Page 76 of Love At Close Range

“Water is fine,” I replied as I took a seat beside Lena at the island. Gina grabbed me a bottle from the refrigerator before going back to dinner, while Lennox had taken our bags upstairs. Rhyse and Lennyn were somewhere in the living room and judging by the way their voices kept getting louder, somebody was pissing somebody off. A few seconds later Rhyse appeared in the kitchen with Lennyn right behind him.

“Mama, she keeps changing the rules every time I start winning,” Rhyse complained.

“I am not. You’re just doing it wrong,” Lennyn argued.

“How am I doing it wrong if I’m winning?” he asked, clearly offended.

Before Lennyn could answer, I looked between both of them. “Why did either one of y’all come in here? Whatever you’re playing, go figure it out without bringing everybody else into it,” I instructed.

“I was just telling you what she did,” Rhyse defended himself while Lennyn started talking over him about how he wasn’t following the rules.

Gina turned from the stove and pointed toward the living room. “Both of y’all gone back in there before I find something for you to do that I promise you won’t like,” she warned.

They didn’t have to be told twice. Lennyn took off first, and Rhyse followed her.

Lennox came back downstairs a few minutes later and walked into the kitchen. His attention came to me first before he glanced toward the living room. “What are they in there doing?” he asked.

“Getting on each other’s nerves over a game,” Lena answered.

“That sounds about right.” He shrugged.

Dinner was ready not long after that, and all Gina had to do was call out once before Rhyse and Lennyn came from the living room. Whatever argument they had been having was apparently forgotten because they were talking about something completely different by the time they sat down.

Rhyse took a few bites before looking across the table at Gina. “This chicken is good, Queenie,” he complimented.

“Thank you, baby,” Gina replied with a smile.

He took another bite, then turned toward me. “Mama, you should ask Queenie how she make hers,” he suggested.

“What’s wrong with mine?” I asked.

“I’ain say nothing was wrong with yours. I just said hers taste different,” he explained quickly.

Lena laughed while Rhyse looked toward Lennox like he was waiting for backup.

“Don’t look at me. That’s between you and your mama,” he told him.

“You too big to be scared of my mama,” Rhyse accused.

“Little ni—” Lennox started but Gina cut him off.

Gina reached over and rubbed Rhyse’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, baby. I know what you meant,” she assured him.

Before anybody could say anything else, Lennyn looked at Rhyse. “Your mama beat my mama up,” she announced.

I stopped mid-bite because I couldn’t believe she said that and so nonchalantly at that. Lena busted out laughing while Lennox was trying to hold his in.

“Lennyn, what did I tell you about grown people’s business?” Lennox asked.

“To stay out of it,” she answered.

“Aight then… remember that,” he chastised her.

“She ain’t lying though.” Rhyse grinned.

“Boosie,” I warned.

“What? She said it first,” Rhyse defended.