“Plenty of bad shit; it just goes with the territory.”
She looked at Ryan then and saw something pass over his face. Clearly whatever he was thinking about was seriously disturbing. She’d never really thought about this side of his life, but she guessed it had to come with highs and lows.
“I don’t envy you that. I mean, Mrs. C and her posse can be over the top, but I can handle them.”
Faith laughed at her brother’s words.
“Shouldn’t you be home with your wife and child?” Noah asked Buster.
“She kicked me out of the house because they’re having some kind of thing where a woman brings stuff into the house for them to buy.”
“That made no sense.” Faith took the caps off two beers and placed them before Buster and Ryan. “Speak slowly and clearly and try really hard to get your words out, Buster.”
He glared at her. “A lady that Annabelle knows is selling kids’ clothes in my house.”
They thought about that for a second.
“Not like setting up a shop?” Ryan asked.
“Why would I want a shop in my house?”
“She’s showing them her stuff, and they order it, is my guess.” Faith said.
“What she said.” Buster pointed his beer her way.
“Like that plasticware stuff everyone has in their cupboard?” Noah added.
“That’s it,” Buster agreed.
“So, Ryan.”
“Buster.”
“You still any good with a bat?”
“Haven’t played in a while, but you don’t lose that kind of skill.”
Faith rolled her eyes.
“We need a first baseman. That pencil dick Hanover is out of town.”
“He’s a pencil dick because he’s out of town, or he just is?” Ryan queried.
“The former. No one skips out on finals day.”
“Who you playing?”
“Brook Ballbusters. They’re good and beat us during the season, but it was a one of those days where everything goes wrong.”
“I hate those days,” Faith said.
“They’re still called that?” Ryan whistled. “I thought in this day and age that name would have changed.”
“There have been protests,” Noah said. “You meet Lucy yet, Ryan?”
“We’ve met, and nice to meet you again, Ryan.”
Lucy wasn’t starstruck, Faith was pleased to note. But then her soon-to-be sister-in-law had lived the life of a hermit for a while and likely had not heard of Ryan until recently.