The possessiveness is irrational. Kimba and I haven’t been in each other’s lives since middle school. I have no claim on her, but the feelings that never got the chance to fully develop are still there. I felt it Saturday.

Did Kimba feel it, too?

“Sorry.” Mona laughs, obviously unrepentant. “Let me rephrase for your grown man sensibilities. What I meant to say is I think Kimba has had many, um…experiences, and would not be white boy averse.”

What about biracial Jewish boys? Think she’s into those?

“He doesn’t seem like her type.” I clear my throat. “Besides, she might already be in a relationship.” Okay, so I’m fishing.

“She’s not.”

“How do you know?” Now I’m probing.

“I asked her on the phone.”

“She called? You didn’t say she called.”

“Sorry, nosy. She texted me to say she was coming and I called her to scream about it. We got to talking. Turns out we’re both in a drought.”

“Drought?”

“Dick drought. She’s running through batteries fast as I am.”

“Dammit, Mona. I do not need to know how often you…” I glance over at Noah, who literally just said “oy vey” to my mother. “…do that.”

And the mental image of Kimba masturbating will not be easy to shake.

Well, fuck.

Make that a cold shower for at least one of the Stern men.

“Well, she’s doing that a lot, too.” Mona laughs. “And even if she and Barry just hook up while she’s here, it could—”

“No.” The word storms from my mouth before I have time to think about it.

Mona tips her head, a frown puckering above puzzled eyes.  “You’re not like doing some weird, half-paternal, half-fraternal slut shaming thing, are you? Because Kimba will not appreciate that.”

“Fraternal?” Hardly. “No, I just think…” I think what? That if Kimba’s gonna fuck anyone on vacation it should be me?

“I hate we missed our formative sex years together,” Mona says, tapping the heels of her Chucks against the counter. “The three of us, I mean. I can just see Kimba and me talking about our first time and you rolling your eyes and covering your ears.”

Considering the huge crush I had on Kimba back then, I would have died inside. “Yeah, well, you hooking her up with Barry won’t make up for it.”

“You never know.” She hops down from the countertop and grabs the sauce she came to borrow. “She went off to make that big name for herself, but the man for her could have been right here back home in Atlanta.”