"Nina?" He sounded worried. "You don't want kids at all?"
"No, I do. I do. I don't know about four, but I do want kids. Someday."
He glanced at me. "Someday?"
"Someday." I didn't know when. How did a person know when?
In the streetlight, I could see him nod. "I suppose we should just get it all out."
"All?"
"Everything."
"Like?" I asked, wishing my ice cream wasn't a puddle in a cup on the floorboard. I could use some fortification right now.
"How do you feel about marriage?"
I groaned.
"Well, that answers that."
"Don't get me wrong. I think I could marry again . . ."
"Someday."
"Exactly."
I noticed his finger had stopped rubbing my palm.
"What about relocating?" he asked.
"Relocating? Where?"
"Anywhere."
Moving? I just couldn't see it. This is where my family was. As dysfunctional as they were, I loved them and couldn't imagine not being near them. And work . . . Tam, Kit.
And Riley.
"I don't think so."
I wondered at the turn in the conversation. A rather large part of me wished we were back at the drive-in, making out.
Hating the silence, I struggled to find something to say to ease the sudden tension.
And couldn't find one thing.
Mostly because my thoughts kept turning back to Russ Grabinsky. I was debating whether or not I should call Kevin about the man who threatened Greta.
Then I kept thinking that I should just stay out of it.
But . . . The man from Greta's kitchen had had a very identifiable wedding ring. If I could just find him . . .
No, no, no, my inner voice chanted.
And what about Bill and Lindsey? Why had they hired me if the lawsuit against the Grabinskys had been dropped? Had they really not known? Was it even true?
Then it hit me. The lawsuit. The man in Greta's kitchen had said he'd had it dropped. All I needed to do was find out who'd been behind it. Then I'd know who threatened Greta. And who had motive to kill Russ.
If Russ had been murdered.
That was a big if.
Though the more I learned about Russ Grabinsky, the more I wondered why he hadn't been bumped off before now.
". . . feel about being a stay-at-home mom?"
My head snapped up as I caught the tail end of what Bobby had been saying.
He laughed.
"Sorry," I said.
"The lawsuit?" he asked as he turned onto my street. "I called Josh but he hasn't gotten back to me yet."
Josh. His cousin, the lawyer. Who I prayed could get me out of this mess. "I can't help it," I said.
The Mill was relatively silent. I noticed that Mr. Cabrera's house was dark, but his big red Pontiac, aka the Beast, was parked in his driveway.
My gaze automatically skipped to Boom-Boom's house, where it was also dark. I wondered what was going on between the two of them, if anything. After all, Mr. Cabrera had been kissing Brickhouse just that morning.
However, I wouldn't put two-timing past him.
Bobby cut the engine, turned to me. "Well, I think I know how to get you to stop thinking all together."
My mouth went dry. "Yeah?"
"Oh yeah. Let's go in."
I walked up the front steps. Okay, so I ran up them. Big
deal. As I dug around in my backpack for my keys, Bobby wrapped his arms around me, kissed my neck.
Keys, keys, keys, I repeated to myself, trying to concentrate.
I tipped my head up, bit my lip when he found a sensitive spot under my ear. And froze.
"What?" Bobby asked, looking around.
"My lights are on inside."
"And?"
"I haven't been home since this morning. I didn't leave them on."
"Maybe Riley?"
"He's at Kevin's."
"Maybe he came home early?" he asked, then mumbled something about bad luck.
"Kevin would have called."
"Maybe we should call the police?"
As I debated this, my front door flung open. "Chérie! You're home!"
I stared in disbelief. "Mom?"
"Is she finally here?" I heard.
My eyes widened. "Maria?"
"Bobby!" My mother air-kissed his cheeks.
My sister Maria did the same.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked, still staring.
"A surprise makeover! Surprise! We parked down the block and everything!"
"Wh-What?" I mumbled.
"For your house. Really, Nina, it was so outdated," Maria said. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a fancy chignon, and only she could look gorgeous in a pair of overalls. Paint splattered the front of them.
Orange paint.
Oh dear God. She was painting something orange.
