Real Men Knit(53)

He would watch as it seemed like a little of the weight of the world—not all of it, mind you, but just a bit—was lifted from their shoulders as they browsed the yarns or talked about a pattern with Mama Joy. For that small stretch of time they were almost carefree. Mama Joy had a gift, and that same gift was in Kerry too.

And he couldn’t lie to himself about Kerry any longer either. He thought of her inside the shop now, angry, agitated, hungry and possibly a little hurt by his mixed signals. He was a first-class jerk for confusing her, though. A-plus on that one. If there were degrees for screwing over women and fucking up their minds and hearts, then he’d have a doctorate for sure. But he didn’t know what else to do when it came to Kerry. Jesse let out a sigh as he got to the bodega door and walked inside. His eyes met the slightly judging gaze of Mickey, the black-and-white cat that guarded the establishment from his perch on a high spot over the laundry detergents and floor cleaners. He gave Mickey a nod and got dust in response. I feel you, Mick, he thought.

He waved to Santi, who was on the register, and went to the back to place his order with Ray, who was on the grill. Jesse fought to clear his mind of Kerry as he looked around the shop. He grabbed a two-liter soda for the two of them to share, put it back and went for a sixteen-ounce for her instead and a beer for himself. Then the image of her tossing all those beer cans and Erika came to his mind, and he put the beer back, guilt rising up his throat. “Shit, I might as well just get myself a juice box, acting like this,” he mumbled to himself.

“What was that, Jesse Strong?”

Jesse turned and looked down at Sister Purnell, one of the shop’s regulars and Mama Joy’s longtime knitting circle friends. The petite older woman with the barely lined caramel skin was currently looking up at him like she was ready to take off her flip-flop and hit him with it. It was clear that she’d heard what he’d said, which was just perfect. She was probably thinking, “Is that how Joy raised you to talk?”

“Um, it was nothing, Sister Purnell. Thanks so much for the food you dropped off. It was delicious. You were too generous. All you ladies were,” he said by way of trying to cover his getting caught cussing in public by the old lady.

Sister Purnell looked him up and down sternly, then waved her hand. “It was nothing,” she finally said. “What else should I do? Joy was my friend; practically family. Of course I’m gonna look out for her boys.” She cleared her throat loudly, then frowned deeper. “You gonna pick a drink or just stand there letting all the cold air out of that icebox?”

Jesse was tempted to curse again, but thankfully he held it back, or he just might have gotten a flip-flop to the head. He opted for the two liter and closed the fridge.

Sister Purnell nodded, then reached up for some rice mix on a high shelf. Jesse instantly grabbed it for her. She finally cracked a smile. “Thanks, dear.” She looked at him closer, and he fought to not crack under her inspection as the hairs on the back of his neck started to rise. “You’re all right. I can see that,” she finally declared.

Jesse blinked as he tried to let the woman’s words wash over him. How could she say that when he felt anything but all right? What gave her the right? Just because she called herself saved and fancied herself some sort of prophetess. She was prophesying up the wrong tree today. Jesse cleared his throat. “If you say so. I’d better get going. My sandwiches are probably up.”

He was about to walk away when her words stopped him before he got past the ramen noodles. “Dinner for two?” Sister Purnell’s voice was as innocent as it could be for such a loaded comment.

Jesse turned.

“I wouldn’t go so far as that, Sister Purnell. It’s just dinner—nothing more.”

She smiled wider, and Jesse hated the sharp look behind that smile. “Well, you keep behaving, Jesse. We’ll be by to check on you, and tell Kerry I said hi. I’m glad to hear the whole uproar at her building wasn’t too serious and she’s landed in a safe place.”

Jesse nodded and mustered up a weak smile as he hightailed it to the counter.

Jesse couldn’t pay for his sandwiches and get back to the shop fast enough. He was all right, a safe space and they would come to check on him? A vision of Sister Purnell and the Old Knitting Gang busting in on him, needles and hooks at the ready if he dared defile Kerry, had him practically sweating. And here he had thought having her in the shop to bring in the sweet old ladies was a good idea.





16




If timing wasn’t a total bitch, he didn’t know what was. He had perfect, or at least in his mind it was perfect, chopped cheese just waiting on them—lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, oil and vinegar—but his sandwiches would be ruined if he didn’t defuse this situation before his eyes and do it quickly.

“I told her you were out and we aren’t officially opened for business yet,” Kerry said, jutting her chin toward a stone-faced Erika as Jesse hit the vestibule of Strong Knits.

Upon noticing he’d come up, Erika turned around toward him. She smiled but he still caught the hard edge of tension she’d been sporting around her lips a moment before. Just how long had she been here, and what had these two been talking about during that time?

Erika held up a small bag and waved it at him. “And I told her I wasn’t here on business—look, I brought refreshments.”