“Trouble in paradise?” Sonny asked.
“Kiss my ass.”
Oprah seated them.
“Hey, darlin’.” Sonny was loud. “I want an omelet with a side of bacon and a couple of those special,” he air quoted, “muffins those girls make.”
“Pardon me?”
“Aww, you know what I’m talking about.”
“Why don’t you shut up?” Jake apologized and placed his order.
Dylan ordered something simple—he wasn’t sure what. “Thanks.” His plan to berate Sonny was sidetracked. All activity was sidetracked. Sidney held the door open for Toni and Maya. Ernest and Jordan were parking the truck.
Jake stood up.
“Show’s starting,” Sonny said.
Maya held up a hand to halt Jake’s movement. She said something to her father, who nodded yes. He found a table, and she went to Jake. Toni followed her.
“Good morning, honey.” Maya kissed him. “Hey guys. Can I sit with you?”
They were surprised but Jake recovered fast. “Of course.” He held a chair for her. “This is where I want you.”
“How about me?” Toni flipped her hair and grinned first at Sonny, then Dylan.
Maya made a face. “Quit flirting, Toni. This isn’t the social hour.”
“Speak for yourself.” Sonny got up and grabbed a chair for Maya’s sister. He set it on his opposite side—away for Dylan. “Please.” He held it while she sat down. “You’re the first ray of sunshine I’ve seen today.”
Toni giggled.
Oprah returned with coffee. “What would you girls like?”
“Good morning,” the girls said together.
“Busy day?” Maya asked.
“That it is. With all this crazy,” she indicated the guys, “can’t be helped.”
Done with that topic, Maya said, “I’ll have a cherry turnover, if you have any, please.”
“Sure. What about you, Toni?”
Toni looked at Sonny. “I’ll have what he’s having.”
“That a girl.” Sonny offered her a sip of his coffee.
Oprah left and Jake got to the point. “No more talking in circles. What’s going on here, Maya?”
“Jacob, you are the stupidest, stubbornest man I have ever known. I love you for it, but we’re in a lot of trouble.”
“You’re not acting like we’re in trouble.” Sonny tilted his head.
Toni snickered. “She doesn’t have any choice. In spite of that crazy phone call, Jordan has been awesome. He’s been calm and not the least bit offended.”
“This is a lot of bad.” Maya took back the conversation. “I’m not looking to set him off.”
“I am.” Sonny let his eyes drop to Toni’s cleavage.
“Don’t.” Maya got serious.
Dylan listened to them talk, but his eyes were on the kitchen door. “You don’t know how to not be an asshole, do you, Sonny?”
“I don’t think he does.” Jordan stood beside their table. “Fellas.” He surprised them by offering his hand.
This time, Dylan recovered first. He shook Jordan’s hand and managed to say, “Good morning.”
Jake pumped his hand once but was at a loss for words.
Jordan grinned at Sonny like they were old friends. “Setting me off will be fun.”
Sonny mimicked him, showing all his teeth. “That’s what I think too.”
Mackey burst into the Bakery, tossed his umbrella, charged at Jordan, and landed on his back. “What d’you bring me?”
Jordan flipped him over and put him in a headlock. “It’s in the truck. But I think Ernest broke it.”
“He better not have.” He pulled free, skirted around the counter, grabbed a donut and trotted back. He punched Dylan on the shoulder. “You owe me another ride when it stops raining.” Not waiting for an answer, he ran to his brother for a few words before heading off to school.
Jordan’s smile was legit this time, lighting up his face. “That kid is energy-incarnate. Why do you owe him a ride?”
Dylan agreed. “He gave me some manly advice.”
“Which was?” Tigris came over with their meals.
If they wanted to pretend this was normal, Dylan was cool with it. “I was badgering Nile. He suggested I knock it off and give her some breathing room. I listened.”
“Sound advice,” Jordan said, “definitely worth a ride.”
“I don’t know. She isn’t talking to me.”
Tigris refilled his cup. “Doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to.”
“Ehh, that’s my fault,” Jordan said. “She hates being involved when I have to make these life and death decisions. I guess she’s hoping it’s not you. Or, since you all have to go, maybe she’s hoping you’ll be first.” Jordan gave Dylan’s shoulder a pat and went to the booth with Ernest and Sidney.
Toni looked down at her lap and Maya cried. They felt the finality.
Jake pulled Maya to him and let her sob it out. No one said anything.
“I guess it’s time for your history lesson.” Tigris sat down. “Do you know what would happen if you pulled out a paper map and tried to find Rain? Nothing. They don’t include us. If it wasn’t for GPS, we wouldn’t exist. Do you know why that is?” She looked around the table. “Because the EPA declared the area toxic and uninhabitable. No one is supposed to live here.”
“Yet, here you are,” Sonny said.
“Yet, here we are.”
“Why did you stay?” Jake asked. He turned to Maya. “Why did you come back?”
“Because we are also toxic and uninhabitable.” Tigris noticed when Sonny stiffened. She stuck her finger in his omelet.
Dylan laughed.
To Jake, Maya said, “I don’t have a choice. None of us do. I rely on...medication to function. Without it, my life is cut in half. Guaranteed. If I have children, they will also rely on that medication. Living here, being here, having a bloodline here requires the medication.”
Dylan directed his carefully worded question to Tigris. “Does your family...or your factory produce this medicine?”
She shook her head. “We are the medicine.”
Sonny stared at Tigris as he ate the patch of egg with her imprint. “So share. If you got it, give it here.”
Tigris rolled her eyes. “Ooh, your supremacy gland is so swollen. That’s going to make this reality-pill a bit hard to swallow. I hope you don’t choke.”
“See, this is the problem.” Sonny let his fork drop. “We didn’t come here starting anything, but from the minute we arrived your family gave us shit. Instead of telling us the place is toxic, you threw me in jail over a fucking flag—”
“Sonny...” Jake tried to stop him.
Sonny wasn’t listening. “You’ve been acting like superior dicks that need worshiping.” He pointed to Maya and Jake. “You screwed up their lives for nothing. Now that you have something we need, we’re supposed to beg?”
Tigris laughed. “You think begging is going to help? That’s not even an option. Now, shut up and listen.” There was enough command in her tone to force compliance. “What you did was bring your cocky, arrogant asses into a place you were not welcomed. You took one look around and decided you didn’t like the perceived pecking order and felt you had some say in how we live down here. You thought all the pale-people were kissing our asses and that wrinkled your Klan robes. So, you jumped in bed with you-don’t-know-who to shut down you-have-no-idea-what because you feel like white-Jesus and you want your way.” Tigris got up from the table. “My family performs a service. We keep everybody alive...unless they’re assholes. Then, we mind our business.” She walked off.