Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk: Modern Folktales #2)(96)

Grumbling, Joshua rolled up his maps.

Meanwhile, Sonya slipped her hand in mine and tugged until I glanced down at her.

“I’m going to be a corn,” she said.

I lifted an eyebrow. “For dinner?”

She smiled and giggled. “No. For the feast.”

“She means for the school play. She’s a corn in the play,” Kimmy translated, leaving the table and opening a drawer at the kitchen island.

“But her costume isn’t done yet and the play is on Friday, so momma said she might have to stand in the back and wear a yellow shirt.” This information came from Joshua as he set his maps on a built-in desk to one side of the kitchen.

“I don’t want to stand in the back,” Sonya said forcefully, her tone taking me by surprise. “I want to be a real corn cob and stand next to Aria in the front.”

“You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit,” Kimmy recited, dumping a pile of forks and knives on the tabletop. “Joshua, go get the napkins.”

“They’re all dirty,” he grumped. “And why do I have to help if I’m not eating?”

“Oh, you’re eating,” Kimmy said, and the words sounded like a threat. “And if all the cloth napkins are dirty, go get the paper towels and stop sassing back.”

“I want to stand in the front next to Aria.” Sonya plopped on the ground, her tone watery and insistent. “I don’t want to stand in the back. I want to be a corn!”

“Well, then make your own costume!” Joshua hollered unhelpfully, throwing his hands up in the air. “Momma ain’t an octopus. She can’t do everything.”

Sonya began to cry. Then Kimmy yelled at Joshua for making Sonya cry, and Joshua argued with Kimmy about how she wasn’t the boss of him. Frankie’s sobbing provided the background noise to this contentious scene while I looked on stupidly, wishing I had Dave and Marcus here.

If ever a situation called for bouncers, this was it.

The moment reminded me of the end of this one exceptionally rowdy hen party where it came out that the matron of honor had been sleeping with the bride. The groom’s sister—also a bridesmaid—took a swing at them both.

I’d stepped in then. I’d walked right into the thick of it, amidst accusations and tears, threats and insults. I’d calmed everyone down. But I’d had a team. I’d had help.

There’s only you now, Hank. You are the only bouncer here.

Gathering a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a brief moment as their argument increased in volume, intensity, and absurdity. I centered myself. This shouldn’t be much different than breaking up a fight at The Pony, right? All I needed to do was redirect and distract. Plus, these kids weren’t drunk customers, not really. They were on the same team; they were on my team.

Perhaps if I gave them each a job?

Opening my eyes, I inserted myself between Kimmy and Joshua’s yelling match. Palms out, my back to Kimmy, I crouched down to Joshua’s level and placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Can you do me a favor?” I asked, waiting for his furious eyes to meet mine. “Can you go put your maps on your desk in your room? We can look at them after dinner.”

He seemed confused at first by the request, but then nodded. Sending one more incensed glare over my shoulder, he turned and gathered the rolls he’d placed on the desk in the kitchen.

“Hey!” Kimmy started past me. “You can’t leave. What about the napkins?”

I caught her hand just long enough to stop her, then released it when she faced me, indignation carving angry lines between her eyebrows.

“He needs to help me set the table!”

“Okay.” I nodded. “He will. But first, do you know where Sonya’s costume is?”

Kimmy crossed her arms. “Why?”

“I know how to sew and can work on it while dinner cooks.”

“You know how to sew?” Her look told me she found my claim suspect.

“I do,” I confirmed. No longer able to stand Sonya’s sad, hitching sobs, I turned and scooped her up, holding her to my chest. “If you get the costume, I’ll see what I can do while I’m here.”

I made a mental note to text Beau and ask him to drive my truck elsewhere so folks wouldn’t see it in the driveway longer than necessary. Better yet, if he could drop off one of the Winston Brothers auto shop loaner cars, that’d be ideal.

This next part I addressed to Sonya. “You can help me with the costume. Does that sound good?”

She sniffled and nodded, wiping her nose on my shirt. “I don’t want to be in the back,” she croaked, her eyes pleading.

“I know. You want to be with Aria in the front.” Giving my damp shirt no mind, I pushed the wet strands of hair out of her face and gave Sonya a grin. “How about this: if we don’t finish before you go to bed, I’ll take it home with me and finish it there.”

Sonya sniffled again but her eyes brightened. A second later, she returned my smile. “Okay.”

“But Joshua better help set the table,” Kimmy said, bringing my attention back to her. “We split the chores and I have homework. He doesn’t have any homework.”

My attention flickered over her, taking in the stubborn set of her jaw, the unhappy glint in her eyes. Something other than Joshua not helping seemed to be upsetting her, and I doubted it was Frankie’s loud fussing or Sonya’s lack of a costume.