Page 73 of Healed
“Help yourself. You don’t have to be so formal. We are definitely not formal,” Daisy said, opening the basket to offer him his choice. After he chose one, he smiled at her and stood next to her, which of course made her blush.
Charlie kept relaxedly glancing at Havoc, waiting for him to message or call the males of the family. He knew Havoc had said he already did, but there was no doubt in Charlie’s mind that he had not, so either he lied to his wife, or he was getting ready to contact them. Again… strange goings on around here.
“I hear somebody’s cooking steaks!” Lucien shouted as he rounded the driveway and walked into the side yard where Havoc’s grill was all set up complete with a large picnic table and lounge chairs.
“Yes, indeed!” Havoc answered. “Hey, you met my man Charlie?”
Lucien was wearing a pair of denim shorts and an unbuttoned short sleeved, collared, summertime shirt.
Havoc turned to him and scowled. “I told you to put your damn clothes on when you around my house!”
“Why? You worried your woman will like me better than you?” Lucien asked.
“Hey! You could have waited on me!” Hellen insisted, coming up behind them all.
“But, baby, it’s just across the street, and they are having meat, baby. Steaks! I had to get here quick. I’m starving.”
“You just ate the sandwich I made you,” Hellen said.
“But this is steak. On the grill, baby,” Lucien said.
“Jesus,” she grumbled. Then she noticed Daisy and Charlie sitting at the picnic table. “Daisy! Charlie! Hey, y’all!” she went over and started talking to them, helped herself to one of Daisy’s toaster pastries before Daisy even told her she’d brought them, and tuned out everything else.
“Lucien?” Havoc said.
Lucien was investigating the baked potato fixings when Havoc called him and glanced up at him.
Havoc tilted his head away from Lucien and toward the barbecue grill a couple of times, inviting him to come closer.
“What?” Lucien asked.
“Come here,” Havoc ordered.
Lucien went, but reminded Havoc with every step that he needed to stop ordering him around. “You know if you weren’t my brother in law, I’d have eaten you by now, right? Stop ordering me around, ass.”
“You’re confused, my dad is called ass. I’m just the awe inspiring Havoc,” Havoc teased. He leaned his head close to Lucien’s and whispered his newfound knowledge regarding the man who hurt Daisy in his ear.
“The hell you say?!” Lucien exclaimed.
“What? What is the hell he said?” Hellen asked.
“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out myself,” Lucien said, shooting her a flirtatious smile, while blinking his eyes slowly at her.
“He’s up to something,” Hellen said, going back to her conversation with Daisy and Charlie, and Analise now that she’d joined them as well.
“I’m telling you, Charlie knows the guy’s name. Daisy told him,” Havoc said.
“Charlie! Come visit with us!” Lucien said. “Let us save you from all those women.”
“I’m coming,” Charlie said. “Going to hang out with the testosterone,” he joked.
As soon as he got close enough Lucien threw an arm across his shoulders and stared him in the eye up close and personal. “Daisy gave you a name?”
Charlie looked at Lucien and then at Havoc. Havoc nodded.
“Yeah, she did.”
“Good. We’re taking a road trip. Maybe even tomorrow if we can work it out,” Lucien said.
