Page 45 of Harrison Hyde and the Runaway Bride

Trevor said, “My mom just froze. She didn’t know what to say. And then Aunt Jessi, she turns to Maria and says, ‘Hold my groceries, baby girl.’ Then to my mom, ‘Call 911. This guy just… I don’t know, grabbed my ass, I guess. The rest was self-defense.’”

“The guy heard every word of it,” Maria said, picking up the story. “He put his thumbs in his waistband and grinned, and he said something like, ‘ooh, looks like I’m in trouble now.’”

“He wasn’t a local,” Trevor put in with a sad shake of his head.

“They never are,” Willow added.

“My mom walked up to him,” Maria said. “He was still runnin’ his mouth about Aunt Esmeralda when Mom kicked him right in the cojones. When he doubled over, she kneed him in the chin. By the time the police car came screaming into the parking lot, he was flat on his back, hands coverin’ his face, and my mom was standin’ over him ready to do more damage. There was some blood.”

Trevor was laughing at this point. “So, the deputy gets out of the car and walks over to the guy. ‘You all right, sir?’ He helps the guy to his feet, and the dude starts yellin’, ‘That woman— right there,thatwoman, she assaulted me!’ And then he’s standin’ there, and Aunt Jessi’s only a few feet away, and a crowd has gathered, and they’re lookin’ at him, six-two and cut, and then at her, all petite and pretty. And they start laughin’. And the guy looks around all upset, and the deputy, Uncle Lash, walks over to Aunt Jess and says, ‘Hi, hon.’ She hugs him and gives him a kiss hello and he asked what happened.

“‘Guy grabbed my ass,’ Aunt Jessi says. And the guy starts blusterin’ that he didnotgrab her ass, and my mom, Esmeralda,in case you’re lost, says she saw the whole thing. He grabbed her asshard. And Uncle Lash asks Aunt Jessi if she wants to press charges, and she says not as long as the guy’s out of Quinn by sundown.”

Harry smiled throughout the tale. Trevor was so good at that, Maria thought. Anyone needed cheering up, he was the go-to guy. Everyone laughed at the tale, even though they’d all heard it a hundred times.

“How about some music, Bubba?” Drew called out.

“Can a guy eat first?” Bubba asked, but his guitar case was leaning against his folding chair.

“Bubba’s a country singer,” Maria explained. “Had a big hit last year.”

Harrison frowned and looked Bubba’s way, and the big guy said, “You won’t recognize that name. My given name is Garrett Ethan Brand, but I’ve been Bubba since my mamma left me on that doorstep. Professionally, I go by?—”

“Ethan Brand,” Harry said. “Ihaveheard of you.Country Kind of Lovemust be my sister’s favorite song.”

“That’s nice, she likes my one and only hit. Huh, maybe sheshouldcome down for a visit. A fan would boost my ego.”

Harry looked around at the others. “What do the rest of you do with your time?”

Drew said, “Youngest first! I just finished college because my parents insisted, but I intend to be a private investigator like Mom.”

“Her parents are my uncle Ben and aunt Penny,” Maria whispered.

“I take the licensing exam next month,” Drew said.

“I could have guessed that for you,” Harry said. “Is there a lot of call for that in such a small town?”

“Very little,” she said. “So there’s some drivin’ involved. But you’d be surprised how much of the work is remote. Internet-based. It’s all tech these days.”

“Makes sense.” Harry nodded at Orrin. “You too?”

Orrin lowered his head a little. “I help out, but it’s not my forever thing. I haven’t found my forever thing yet.”

“Who’s next youngest?” Harry asked, then he pointed at Trevor, and raised his brows.

“Good guess,” Trevor said. “You could work at the fair!”

“And you are… a stand-up comedian?” Harry asked.

Everyone burst out laughing, especially Trevor. He said, “Everyone says I’m funny. You want to see funny, hang out with my dad. But no, I teach English as a second language to immigrant kids in nearby border towns.”

“Wow. That’s amazing work.”

“Thank you.”

“Thankyou,” Harry said.

“I’m next,” Willow said. “But you already know my gig.”

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