Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
When Rita walked into the kitchen a week later, she kicked a large, empty bottle, and it ricocheted off a dozen others. She swore and bent to steady them before they all fell and cracked on the linoleum. “What on earth? Tyler!”
Tyler emerged from his bedroom, freshly showered and with his longer hair smoothed back away from his face, making his blue eyes stand out brightly in his tanned face. “What’s up, Mom?”
“What are these bottles doing in the middle of the kitchen? I about fell on my tail.”
He scratched his head. “As you know, I’ve decided to quit moonshinin’. So, I’m gonna recycle these bottles and sell my equipment.”
“Really?” She was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to change directions so suddenly. “I’m glad to hear you haven’t changed your mind. Do you want some breakfast? We can eat and talk.”
Rita made pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon. Then she poured syrup over everything and set two plates on the table while Tyler fixed them each a cup of coffee with vanilla creamer.
“This looks amazing. Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
She smiled. Tyler had always been easy to connect with through food. When he was a teenager, if they were having a rough time together, she’d simply make him a pot roast or stack some burritos in the freezer. He’d come out, grab a burrito, and then give her a hug on the way back to his room.
“I’m always happy to feed you, honey. I love you too. Now, let’s say grace and eat.”
Halfway through the meal, she spoke up. “How are things goin' with Jessica?”
“We broke up.” He scooped eggs into his mouth and chewed.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“It’s a long story, but she has some trust issues. I haven’t given up. I really like her, so I’m giving her some space and we’ll see. Maybe we’ll get back together. Maybe we’ll just be friends. It’s really up to her now.”
“You’re such a good boy,” Rita said, patting his hand. “Someone raised you right.”
He laughed. “Yeah, they did.”
“And you’re not moonshining anymore? You really decided to give it up?”
“I sold the rest of my batch and didn’t want to make another.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, and there’s one more thing…” He stopped eating and grinned at her. “I got the job.”
“What? Really? Which job?” Rita said, her voice raising almost an octave with each word.
“At the sheriff’s department. I’ll be starting training next week.”
Rita clapped a hand to her mouth. She didn’t want to cry. Tyler would roll his eyes. So, she cheered instead. “Oh, honey, that’s so good. I’m really happy for you.”
“Thanks, Mom. I think it’s going to be exactly what I need. I’ll be at the Georgia Public Safety Training Centre for twelve weeks. Then I’ll do the rest of my training on the job.”
“Well, this is good news. I’m glad I made pancakes.” She beamed at him, her heart full of joy. “First, I get good test results, and now you’ve found the perfect job. Things are looking up for us all.”