Page 33 of Two Sticky Nuts

“Oh. Wow. That is very…special.”

“It is. This is why Mr. Strike and I are starting our own line of exotic oils. It will be called the Pleasures of Chef M. Jean.”

Suddenly, a woman wearing an apron covered in blue stuff emerges from the kitchen. “Chef, we need you.”

“Did Rafael blow up the blueberry compote again?” he scorns. “I will fire him this instant.” Chef Jean looks at me. “My apologies, Mila, but I must leave you now.”

“No problem.”

Chef Jean snaps at a passing waiter and instructs him to fill my champagne glass. I’ve already had two on an empty stomach. Plus, I need to drive my clunker home, and one headlight is out. Not that I ever drive drunk, but there’s a chance I’ll get pulled over. I really need to eat something and start preparing to go home.

“Excuse me,” I say to the waiter, “but can I see a menu?”

“Right away,” he says.

“I hope you’re not ordering without me?” says a deep, smooth voice.

I look up to find Logan removing his black jacket. He puts it on the chair back. “Sorry about making you wait, but there was a small issue I had to deal with.” He sits across from me, and I notice his knuckles are bloody and raw.

“What happened?”

He lets out a low growl. “Let’s just say I found Carter and leave it at that.”

“You found him and got into a fight?”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Logan says sternly.

“Okay, but I hope you gave him a good thumping on my behalf.”Fucking jerk.

“A good thumping, yes. But sadly it was for another reason.” Logan still looks pissed off. “Let’s not ruin what’s going to be the most amazing meal of your life.”

“I’m fine if you want to talk about it. Looks like you might need a little venting,” I say.

“No. I prefer not to air our dirty laundry to strangers.”

“I’m practically your brother’s girlfriend,” I joke. “That almost makes me family.”

He unbuttons one cuff and starts rolling up the sleeve. “If you really want to know, Carter was at the hospital with Bob. It’s the same hospital where my mother is at. Carter refused to see her. Couldn’t be bothered.”

That’s strange. This Bob guy and their mother are at the same hospital? Here in Dallas?I sense I’m about to uncover more of Carter’s ridiculous lies, but I stay on topic for Logan’s sake.

“Why’s he refusing to see her?” I ask.

“Because he’s a coward. That’s why.”

I’m guessing that means Carter doesn’t want to confront reality. Somehow, I’m not surprised.

“I’m really sorry, Logan. That’s pretty terrible, having to go through all this with your mother on your own.”

“I’m fine. We actually have a lot of family, so they’re helping out and spending time with her when I can’t be there. Soon we’ll be moving her to a private hospice she picked out. It’s by a lake up north with a view of the water. I honestly thought hearing that would change Carter’s mind about seeing her, that it might make him understand this is really happening.”

I don’t know what to say. On one hand, what a selfish dick. Carter should put aside whatever feelings he has and just be there for his mom. On the other hand, I really don’t know Carter. Everyone deals with this sort of stuff in different ways.

“I had a goldfish when I was ten,” I say. “It died, as all goldfish do when left to the devices of a child.”

“And?”

“Well, Mr. Potato Chip stayed floating in his bowl for five days because I refused to let my mom bury him. I kept telling myself he was just sleeping and would wake up any second. Then, on the sixth day, the smell got really bad, so I flushed him down the toilet.”

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