Chapter 4 #2
“Yeah. That’s why I went into sports. Better than basic training.”
“Ah, Susan and Stephanie were both in the Air Force. Not for long, they’re not like career, but they both went so they could go to school. Susan teaches weaving now, and Stephanie teaches the fifth grade.” The GI Bill was an amazing thing, and it helped his folks out.
“People teach weaving?”
“Yeah, that’s big here. Fiber arts are big. Art is huge. This is Georgia O’Keeffe country.”
“Yeah, you could take everything I know about New Mexico and put it in a thimble, I guess.” Evan wrinkled his nose. “Now Wyoming where the men are men and the sheep are nervous? I know all about that.”
“That’s where you’re from, right?” Sam had read something about Evan starting his hockey career in Wyoming.
“That’s where my dad’s last posting was, yeah, so I spent quite a bit of time there.
He decided to make that his retirement place and the best salary he had had, that kind of thing.
And they had good youth hockey clubs.” Evan shrugged.
“My folks weren’t really all that well-off, but they did their best for me. It’s an expensive sport for kids.”
“That gives Max an advantage, then, right? Having you and his dad already be established NHL players.”
Evan gave him a sideways kind of look. “You’ve been doing your research.”
“Hey, better me than my ex. She’s a reporter. She’ll dig up all kinds of shit.”
Evan stowed the beer in the cooler finally, then held up his empty hands as if surrendering. “I’m not trying to fuck anybody, man. I’m just here to make sure Max understands what’s going on and to make sure that everybody gets what they need out of this situation.”
“Yeah, well—” He had to cut himself off because his mom walked over then, putting her hands on her hips to stare at Evan.
“Is this him, then?”
“Hola, Mama. This is Evan Halloway. He is the young man’s uncle.”
She switched to Spanish. “He’s a very handsome young man, but you tell him that I will not let him hurt my baby girl.”
He nodded slowly and studied a very uncomfortable-looking Evan for a minute.
The guy was handsome, with his light blue eyes and his bronzy brown hair.
Even the scar cutting across his cheek from just below his eye to the corner of his mouth didn’t detract from that.
Fuck knew the man was a god as far as his physique was concerned.
Too bad he was from the enemy camp, dammit.
“I have already told him that, Mama.” He said that in English, letting Evan feel a bit less freaked out.
The oddly soft blue gaze went back and forth and back and forth between him and Mama, and finally Evan Halloway held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Marrón.”
“Eee a la! At least you have manners.” She shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I hope you like spicy food.”
“That depends on the spice, I guess. Everything here has green chile in it, which is not exactly what I’m used to, although I eat a lot of Indian food and Thai food, so…” A hint of a smile played around Evan’s lips, and he had a feeling the guy liked his mama.
Who didn’t? Betty Marrón was a force of nature who didn’t take any shit from anybody.
“I like Thai food. There’s a place in Albuquerque that does really good stuff. They have this soup with coconut in it.”
“Tom Ka Gah, Mama. That’s what it’s called.”
“Right, that. I like it when they bring it out in the big bowl that has the fire in the middle.”
“You don’t like it as much as queso flamado though.”
“Queso what?” Evan raised his eyebrows. “I know queso is cheese sauce, right? But what is queso flamado?”
Mama started tapping her foot, her arms crossed over her chest. “Queso means cheese. Chile con queso is the cheese sauce. Queso flamado is cheese you pour stuff on and set it on fire.”
“Right. Sorry.” Evan grinned widely. “I have a friend who’s Texan. He says queso is cheese sauce.”
“Bah. They let Texans play hockey?”
“Yes, ma’am. They let anybody play hockey, as long as they’re talented.”
Sam had a feeling that wasn’t true. He knew there was a lot of interesting stuff that went on in the hockey leagues, just like there was in the bull riding, or the football, or any other major sports thing.
But Evan also had to toe the company line, right? He was an agent.
“Well, maybe you could teach a camp here then. We have ice skating rinks.” Nodding like that was that, Mama dropped her arms and turned around to walk away. “Come with me. I’ll show you all about enchiladas and tamales.”
Evan gave Sam a glance that he thought might mean “help me”, but Sam gave him a wide grin and shook his head. “I don’t fight with Mama. She has to do her thing.”
“That’s right, you don’t. Go cook hot dogs. I brought the cheap ones for the pups, no?”
“Gracias, Mama.”
That meant that along with his three hooligans and Hillary’s purse dog, his mama had brought both of her chihuahuas. They were smart little beasts, and they knew to stay out from underneath hooves and tires, but they could sure be mean as shit given the opportunity.
It took him a good half an hour to get over to the grill. Everybody wanted to know all the juicy details.
Sam wanted to look at everybody and say, “I know that you all have gotten all the gossip. There’s no way you haven’t, or you wouldn’t be here.”
He guessed everybody wanted to hear the gossip from him, which he understood.
It was natural, no? To want to know all the things.
Where was Hillary anyway? If she and Max were still hiding in the house, he was going to kick her ass.
The entire family was all here to see her for fuck’s sake. Well, to meet Max.
Madre di Dios, all his aunties wanted to make sure that the boy was gonna help Hillary make a good, pretty baby.
Like his girl wouldn’t have a gorgeous nieto for him.
He was grinning when he finally arrived at the grill and the cooler that held hot dogs.
“Man, that was like salmon swimming upstream to spawn,” Kacey teased.
“Sí, no? It could be worse. I could be that Evan feller. Mama has him now.”