In my house.
I had to stop her.
Just as I opened my mouth, my mother said, "Now, now, chérie. I know this must be overwhelming, but it must be done. No arguing."
"But—"
My mother stood firm. "No buts. Knickers and knots, Nina. Knickers and knots."
"Want to rethink relocating?" Bobby joked from behind me.
I turned and gave him the Ceceri Evil Eye. It had no effect whatsoever, which told me a lot. Men not affected by the Ceceri Evil Eye were keepers.
The forever after kind of keepers.
I swallowed hard.
"Where's Dad?" I asked.
My mother waved a manicured hand, tucked a loose piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Off doing whatever he does on Saturday nights."
"You don't know what he does?"
She waved off my concern. "Some club or another. Historians Unite, or some such."
Ohh-kay. I looked to Maria. "Where's Nate?"
"Boys' weekend. They're fishing," she said with a grossedout look. No wonder she hadn't been asked along. "Took the dog with him, thank God."
Gracie, a Chihuahua, was as high maintenance as my sister.
Bobby leaned down, his breath warm against my ear. Oh yeah. Now I remembered why we were in a rush to get here. "We could go to my place."
My mother's eyes lit. "His place!" She turned to Maria. "Did you hear that? His place!"
I closed my eyes, wishing I had relocated a long time ago.
"It's about time," Maria said to me. "Maybe you'll stop being so testy."
I stepped forward, fists clenched. "I'll show you testy."
Bobby grabbed my arm.
"Snappy too," Maria added.
I heard Bobby sigh. I knew the feeling. I turned to face him. "I think I maybe need to stay here tonight."
He smiled. God, I loved his smile. "It's okay."
"No, it's not!" my mother said. "Go with him. Go! Go!"
What did it say about my life that my mother was prodding me to go home with a man?
"Orange," I said to Bobby under my breath, by way of explanation.
"Come on," he said. "Walk me to my car."
He opened the Celica's door, gave me a hug, held me close.
As we stood there, a whirring noise caught my attention. I looked up just in time to see a golf cart whizzing down the street, Boom-Boom at the wheel, Mr. Cabrera next to her.
Brickhouse was going to kill him.
Boom-Boom beeped and waved at us as she swerved into her driveway.
"If you change your mind . . ." Bobby said, leaving the offer dangling.
"I'll call."
He gave me a quick kiss, ducked into the car. The engine purred to life. "Nina," he said.
"Hmm?"
"We really do need to talk," he said.
My heart backpedaled.
Talk? Talk was never good.
"Why? About what?"
His eyebrows dipped. "I've got something important to ask you."
"Me?" Oh. My. God. He had something to ask me?
"Oh." Panic set in. My stomach churned.
"Maybe tomorrow?"
I nodded and closed the door. He waved as he backed out of the driveway. I watched him drive away, then turned toward my house.
Orange.
Ugh.
Instead of going in, I headed straight into my backyard, cut through it, and took refuge in Mr. Cabrera's gazebo. I fished in my backpack for my cell phone.
"Help," I said to Ana when she answered. "I need to be rescued."
"How do you know I'm not on a date?"
"Are you on a date?"
"No. S and I had a falling out."
"About?"
"His name. Besides, he never liked my mother, anyway."
"That's when she was going to be living with you. If I were him, I wouldn't like that either." My aunt Rosa had recently changed her mind about moving to town and living with Ana. Ana hadn't quite decided whether she was relieved or hurt by the decision, even though she really hadn't wanted her mother living with her.
I sympathized.
"Whose side are you on?" she asked.
"There's no sides! I'm just saying. Look, you can tell me all about it when you pick me up."
"You have perfect timing, Nina. I'm about to go on a mission. I'll be there in ten minutes. And I'm bringing the wigs."
"Oh no. Not the wigs!"
"We have to use the wigs!"
"Well, all right. But I want to be a blonde this time."
I hung up, closed my eyes, replaying what Bobby had said.
I've got something important to ask you.
I prayed he wasn't going to propose.
I didn't know how I was going to tell him no.
