”You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Bobby blamed the extreme emotion on his afternoon telenovela for not hearing the door in time. He guffawed and sniffed, subtly trying to compose himself before turning to look at his surprise guest.
”Jody Mills,” he said slowly. ”What happened?”
She raised a brow and said, amused, ”Nice to see you too, Bobby. Are the boys around?”
He narrowed his eyes, giving the bag on her hand a suspicious squint. ”On a job.”
”Good for them,” Jody said and started unpacking a shopping bag she’d brought with.
Bobby watched her with growing confusion. ”Are you in trouble?” he asked after seeing some mystery vegetables vanish into the fridge along with a fresh carton of eggs, some milk and yogurt, and what looked suspiciously much like an apple pie.
”I’m fine,” Jody retorted, cleaned up the old grounds from the coffee machine and loaded it with fresh ones. ”I just wanted to check how you’re doing.”
”Check how we’re doing?” he repeated slowly.
”Uh-huh,” she said and poured two cups of coffee, bringing them over to the dingy, old couch. ”I sort of expected to see you alone, but alone with only this—” she nodded at the TV still displaying the horrific events prompted by Ricardo’s suicide ”—well, that was a surprise.”
”I don’t want your pity, I want your absence,” Bobby grumbled, crossing his arms on his chest, and staring resolutely at the tiny TV.
”Oh, don’t be such a grump,” Jody huffed and patted him on the shoulder as she fetched a package of chocolate glazed donuts. ”Or did you really want to be left alone?”
Well, actually he didn’t, but she didn’t need to know that.
Jody huffed and nudged his knee with her leg. ”Move over.”
”What?”
”Move over,” she repeated. ”Or I’ll sit on your lap.”
Bobby moved, staring at her with wide eyes.
”Okay, so. Enlighten me,” she said, pointing at the TV. ”Ricardo’s widow, his girlfriend, his sister, and his daughter. Which one is which?”