitant. She’d been to Bingo Madness once with her mother, and to say these women got
He grinned at her, shoving his hands in the pockets of his low-slung jeans. “I’ve sworn off fish in a can—it binds me.”
Maxine pressed a kiss to his cheek with a giggle. She was so grateful for her baby boy. Connor was a shiny penny in a puddle of piss. “I’ll see you around ten. Oh, and if Mrs. Dewit calls about that cracked-out poodle of hers needing a ‘walkie,’ tell her I died. Love you.” Sweeping out of the bathroom, she grabbed her purse off the kitchen table and stopped just shy of where her mother stood rooted to the kitchen floor.
“What?”
Mona pursed her lips. “You’re wearing that ?”
Maxine looked down at her outfit once more. Was it really as bad as everyone was making it out to be? “Yeah. What’s wrong with it?”
Mona tucked her suitcase-sized patchwork purse under her breasts, crossing her arms over it. “Would it hurt you to gussie up a little, Maxine?”
“Why?” Maxine’s response was lifeless and flat.
Her mother’s sigh was ragged. “Because it’s good for the soul, young lady. I remember a Maxine who didn’t leave the house without at least a carat’s worth of diamonds somewhere on her body.”
A hand went to her hip in a defiant gesture. “If Maxine had a carat’s worth of diamonds this minute, she’d have hocked them for cash at Chester’s Tchotchkes. I don’t have diamonds, and I don’t have a whole lot of bingo-appropriate attire. I don’t have a whole lot of attire, period, remember? When I left Fin, I packed very little, fully expecting he’d let me get my clothes once I was over the initial shock that he was boinking my best friend’s sister. And I borrowed this from your closet.”
“Does that mean you can’t brush your hair and put on some lipstick?”
Maxine’s hand flew to her ponytail. “I did brush my hair, and I don’t want to wear lipstick. It’s bingo, Mom, not The Bachelorette .”
“What about maybe plucking your eyebrows? They look like a Siberian husky’s taken up residence on your forehead.”
“I couldn’t find the tweezers . . .” she mumbled.
“Rumor has it, Campbell might be there.” Mona used her enticing motherly voice to try and coax the will into her to glam up.
The mention of Campbell brought back the memory of his kiss. A kiss she wasn’t able to leave alone since it happened. She’d relived it twice daily for the last nine days—all right, sometimes hourly. An excited butterfly swirled in her stomach, but it was only one, so she mentally stomped on it and crushed its fluttering wings. All that talk of coffee and more than a week had passed since they’d last seen each other, and not so much as a phone call to have even a bottle of water. “So?”
There was a snort of disgust and the shuffle of orthopedic-shoe-wearing feet as Mona, clearly not making the impact she’d hoped for, pushed open the screen door and stomped off to her car.
Maxine rolled her head on her neck, taking a deep breath, then threw her purse over her shoulder to head out and get in her mother’s conservative Kia Rio. They drove in silence to the rec center where Bingo Madness was aglow. Twinkling lights adorned the neatly trimmed bushes, and colorful lantern-shaped globes were strung across the low roofline.
When word had gotten around that Maxine was for hire, her mother’s phone had begun to ring. In the days since she’d walked Jake for Mr. Hodge, she’d acquired four more dog-walking positions and one weekly hair-rolling session with Maude Grandowski, who suffered from tendinitis in her neck and shoulders. Maude made her macaroon cookies and served her milk when Maxine was done washing and setting her hair. Plus, she’d tipped her five bucks.
When she’d gotten the call to replace Midge, she’d been hesitant. A lot hesitant. She’d been to Bingo Madness once with her mother, and to say these women got
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