Page 14 of Black Heart

Beth ignored him. “I had to do something,” she said defensively.

“Something, huh?” Tom sighed, “Sweetie, you’ve been known to drag poor, unsuspecting women across town and shove them in his direction.”

“Well,” Beth mumbled as she looked down at the floor for a moment, “I had to do something. He never asks anyone out and he’s never brought a girl home to meet us.”

“Mom, he doesn’t have to ask women out. They throw themselves at him. Have you not seen him? With his golden blonde hair, green eyes, perfect tan and chiseled good looks,” Denny said, pausing to shoot Marty a wink, “much like myself except for the eyes and hair, of course, women are constantly throwing themselves at him. He doesn’t have to ask them out.”

“But he never asks anyone out and he’s never had a girlfriend,” Beth pointed out.

“Beth,” Tom said tightly in warning. His eyes flickered to Marty, who was now focused on loading the dishwasher, afraid that Beth would direct her attention to her lack of a love life. Since that was the last thing that she needed at the moment, she decided that staying quiet and out of Beth’s radar was for the best. At least, it was the best thing for her.

Tristan was on his own.

Beth’s eyebrows shot up while Denny gave her a “duh” look. She mouthed Marty’s name and both men threw their hands up in frustration.

“Really, woman, where have you been?” Tom asked, shaking his head in wonder.

“You know, for a professor and a nosy mother, you’re really not all that observant,” Denny said as he stood up and walked over to the counter to cut two large slices of cake while Tom made his way to the fridge and poured two glasses of milk. The men sat down and ate their cake, leaving Beth to process this new information.

She looked at Marty, who was almost finished with the dishes, and then back at the men with a calculating gleam in her eyes. “Are you sure?”

Denny shook his head as he looked at his father. “Perhaps we should consider having her committed.”

“I’d have to agree. I’m surprised that she didn’t notice years ago and take matters into her own hands,” Tom said, finishing off his milk.

Beth looked back at Marty and murmured, “Hmm, interesting. I guess I overlooked a few things.”

“I’ll say,” Denny scoffed.

Marty frowned when she noticed three sets of eyes locked on her. “What? Did I spill something?” she asked, looking down at her clothes.

“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart. Why don’t you grab yourself a slice of cake and have a seat,” Tom said with a warm smile as Danny licked his fork clean.

“While you’re up, could you grab me a slice?”

“You’ve already had cake,” Beth said.

“But…” Denny said with a look of longing at the chocolate fudge cake with extra fudge frosting.

“Besides, if you have another slice, there won’t be any for Tristan,” Beth pointed out with a satisfied sigh as she grabbed a picnic basket from the pantry.

“Fine. I’ll take it over. At least I know my brother won’t deny me more cake,” Denny said with a heavy sigh.

Beth smiled brightly at Marty, “Actually, I think Marty should bring the basket over. By the time she finishes dropping off the food, Hank should be home and she can drag him over here for dinner.”

For years, Beth had stayed out of the rift between her and Tristan. She seemed to understand and accept that they’d grown apart. Marty was curious at the sudden change and really wished that she’d paid a little more attention to their conversation instead of focusing on the dishes and hoping that Beth wouldn’t shift her attention to her.

“Okay, I could do that,” Marty said hesitantly, watching Beth closely as she tried to figure out what she was up to.

“Great!” Beth said brightly. “When you get back, you can have some cake.”

“If I don’t eat it first,” Denny muttered with heartfelt sigh as he stared longingly at the cake.

Beth dragged the picnic basket over to the fridge and started to load it with leftover fried chicken, potato salad, pot roast, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. Then, she placed half the cake into a cake carrier and somehow managed to fit that inside the basket as well.

“Here,” Beth said as she practically shoved the basket in Marty’s arms, causing Marty to stumble back.

“Ah, Mom, maybe I should carry it over for her?” Denny asked, looking concerned as he got to his feet. “That basket might be a little too heavy for her.”

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