Sex Piston and the girls came in from the kitchen, drawing her out of the dark thoughts about her mother.
“Why can’t we go to the rodeo?”
“I told you why, Meri. Stud and I’ll be looking for a clue. The rodeo is there for two days. You and the others can drive up with us on Friday. We can get a hotel room if you and Keri are willing to babysit Star and Harley. Then all of us can go together Saturday.” Sex Piston threw herself down on a chair and propped her legs onto the coffee table.
“I guess we can babysit.”
Meri didn’t seem happy, but when Sex Piston gave her a sharp glance, the seventeen-year-old was smart enough to appease her by leaning down to give her a quick hug before releasing her.
“I’ll go tell Keri. Thanks. You’re the best.” The teenager took off up the stairs.
“Thank God I don’t have kids.” Crazy Bitch slid down from the couch onto the floor, taking one of her friend’s feet and started to deftly massage it. “If she had talked to me that way, she would have gotten her car keys taken away for a week.”
“Sure you would.” Sex Piston rolled her eyes. “You would have taken them and searched for the clue on Saturday.”
Crazy Bitch didn’t try to deny it. She was about to offer to take them when Sex Piston had come out with the solution to make her kids happy.
“I’ll ride up with Calder. He can ride back alone. I’ll get a hotel for Friday, go with you and Stud to help with the kids on Saturday, and come back in your van.”
“I can stay. You can ride back with me.”
Crazy Bitch shrugged. “Whatever.” She put the foot she had been massaging back on the table, taking the other to give it the same treatment.
Star sat down on the arm of the chair, laying her head down on Sex Piston’s shoulder. “You want me to run you a bath, Mama? I’ll put in one of those bath bombs you gave me for my birthday.”
Her stepmother laid her cheek down on the top of Star’s hair. “That would be nice. Thank you. Save the ones that smell like bubble gum for you. You can put the one that smells like flowers in mine.”
The girl jumped up, giving her a kiss on her cheek before going upstairs.
“I take it back; you got a sweet deal going on if they’re running baths for you.”
“The trick is to train them young, but not young enough that they’ll start playing in it.”
Crazy Bitch watched as Sex Piston took out her phone, wondering who she was calling and unashamedly listening as she kept massaging her foot.
“Stud, Star is filling my bath. Keep an eye on her. I’ll be up in a minute.”
She looked at them when she ended the call. “Okay, I admit it; I’m a little paranoid where the kids’ safety is concerned. Accidents happen, and I don’t want something stupid happening because she wanted to be helpful.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.”
“Fuck you. Calder, Star made me promise that you would play a couple of games with her before you left.” She arose, getting up. “I’ll send her back down. Bitch, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night, Sex Piston.”
She climbed back up to sit on the couch next to Calder.
“You and Sex Piston are still as close as when I first met you, even though you spend five days a week together.”
“All of us are close. When we were younger, we all swore we would live on the same street that Sex Piston’s parents live on.”
“Were you all disappointed she moved here when she married Stud?”
“I was, kind of. The crew is all I have. But Sex Piston still works in Jamestown, and she goes to visit them. Fat Louise and Cade were able to buy a house next to them. Killyama will be living in Treepoint. T.A and I both say we’re keeping to the plan.”
“What if you get involved with someone who lives in… say, West Virginia? I drive to work every day to Stud’s shop.”
“Are you still going to be doing that in a year or two? Aren’t you getting tired of the drive?”
“No, I like it, and I like building bikes.” Calder shook his hair back from his cheek, reminding her of the rat she had shaped on the back of his head.
“You should come by tomorrow and let me trim that for you.”
“I like it long.”
Star jumped onto the couch. “You ready to play, Uncle Calder?”
He turned the machine on, giving her the controller. They were on their second game when Stud came down with Harley. The boy squished himself between her and Calder.
Rising, she went to sit in the other chair, giving them more room. She curled up on the chair, putting her chin on her hand as she watched them play.