“Oh, hey,” Buddy said, and reached to shake Paulie’s hand, but Paulie raised them and said, “Not ready. Not ready.” And to me, “May I?”
I think I’d swallowed my tongue. When I found it, I said, “What are you doing here?”
“Come to help,” he said. “If you’ll allow it.”
Aunt Odie hurried into the foyer. “My favorite man, Paulie,” she said. Joy was written all over her face. Baby Lucy clapped.
They smiled pretty at each other. What was this? Another love story?
“Come on in,” I said.
Paulie was so tall I wondered if he could touch the two-story ceiling in here. His dark skin was beautiful.
“Come sit down,” I said.
Me and Paulie and Buddy and Aunt Odie and Baby Lucy, bunched like we were all joined at the hip, moved to the living room.
Momma was in here now, sitting across the room from her husband. When had she sneaked in?
Tommie sat next to her father. She leaned against him, head on his arm.
“Oh my,” Tommie said as Paulie staggered and fell to his knees.