Page 204 of Devil’s Disciples

“So that manky slag Ashley could slip through the window,” she said. “She broke his heart, that one.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I said. “Manky slag.”

“She’s calling her a dirty whore,” Cash said from behind me.

“I was being proper,” Erin said.

“You were talkin’ shit, ma. She did not break my heart.”

“I’ll put that bar of soap in your mouth, Brock Cashton, and don’t think I won’t. You might be thirty-one, but your still my son.”

“Sorry, ma.”

I laughed to myself at the thought of Cash not cussing.

We went to the kitchen and sat at the table, Cash on one side of her, and me on the other. With her arms outstretched, she held each of our hands. Her eyes drifted back and forth, between us.

“What?” Cash asked.

“You’d make beautiful babies.” She looked at Cash. “I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

I would love to have a child, but knew it wasn’t possible.

“We’ll see, ma. First things first.”

She lifted my hand. “She needs a ring on this finger, you eejit.”

Cash scowled. “Enough with the eejits, ma.”

She glanced around the kitchen. “I got so carried away with looking at this fine thing, I forgot to feed you. Let me get something.”

I stood. “Can I help?”

She smiled. “If you’re willing.”

I could listen to her speak all night. Her Irish accent made even the simplest words sound multifaceted. Together, we prepared a meal of potatoes, bacon, cabbage, and onions. According to her, it was one of Cash’s favorites.

While she formed the mixture into patties and fried them in a skillet, I made two loaves of the bread Cash had grown to love.

“So, your love is shoes, is it?” she asked as I pulled the bread out of the oven.

“No. Shoes is what I can afford. Everything’s expensive in Southern California.”

“What’s your true love, Love?”

I sighed. “I’d love to have a nursery. I love growing flowers. Tending to them. Watching them grow. Nurturing them. Having them depend on me to support them and to sustain life. I never let them down. Mine are the best in the neighborhood.”

“Have you always loved tending flowers?” she asked.

“No. It started right after menopause,” I said with a laugh. “Go figure.”

She smiled. “I’ll pray that dream comes true one day.” She smiled. “The luck of the Irish.”

“Following my dreams isn’t going to be easy. Not in San Diego.”

“Don’t follow your dreams,” she said with a grin. “Chase them.”

After we ate, we had a cup of coffee. Cash talked about our plan to search for a home when we returned to San Diego. She seemed genuinely thrilled at the thought of us being together, and of us living together. Seeing her excitement – and witnessing her love for Cash – made me feel welcome, and almost as if I had a parent again.