“Looks easy enough to me,” Aaron announced after reading the outline Kevin had handed him.

The dark haired Kentuckian stared at the seventeen year old. “Things always look easy on paper….dialing the number is going to be the only easiest thing in this whole goddamned mess.”

“You being negative will only hurt this; besides Mom isn’t as tough to get through to as you think she is,” Aaron assured with a slight smile. “Trust me; I have experience, besides she can never say no to me!”

Feeling a knot forming in the middle of his gut, Kevin sighed loudly. He realized that placing this call to Jane had to be done; knowing the woman’s reactions in previous situations had been far from favorable only fueled his anxiety. Jane Carter loved money definitely more than she loved her children; her track record proved that! Kevin Richardson sighed again as he leaned forward.

“We know we can sit around the table and listen to you sigh all day long,” Aaron said as he flipped the cell phone open. “Or I can just get this over and make the call.”

Reaching over Kevin closed his hand over the top of the teen‘s, quickly stopping Aaron in mid-dial. “No…”

“Kev, I know you want to put off doing this but you know it’s not going to get any easier,” Brian said quietly. “This is so unlike you,” he added with a whisper. “I’ve known you all my life and you’ve never put any task off because of the consequences. You’ve always told me the hardest things are worth fighting for.”

Aaron nodded in agreement. “Your cousin’s right. Let me call her.”

“Hold on a sec,” Kevin asked as he pushed away from the kitchen table. No words were spoken as they watched the older man open a cupboard door producing a bottle of whiskey. “Sad to say but I actually needed a quick drink before I even speak to that woman.”

Brian shook his head in disapproval. “This is what brought us to this mess in the first place--”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kevin interrupted as he poured the whiskey into a small glass.

“It started with Nicky drinking that stuff.”

“Completely different from what I’m doing here,” the older man grunted, quickly downing the amber colored contents of the glass. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he nodded toward Aaron. “Go ahead….I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be..”

This time it was Aaron that sighed after he dialed the number to Jane Carter’s cell. “You’d think the bitch would answer her fucking phone!”

“Don’t cuss,” Kevin admonished.

“She answers every other goddamn time,” Aaron sputtered as he tossed the device onto the wooden table.

Watching the cell spin in a circular motion Brian scratched his neck in thought. “There could be a good reason why she didn’t pick up the call,” he suggested.

“You’re right, she probably was getting her nails done or something and they were too wet and she didn‘t want to smear the polish digging the phone out of her suitcase of a purse,” Aaron replied sarcastically.

Kevin looked sadly at the young man. Although he could sense the anger he also sensed Aaron’s frustrations with Jane. “I should never have put you up to this, this wasn’t fair.”

Waving a hand at him to dismiss Kevin’s thoughts, Aaron smirked. “No worries, this is something that needs to be done and I’m backing you guys one hundred percent. She has told me nothing but lies from the very beginning about how Nick has been. I plan on calling until she does answer.”

********

“Four hundred and twenty-two fucken dollars later,” AJ grumbled as he placed the pharmacy bags on the counter, “I guess I never paid attention to how much our insurance sucked.” The rebel looked at the three sour faces drawn on the people sitting at the table. “Okay what the fuck happened while I was gone?”

“Jane’s coming over,” Brian answered.

“You’re shitting me, right?”

No words were spoken as the threesome shook their heads in reply.

“When?”

Kevin glanced at his watch. “Pretty soon.”

AJ shook his head in disbelief as he started to pace. “Why the hell is she suddenly interested in coming over here?” Stopping, he quickly pointed an accusatory finger at Aaron. “You invited her to come over here, didn’t you?”

“No--”

“Aaron didn’t say anything to his mother,” Kevin interrupted. “I called Jane to talk to her about giving up power of attorney rights over Nick and I guess she decided to talk to me in person and wouldn’t take my suggestion of meeting in a public place. I honestly tried to get her to agree with meeting at a restaurant but she hung up the phone while I was talking.”

“You gave up that easily? You didn’t try to call her back?”

“Once ma makes her mind up that’s it AJ.”

“Oh for christssakes….where’s Nick at? I’m gonna take him over to my house.”

“Jay, she specifically wants to see Nick,” Kevin stated quietly.

“She doesn’t need to see him!”

“AJ, like it or not Nick’s her son and it’s her right to see him,” Brian asserted.

“Besides, once she sees Nick and how he is, maybe she’ll change her thinking,” Kevin added.

Aaron folded his arms across his chest. “Doubtful.”

“See! Nick jr agrees with me,” AJ said with a shake of his head as he looked at Aaron.

Too busy arguing about the outcome of Jane Carter’s visit, no one heard the front door open.

“Hi Aaron.”

“Mom? When the hell did you come in?”

“Aaron!” Jane admonished.

Shrugging off the reprimand Aaron stared at his mother.

Kevin smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “Hello Jane.”

The older woman looked up. “Hi.”

“We weren’t expecting you so soon,” Brian stated nervously.

“I could tell when I walked into the kitchen,” Jane huffed and then looked around the large kitchen. “Where’s my Nicky?”

“Taking a nap,” Aaron replied. “He fell asleep playing a video game.”

“Must be you were beating him,” AJ teased.

“Why the fuck did you tell me that Nick was fine?” Aaron demanded.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that!”

Aaron stood up, ignoring his mother’s reprimand. “I asked you a question!”

“Calm down,” Brian pleaded as he stood between Aaron and Jane.

Aaron pushed Brian away. “What the fuck exactly is going on? Why did you say that my brother was okay?”

“Because he is okay,” Jane hissed.

The teenager threw his hands up into the air. ”Really?? If Nick is alright why did you have to take control of his money?”

“At the time Nick wasn’t able---“ Jane tearfully replied as she wrung her hands.

“You are so fucked up…”

“That’s enough!” Kevin warned. As much as he disliked Jane Carter, he could not take the badgering that Aaron dishing out.

Ignoring the warning, Aaron threw his chest out in defiance. “This is between us!”  

“Not here; not now,” Brian pled. “Would you like to sit down?” he asked as he placed a hand lightly on the woman’s shoulder.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks Jane nodded as she accepted the offer. “You said Nick’s sleeping? I would like to check in on him.”

This time AJ’s temper started to flare. “Leave him alone….you’ve done a good job of that up to this point.”

“Both of you go out and cool down on the deck,” Kevin directed with his finger toward AJ and Aaron.

“Putting us on time out?” Aaron snorted as he arched an eyebrow.

“Something like that,” Kevin replied. “Both of you are shooting off at the mouth and you’ll say something I’ll regret.”

“You’ll regret?” AJ questioned.

“Yes, I’ll regret because one of you will get punched and because of age and the law you know who will be on the receiving end. Now get outta here…now!"