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He limps into the big clearing and heads toward the semicircle of Airstream trailers. “Good. We shouldn’t have much to do, then.”
I roll my eyes at him. He’s not really respecting my authority and I don’t like it at all.
First, I stop by the discreet housekeeping shed along the tree line to grab a bundle of sheets, and the mop bucket full of cleaning supplies. Then I head to see where my brother is.
He’s flung open the front door, and all the windows, of trailer number 4 and is currently shaking out the narrow strip of frayed carpet that runs from the door to the bedroom.
I leave the mop bucket out front, and head to the back with the new sheets. Malik scoots into the tiny bedroom with me, and takes the other side of the bed without saying a word. Stripping the bed is so ingrained in my muscle memory that I do it without a thought.
“I saw Lucy Bennett-Taylor yesterday evening,” I say, making conversation because the next part is so dull. “She was down from Atlanta to see her parents. She says hi.”
“Oh yeah? I love that girl. She said that she’s going to come talk to me about graffiti when she does her next art installation.”
I dump the old sheets on the floor and shake out the fresh ones. “Yeah, she seemed really frazzled. I guess it’s midterms right about now.”
Malik shakes his head. “Don’t remind me. I still have shell shock from college and I didn’t even graduate.”
I pin him with a look. “Yet. You haven’t graduated yet. There is still plenty of time for you to go back and get a degree.”
“True. I’m pretty happy with this found fashion thing, though. I post pictures of me looking super fly in my found fashion of the day. Two minutes later, my Insta blows up with fashionistas outbidding each other for the pieces. I make bank.”
“I know. I’m just saying that college will be there waiting for you when you’re ready.”
Malik purses his lips and shrugs. “All right. Speaking of Lucy, you heard anything from her hot brother?”
A laugh bubbles to my lips. “You’re going to have to be more specific than that. Which one? She has a ton of brothers and every single one of them is hotter than the last.”
He gives a shake of his head, probably because of Lucy’s past antics.
“Lord, I know that’s right.” He fans himself. “Those Billion Dollar Bennetts are so damn hot.” He sucks his teeth and picks up the old sheet. “But I was talking about the one you got flirty with at Savannah’s engagement party. River, right? You told me that you thought there was a spark between you.”
I make a face. “I think I imagined it. I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of him since then.”
“That’s too bad. I thought maybe you’d zeroed in on a sperm donor. His whole family is hot so you know it runs in the family.”
“I’m going to have to roll the dice with whatever the sperm bank in Chatahatchee has on offer. I told you I stopped by there before my afternoon shift, right?” I shake my head and head outside. “As soon as I get together enough scratch to go that route. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it sooner than later, because there is a clock on my eggs. Women in this family stop being fertile as early as forty.”
Malik winces. “I love you, but please don’t start talking about menopause. You can vent to literally anybody else in the family about it. Aside from me, there’s nothing but women as far as the eye can see.”
I laugh. “Okay. I guess I can spare you.”
We spend the next few minutes speed-cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, and dining room. As I prep the mop bucket, I point at the banquette seat. “Sit down, take a load off. Let me finish this part since it’s easier for one person to do it anyway.”
“Thanks.” He slumps onto the red vinyl banquette and gives me a considering look. “You ever think about what your life would be like if our family didn’t have the resort to run?”
I run the kitchen tap to fill the mop bucket, and add a squeeze of lemony soap. “All the time.”
“Yeah?” he asks, sitting up a little. He looks like my answer surprises him.
“Definitely. The resort is a lot of work. Some days, I’m pretty sure even Auntie Delta would agree with that. And we both know that she doesn’t agree with pretty much anything, purely out of spite.”
Malik scratches the patchy five o’clock shadow that’s beginning to form on his face. “Don’t tell her I said so, but I’ve definitely noticed that almost all of the day-to-day duties of keeping the resort up fall to you and me.”
I wrinkle my lips. “I’ve noticed it too. And I wouldn’t say boo about it to anyone if Auntie Delta didn’t owe almost twenty grand in back taxes on this property. I don’t care about the money that the resort brings in, as long as we don’t owe the government anything. But by not paying her property taxes, Delta is risking the whole piece of land being auctioned off.”
Malik straightens, his eyes bulging comically. “How do you know all of this? Auntie is such a grouch when you so much as hint at asking about the family finances.”
I add water to the bucket and give him a tired look. “I happened to be in her trailer when Auntie Glory came charging in waving a bunch of papers she said were from the IRS. Glory’s the only one that Delta even remotely listens to, you know. They had it out over the back taxes. Auntie Glory said Delta was putting the family at risk by not paying. Delta muttered something about how the state of Georgia needs to pay us reparations and then left.”
