Free Heart of Gold by Beverly Jenkins

allowed—we’ve already been through that once, remember? And you might want to cut him some slack.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause we all change as we get older, and maybe he’s not sure who he wants to be or how to be it.”
    â€œHe’s a pain in the ass.”
    â€œZoey,” Roni warned.
    â€œSorry, but he is.”
    Now that Zoey was speaking—thanks to the intervention of Reverend Paula—every now and then she let a few curse words slip out. Roni attributed that to her having been raised on the streets of Miami—and to hanging out with Crystal, Amari, and Preston. Roni slipped every now and again too, so she added herself to the list. Reggie, of course, had never let fly a curse word, at least not since she’d known him. He was from a very traditional upper-middle-class family who never cursed. His father was an architect and builder, and his mom had stayed home to raise Reg and his two younger brothers, which could be the reason he was having issues with her career.
    â€œWhy do you look so sad?” Zoey asked, cutting into her musings.
    Roni played it off. “I’m just tired, babe. That’s all.” She knew Zoey didn’t believe her. Her daughter was old enough and astute enough to sense the vibes in the house, but Roni didn’t want her worrying, so she reached over and gave her a hug. “So what else have you been doing?”
    â€œTamar took me to visit one of her old friends yesterday. His name’s Cephas Patterson, and he’s real ornery.”
    Roni chuckled at the descriptive wording. “Really?”
    Zoey told her about the visit, the shotgun, and the gold. “I don’t think he was really going to shoot her, and she said the gold is just an old myth.”
    â€œGold or not, he sounds pretty scary.”
    â€œHe’s just like Old Man Barker.”
    Roni listened while Zoey explained who Barker was before steering the conversation back to Mr. Patterson. “My mom and I checked on Old Man Barker every day, but Tamar only goes to see Mr. Patterson every now and then. What’ll happen if he gets sick or something, and he’s all by himself?”
    Roni had no answer for the earnest question in her eyes and tone. “I don’t know, but Tamar’s pretty smart. If she thinks he’s okay out there alone, you’ll have to go with that.”
    Zoey appeared to think that over and asked, “Is it okay if I ride my bike to check on him? I can even take him some of my lunch or some fruit and leave it by the fence. I won’t get shot.”
    â€œNo.” She appreciated Zoey wanting to see to the man’s welfare, but not if he was waving around a shotgun. What if it went off accidentally, or worse, he shot her on purpose? No!
    â€œBut, Mom—”
    â€œNo.” She didn’t raise her voice. “Too dangerous.”
    Pout. “Okay.”
    Roni placed a kiss against her brow. “I’m going to lie down and see if I can’t shake this jet lag.”
    â€œWhen you get up, can we go to the Dog for dinner?”
    â€œSure can.”
    â€œI’m glad you’re home.”
    â€œMe, too.”
    After her nap, Roni found Reggie seated outside on the deck. She leaned around the door. “Zoey wants to do the Dog for dinner. What time’s good for you?”
    â€œGo on without me. Got some charts I need to go over.”
    She kept her disappointment hidden. “You sure?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œWant us to bring you something back?”
    He shook his head. “I’ll make a sandwich.”
    â€œOkay.” She closed the door and pressed her back against it until the sting subsided.
    â€œDad’s not coming?” Zoey asked as they got in the truck.
    â€œNo. He has some work to catch up on.”
    â€œOh.”
    Feeling Zoey’s disappointment match her own, Roni chose a light tone. “It’ll be girls’ night out.