Everything is Everything Book 2 Read Online Free PDF

happened?”
    “What?”
    “What. Happened?” His nostrils were flaring.
    She shook her head and gave him an amused look. “Are you some type of mind reader? Nothing happened. But now I understand why you stay on my ass so much. But it’s all good, ‘bro.”
    “Beady,” he warned but she headed back down the hall and down the stairs calling over her shoulder.
    “Hurry up so we can eat! Grandma’s been cooking all day!” And then she disappeared.
    Scotty closed the bathroom door, now more sure than ever that he was not going anywhere.
     

     
    Miss Gloria cooked as if she was still living in Alabama and dinner consisted of ham, southern cheese grits, collard greens, hot water cornbread, red-eye gravy, crowder peas, sweet potato casserole and roast chicken thighs. Instead of one simple desert the older woman made everyone’s favorite so there was a lemon icebox cake, a peach cobbler and because Scotty had turned eighteen while in prison—a birthday cake.
    Miss Gloria didn’t like family to thank her for making dinner. For her, the way to show your appreciation was to fill your plate over and over again with food.
    And Scotty did just that.
    After dinner he checked that the bills were paid and saw that the bank account was as low as it had ever been. Miss Gloria was a thrifty woman, shopped at Findlay Market and bought the kids clothes from Sears, but Ginger’s school cost three thousand dollars a semester and that wasn’t covered by any of the vouchers offered by the county. Also, the house was a big old rambling three- story home and every bit of the space was necessary in order to accommodate them all. The property taxes took a hefty chunk of money and had to be paid twice a year without even factoring in the rent, which Scotty had sank the last of his funds to pay up for half a year before being locked up.
    Vouchers and WIC just wasn’t enough.
    His head ached when he closed the ledger. Later he would talk to Phonso about how much money he had.
    He joined his brothers and sisters in the family room, happy at least that they wouldn’t have to worry about these things.
    After Magnum P.I. went off everybody went off to bed. Miss Gloria had already fallen asleep in her reclining chair and Phonso had left to take care of some business.
    Scotty leaned forward closer to his sister who was curled comfortably at the end of the sectional.
    “I saw J.C. when I was in Lebanon.” Scotty said. She rarely referred to him as ‘Dad’ since she knew who her biological father was.
    Her hazel eyes moved from the large television set to rest on her brother. “Oh my God, that’s messed up,” she grimaced. “Like some movie of the week where the long lost father and son find each other in jail.”
    “I agree with the messed up part, but the long lost—not so much.” They always knew where to find the man if necessary.
    “How’d he look?” She asked curiously.
    “Good, actually. He asked about all of you. I told him about Mom.”
    Beady sighed. “I’ll go with you next time you visit her. I haven’t seen her in a few months.”
    Scotty nodded. He never looked forward to visiting Tracy but felt that he should keep in touch. She had been a terrible mother but she had stuck around and that counted for something.
    He swallowed knowing that he was about to bring up an unpleasant topic. He didn’t like bringing up Tino considering what their brother had done to Beady, but Scotty figured that she had a right to know.
    “J.C told me that Tino’s in Lebanon too.”
    Beady sat up and stared at Scotty. “He’s in prison …” Her mouth parted and her brow gathered. “Do you know how long he’s been there?”
    He shook his head watching her. “I have no idea.”
    “Damn. I always wondered why he just disappeared,” she said quietly. “Do you think he’s been locked up all this time?”
    Scotty looked away. She still didn’t know about the hammer incident.
    “I don’t know.”
    Only Phonso, EJ and Erica knew