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greeting before returning his attention to the plate mounded with food in front of him.
    â€œThis is my son, Matthew, who seems to have forgotten his manners. Can you say, ‘Good morning,’ Matthew?”
    The silence grew while Fayette waited. Finally, without swallowing his mouthful of food, Matthew mumbled a greeting. Fayette looked as if she had more to say but shook her head instead. Her cheer sounded forced.
    â€œMatthew’s going with the youth group from church today. They won’t be back until supper, and who knows what they’ll find for lunch, so he’s stocking up before he goes.”
    Matthew had been sneaking glances at Lainie as he ate. She had nearly finished her tea before he spoke. “That’s a cool tattoo.”
    Lainie glanced over her shoulder at the hummingbird caught there in midflight. “Thanks.”
    Matthew leaned back for a better look. “Got any others?”
    â€œMatthew! That’s none of your business.” Fayette sounded shocked, but her son ignored her.
    â€œI’m gonna get a tattoo as soon as I’m eighteen. Gonna start with a piece of barbwire around my bicep. I’ve got some other really cool ideas too.”
    â€œI’ve told you that you could get one now if it said ‘Mom.’” Fayette brought another glass of milk. “A nice big heart with ‘Mom’ on it, and maybe some little cupids flying around? I’d even help you pay for that one.”
    Matthew rolled his eyes, drained his milk in one swallow, and stood up. He was even taller than Lainie thought, well over six feet, and after a big meal, he probably managed to tip the scale at 150. “I gotta go. Can I have some money for lunch?”
    â€œGive me a kiss first.”
    â€œMom, come on. I gotta leave.”
    â€œNo kiss, no money.”
    Matthew rolled his eyes again and leaned over and kissed the air somewhere in the vicinity of Fayette’s head.
    â€œNope, that’s not going to do it.” She tapped her cheek. “You want to eat before the sun goes down, you plant a kiss right here.”
    â€œMom!”
    Fayette just stood tapping her cheek. Matthew sighed, rolled his eyes yet again, and leaned down. Due to some quick maneuvering by Fayette, he actually made contact this time.
    â€œThere now, that didn’t kill you, did it?” Fayette dug into her apron pocket for tip money. “Have a good time, sweetie. See you at supper.”
    Matthew didn’t duck this time when Fayette reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes, but he didn’t look back when he left either.
    â€œNice kid.” Lainie turned back to the counter.
    â€œYeah, he’s a good boy at heart. But I worry about him. He’s just busting to get out of this little town. There’s not that much to keep a boy out of trouble, especially in summer. The youth group is taking a trip out to the desert today to look at a bunch of petroglyphs they’ve all seen a hundred times. But pull that old church bus around to the front of the building, and everybody just piles on. They’d go on a field trip to the dump, just to get out of town for a while.”
    Lainie had no idea what she was supposed to say. She didn’tknow anything about kids, and furthermore, she didn’t blame them for wanting out. She grabbed at the first thought that went through her head. “Oh, he’ll be okay.”
    Fayette sighed. “I know. I guess moms just worry.” She gestured at the window behind Lainie. “Looks like Manny’s back. Do you need to talk to him?”
    Lainie swung around and looked out the window. Her belongings were no longer spread over the tavern parking lot, and Ray’s truck was gone. Manny had backed the tow truck to the rear of Lainie’s car and was hooking it up. She had no desire to talk to him or to Ray for a long, long time. “He’s buying my car from me, so I guess I’ll have to