Page 74 of The Fun Part
“Mom wants you to be happy,” Bill says.
Sutton frowns and bites into a brownie.
“So tell me about you, Mackenzie,” Bill says. “Sutton speaks highly of you.”
“I think she’s awesome too.”
“Mackenzie does amazing work,” Cal says.
I smile, surprised to hear him say it. “Thank you. I didn’t know you knew much about my work.”
“I worked with you on that conflict-of-interest case. You’re smart, organized, efficient yet still know when to pass the work on to your teammates. You’re a team player.”
Bill lifts his brows. “High praise from Cal.”
The doorbell rings.
Sutton pops up from her seat. “My fiancé is here!”
I look toward the door. John is a lanky guy in his twenties wearing a faded black T-shirt and jeans. He’s scruffy looking, his light brown hair on the longish side with an unkempt beard. His eyes shift around the room warily. If ever a man looked guilty, it’s this one. You would think he’d feel perfectly comfortable with Sutton’s family after eight years.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
Sutton walks to his side. “Remember I told you Cal’s stopping by for a visit, and Mackenzie’s my boss at Brooks Campbell Security. I told them we should get takeout and have a little engagement party. Oh! Mackenzie, this is John, my fiancé.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say.
He lifts a hand. “You too. Cal.”
“John,” Cal says flatly.
Bill sips his beer and says nothing.
“Would you like a brownie?” Sutton asks John cheerfully, smoothing over the tension.
“Nah, I had something before I got here.”
Sutton gestures toward the sofa. “Come and sit. I’ll get you a beer.”
John perches on the arm of the sofa near where Sutton was sitting. Sutton hurries into the kitchen. He didn’t even thank Sutton for getting him a beer.
“Congratulations on your engagement,” I say to John.
“That’s what she wanted,” John says. “It was that or she walks.”
“Maybe she should’ve walked,” Cal says under his breath.
Bill jumps in. “John, how’s your dad?”
“Same old, same old.”
The doorbell rings. Bill looks over. “Now who could that be?”
Sutton returns and hands John his beer. He still doesn’t thank her. Just pops the top and takes a long swallow.
Cal opens the door to a woman with brown curly hair in a messy ponytail. Her face is tear-streaked with mascara, and she’s wearing a long sweater over her very pregnant belly.
18
