She winced, putting a hand to her flushed forehead. “I’m really gross and sweaty right now, sorry. Not used to humidity, I guess.”

“No, no problem.” He refilled her glass and turned the fan so it pointed at her chair. “Sorry the AC’s already at the max. Want some more ice?”

“LJ . . .” She touched his arm, the muscles tight under her hand. “Hey, look at me.”

He didn’t want to.

If he did, she’d see he didn’t want her here. In his mama’s house, which was half the size of Andra’s cottage. In his neighborhood, which news vans were filming so the whole country could shake their heads pityingly. Here, with his friends smirking at him for bringing home a white girl.

She deserved better than all that.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you, that’s all.”

“I know,” she whispered, her fingers curling on his arm. “Listen, LJ—”

“Tash?” his mama called through her bedroom door. “Honey, is that you?”

Andra’s eyes widened. He covered her hand quickly with his. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “She’s been dying to meet you. This is going to make her whole day.” At least he hoped so. His mama had been so weird about Andra, and he wasn’t sure how to make that fit with knowing she’d been bragging about his girlfriend to Reggie’s mama. He dropped his voice even further. “Look, if she’s grouchy, don’t take it personally. She hates not being able to do everything herself.”

Andra shook her head. “It’s fine, LJ. Don’t worry about it.”

He let her go, because they didn’t have time for everything unsaid between them, and even if they did, he wouldn’t know where to start. Instead, he headed for the bedroom and closed the door behind him, for whatever good it would do. This house had been in their family for three generations, but when they rebuilt, they hadn’t had any extra money for interior insulation. Now you could hear somebody brushing their teeth from across the house.

Mama pushed herself up against the pillows, even that small movement making her gasp for breath.

“Hey, did we wake you?” She’d been sleeping so deeply lately, he hadn’t worried about playing music on the porch.

She frowned at him. “Why didn’t you come get me if we had company?”

He smiled. “Speaking of, guess who’s here, Mama?”

Her whole face lit up, the way he hadn’t seen it since the first moment he walked through the door with his suitcase. “Did she come?” She reached up and started patting at her hair, which was so thin now that bare patches shone through on her scalp, though still not a thread of gray showed in the black. “LJ, go get my church jacket from the closet. The pink one, with the big buttons.”

“Um, to wear with your nightgown?”