Page 22 of Faking I Do
I backed away, feeling the need to take a nice, hot shower to rid myself of the heebie-jeebies that seemed to ooze out of Buck Little and taint anyone within a five-foot radius. I left my dad and pops to the mayor and moved toward the kitchen, where the smell of cumin and cilantro called.
“Hey, Mom.” I stopped behind where my mother stood at the counter, a glass of white wine in hand.
“Well, hello, sweetheart. What a nice surprise.” She tilted her head up. The smell of expensive perfume hit my nose as I pressed an obligatory kiss to her cheek.
“Dad said Maria was here with tamales.” I lifted my brows as I stalked toward where Maria stood, folding husks together to form her mouthwatering tamales.
“Your mom didn’t tell me you were coming.” She turned, giving me a hug, being careful to hold her hands out since they were covered in cornmeal.
“I didn’t know I was coming either until Dad mentioned your tamales.” I pulled her in close. Auntie Ria had been a fixture in my life for years. She and her husband had never had kids, so she used to spoil me rotten when I was younger.
“How long has it been?” She turned back to the task at hand.
I settled half my butt on a kitchen stool and watched her scoop, roll, and tie the tamales into neatly bound packages of deliciousness. “Been too long. You need to move back closer where we can see you more often.”
She and her husband had moved to Austin years ago. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had one of her home-cooked dinners.
“Why don’t you help set the table, sweetheart?” my mom said, taking a sip of her wine.
“Who else is coming?” I asked, already heading for the cabinet where we stored the hand-thrown ceramic plates.
“Who knows? This is your father’s deal.” She set her glass down on the counter and reached for the silverware drawer.
I nodded. My mom had always steered clear of my dad’s business dealings. I didn’t blame her. Ignorance was bliss. Or at least ignorance didn’t keep her up at night, wondering what kind of business her husband was dealing in. I wished I could look the other way like she seemed to be able to do. But it took more than shopping trips to Dallas or cruises to the French Riviera to distract me. My mom might be willing to embrace the oblivion, but I had a moral obligation to keep my family on the straight and narrow.
By the time dinner was ready we’d been joined by Mayor Little’s second-in-command along with his wife and son. I felt for the ten-year-old kid. He’d probably much rather be home playing video games or out with his friends.
As the older men covered safe topics like the price of oil and whether or not the Cowboys had been cheated out of a Super Bowl run, I kept my head down, listening to the conversation and enjoying every single bite. By the time my mom pulled out the flan, I’d stuffed myself so full I couldn’t possibly eat anything else.
“We’re heading over to the office to talk shop.” My dad rose from the table. “Gentlemen?”
Although the meal had been one I’d remember for a long time, I had no intention of getting caught up in conversation with my dad and Mayor Little.
“Wish I could stick around but I’ve got to go.” I gave my mom a peck on the cheek, hugged Maria, and offered my hand to my dad.
“Buck wants to have a little chat with you, son.” Dad leaned in, his beer breath brushing against my ear.
“Not tonight. I’ve got a prior commitment.” I pulled my hand away and took long strides toward the foyer.
Dad followed. “It would be in your best interest to join us for a cigar and a whiskey.” With his thumbs tucked into the belt loops of his jeans, he leveled a penetrating gaze at me.
“Like I said, wish I could.” I grabbed my cowboy hat off the hook by the front door. “Maybe another time.”
I left the house, pulling the huge hand-carved door closed behind me. As I walked down the path to my truck, I let out a breath. My dad was getting too close to Mayor Little. Something was going on, and I’d better figure it out before Lacey did. If she caught wind of something unsavory taking place she’d latch on like a dog with a soup bone. I couldn’t let that happen.
CHAPTER 12
LACEY
“I can’t believe allthe stuff they left behind.” I opened up another cardboard box. I’d conned Zina into helping me sort through some of the stuff left in the warehouse. Shelves filled with boxes lined the walls. Valentine’s decorations mixed in with birthday party paper supplies. We’d even come across an entire pallet full of garden gnomes.
“They had a very eclectic assortment.” Zina held up a figurine. “Why in the world would they carry something like this? I don’t even know what it is.”
I paused sorting through a carton of novelty pencil toppers. “Maybe they had an order to supply the high school mascot. Or one of their retailers could be big into beavers.”
Zina snorted. “Big into beavers or into big beavers?”
The beaver’s tail seemed disproportionately large based on the smaller size of its body. “Either way, they sure have a lot of beavers.”
