said staring at the roast with distaste. “Maybe we should just have pie.”
She gave me a halfhearted smile and sank onto a chair at the kitchen table. “It all started out just fine. Daddy picked me up yesterday so we could spend Christmas Eve together. I cooked supper for us and all, and we talked about my momma, how much we miss her. Then I made a mistake.”
The Idahos scrubbed clean, I popped them in the micro and set the timer. “What did you do?”
“I told him how I felt about Paulo.”
“Oh, I see.” I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel and poured us both a glass of wine. Lee was about to refuse but I said, “Consider it medicinal. Under the circumstances.”
She treated me to another wobbly smile and took a sip. “Nice.”
“So you told Daddy…”
“He went crazy, Deva. Plumb crazy. Started raving like a madman. I calmed him down by saying nothing had happened.” Lee’s pale face turned pink. “Nothing has,” she murmured with a quick glance out to the living room. “So the rest of the night was fine. Then today when I said I had to leave to come here, he started up again. That’s when I called y’all, but he grabbed the phone and forced me into the bedroom. I was about to climb out the window when I heard Paulo’s voice.”
Thoughts of my own father, of how pleased he had been when I told him about Jack, flooded my mind. What a shame Lee wouldn’t have a similar happy memory. “Your daddy needs to understand you’re a grown woman now,” I said as gently as I could.
Lee placed her glass on the table. Twirling the stem between her fingers, she stared at it as she spoke. “I’m not sure he ever will. Until he does, I have no Daddy.” She sipped the wine. “It’ll be better that way,” she added, but from the pain in her eyes I could tell she didn’t mean it.
“Be careful at night walking home from work.”
She nodded. “When Paulo can’t meet me, I’ll get a ride home with Brad, the pub manager.”
“Good.” I doubted Merle would try messing with Brad again.
I lifted the meat off the platter and put it back into the roaster. No question, it would be overdone, but overdone would be better than room temperature. Though not by much. When the Idahos were nuked, I tucked them in the oven along with the meat and a foil-wrapped loaf of garlic bread. The tomatoes and asparagus would have to take their turn in the micro. Plan B had its flaws.
Simon sauntered into the kitchen. “I’m going upstairs for another bottle of the Pinot. Won’t be a minute.” He glanced from Lee to me then back again. “Girl talk?”
I nodded.
“Rossi wants another beer. I’ll get it for him,” Simon opened my fridge like he owned it, removed a can of Bud and disappeared from the kitchen.
“The food’s under control for now. Let’s join the men,” I said.
“Gracious, I’m forgetting all the manners Momma taught me,” Lee said, jumping up and following me into the living room.
I was eager to get back to Rossi. To see if he’d discuss the case. At least I told myself that was the reason. When we entered the living room, Paulo leaped to his feet, his eyes shining on Lee. Rossi? He remained sprawled at his ease in a club chair, looking perfectly at home. He raised his beer can in a silent salute but didn’t say a word about the case. Or anything else, for that matter. Which, to tell the truth, was about what I expected.
Anyway, Simon returned with more wine and shortly thereafter, Lee helped me serve dinner. The meat had the texture of Goodyear rubber, but Simon and Rossi both had seconds of everything. Paulo ate very little, throughout dinner hardly tearing his gaze from Lee sitting across from him.
As we lingered over dessert, she said, “I want to thank y’all for what you did today, coming for me and everything. And for this beautiful dinner, Deva, that almost got ruint. But I have to tell you something y’all don’t know.” She drew in a deep breath as if talking about the
She gave me a halfhearted smile and sank onto a chair at the kitchen table. “It all started out just fine. Daddy picked me up yesterday so we could spend Christmas Eve together. I cooked supper for us and all, and we talked about my momma, how much we miss her. Then I made a mistake.”
The Idahos scrubbed clean, I popped them in the micro and set the timer. “What did you do?”
“I told him how I felt about Paulo.”
“Oh, I see.” I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel and poured us both a glass of wine. Lee was about to refuse but I said, “Consider it medicinal. Under the circumstances.”
She treated me to another wobbly smile and took a sip. “Nice.”
“So you told Daddy…”
“He went crazy, Deva. Plumb crazy. Started raving like a madman. I calmed him down by saying nothing had happened.” Lee’s pale face turned pink. “Nothing has,” she murmured with a quick glance out to the living room. “So the rest of the night was fine. Then today when I said I had to leave to come here, he started up again. That’s when I called y’all, but he grabbed the phone and forced me into the bedroom. I was about to climb out the window when I heard Paulo’s voice.”
Thoughts of my own father, of how pleased he had been when I told him about Jack, flooded my mind. What a shame Lee wouldn’t have a similar happy memory. “Your daddy needs to understand you’re a grown woman now,” I said as gently as I could.
Lee placed her glass on the table. Twirling the stem between her fingers, she stared at it as she spoke. “I’m not sure he ever will. Until he does, I have no Daddy.” She sipped the wine. “It’ll be better that way,” she added, but from the pain in her eyes I could tell she didn’t mean it.
“Be careful at night walking home from work.”
She nodded. “When Paulo can’t meet me, I’ll get a ride home with Brad, the pub manager.”
“Good.” I doubted Merle would try messing with Brad again.
I lifted the meat off the platter and put it back into the roaster. No question, it would be overdone, but overdone would be better than room temperature. Though not by much. When the Idahos were nuked, I tucked them in the oven along with the meat and a foil-wrapped loaf of garlic bread. The tomatoes and asparagus would have to take their turn in the micro. Plan B had its flaws.
Simon sauntered into the kitchen. “I’m going upstairs for another bottle of the Pinot. Won’t be a minute.” He glanced from Lee to me then back again. “Girl talk?”
I nodded.
“Rossi wants another beer. I’ll get it for him,” Simon opened my fridge like he owned it, removed a can of Bud and disappeared from the kitchen.
“The food’s under control for now. Let’s join the men,” I said.
“Gracious, I’m forgetting all the manners Momma taught me,” Lee said, jumping up and following me into the living room.
I was eager to get back to Rossi. To see if he’d discuss the case. At least I told myself that was the reason. When we entered the living room, Paulo leaped to his feet, his eyes shining on Lee. Rossi? He remained sprawled at his ease in a club chair, looking perfectly at home. He raised his beer can in a silent salute but didn’t say a word about the case. Or anything else, for that matter. Which, to tell the truth, was about what I expected.
Anyway, Simon returned with more wine and shortly thereafter, Lee helped me serve dinner. The meat had the texture of Goodyear rubber, but Simon and Rossi both had seconds of everything. Paulo ate very little, throughout dinner hardly tearing his gaze from Lee sitting across from him.
As we lingered over dessert, she said, “I want to thank y’all for what you did today, coming for me and everything. And for this beautiful dinner, Deva, that almost got ruint. But I have to tell you something y’all don’t know.” She drew in a deep breath as if talking about the
Similar Books
