Temptation Trails - Page 117

“Owen, can you help set the table, please, honey?” she asked.

“Yeah, Grandma, I got it.” He peeled off his hoodie and took it to the family room where he tossed it on the couch. “Do you want me to pour water too?”

Marlene didn’t answer. She just stared at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

“What?” he asked.

Paul’s brow furrowed. “What’s going on?”

“Owen,” Marlene said, then hesitated.

“Yeah?”

“What does your shirt say?”

He looked down and grinned. “I forgot I was wearing this.”

My eyes locked on his shirt. It was crisp white—looked brand new. And in bold, block letters across the front, it read, Big Brother.

“Um…” Marlene slowly turned her gaze on me and Garrett.

I glanced up at him, my heart racing again. His mouth was slightly open.

“Whose shirt is that?” Paul asked.

Owen looked down at it again. “Mine. Who else’s would it be?”

“But it says big brother.”

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “Cool, huh? There’s a shop downtown that has them. I didn’t think they’d have my size because most of them were for little kids. But they had this one in a large. It’s kind of big, but that’s okay.”

Paul shook his head. “I don’t get the slang kids are using nowadays.”

“Oh, is that what it is?” Marlene asked, turning back to Owen. “What does big brother mean?”

Owen looked confused. “What do you mean, what does it mean?”

Garrett cleared his throat. “Mom—”

“Does it mean you’re cool or the best at something?” she asked. “That’s all I can think of. What do you think it means, Paul?”

“Hell if I know. Half the time when he talks, I need a dictionary to understand him.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Owen asked.

“I think he means the time you said dinner was, what was it… bussin’?” Mom said. “There was some confusion over whether that was good or bad.”

Paul grunted.

“Mom,” Garrett tried again, but Marlene kept talking.

“It does roll off the tongue nicely. Bussin’. Tell me if I’m using it correctly. Those chocolate truffle cookies are bussin’.”

Owen chuckled. “Yeah, Grandma. That’s basically it. But it sounds weird when you say it.”

“So what does the shirt mean?”

“Owen, they don’t know,” Garrett cut in before he could answer.