Eleven
"Why not marry him?" Ana asked as she drove I-75 south, toward the city.
I looked at her like she was crazy. Actually, she was crazy. It wasn't much of a stretch. "Maybe because I'm not divorced yet?"
"You will be in what? Two weeks?"
Eight days.
My stomach hurt.
"It's too soon," I said.
"Do you love him?"
Did I? I'd only known him five months. Did people fall in love in five months? "I don't know."
"I'd marry him. He's hot."
I couldn't help but laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."
"I don't like the blonde on you, Nina. You look too . . . I don't know."
I peeked in the lighted visor mirror. "Kato Kaelin?"
She banged the steering wheel with her fist. "Yes!"
"Well, it's only for one night." I sighed. "Why are we even doing this?"
"Jean-Claude, that's why."
Oh yeah. Jean-Claude.
"If he's violating his probation, then I have to take action."
Action as in sending Jean-Claude to lockup. A shame, because he only had two more months before he was a completely free man.
That made my stomach hurt too. Jean-Claude had become more than an employee to me. He was a friend.
And here I was helping to get him sent away.
But what if he's doing something dangerous? my inner voice asked.
I thought about that for a second. If he was a gigolo, as I suspected, then he was definitely doing something illegal, but dangerous? I supposed it wasn't the safest job.
And if he was stealing cars again?
Definitely dangerous. And illegal.
And not something I could condone.
I sighed. What was going on with him?
I wasn't happy being part of this whole bounty hunter thing Ana had going on, but as his friend, I wanted to help Jean-Claude. It was just hard to figure out what kind of help he needed.
"So," I asked, "where are we going exactly?"
"We're going to do a little recon." Ana whipped one of her long fake tresses over her shoulder.
"Recon?"
"A reconnaissance mission."
I arched an eyebrow. "You've been reading too many Tom Clancy novels."
"You know I only read sci-fi, but I did see some of those movies. Harrison Ford. Hubba hubba."
"You've got to be kidding," I said, watching headlights zip by, heading north.
"What? You like Ben Affleck?"
"Not really. But I'd take him over Harrison Ford."
Ana's face scrunched in disgust. "You've obviously been sniffing too much manure."
"Harrison Ford is old enough to be our grandfather!"
"That's only because Nana married Grandpa 'Zo when she was thirteen."
"So? Still old enough."
She held firm. "He's hot."
"Ew!"
"I also had a crush on that Law & Order guy. The one who just died."
I could picture his face but didn't know the name. "You're serious?"
"He was cute."
I shook my head. "This could be the root of all your failed relationships."
"Nah," she said, changing lanes. "They're cute, but not the marrying kind."
"Who is the marrying kind?"
"Your Bobby."
I groaned. This subject needed to veer off me ASAP. "What happened with you and S?"
She fidgeted. "His name."
"His name?"
"It's Shakespeare!" Her voice rose. "I can't date a guy named Shakespeare Larue!"
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
"You better not be laughing!"
"Or?" A chuckle escaped.
"Argh!"
"He was a nice guy."
"I know. It's too bad."
I shook my head. "Maybe you ought to give him a second chance."
She shrugged.
I took it to mean that she'd consider a second chance if she became desperate enough—which usually happened twice a week.
"Did you get any information from Harry von Barber? Is that what this recon mission is all about?"
"I called but he didn't return it. I went to his apartment, but he wasn't there."
"Avoiding you?"
"Probably thinks I'm going to try to line him up another job with a crazy lady."
"Ha. Ha."
An eighteen wheeler rumbled past, shaking Ana's little SUV. "I went to his apartment, but he wasn't home. Luckily, his roommate, Flora, recognized the picture of Jean-Claude."
I perked up. "Oh?"
"Saw him in the Blue Zone once."
A glowing haze hovered over the city, the bright lights illuminating the night sky. The highway split off to I-71 north, and narrowed as it approached the bridge spanning the Ohio River. On the other side sat Newport, Kentucky, where we were headed.
Over the past few years, Newport had grown into a family friendly area. Newport on the Levee was a booming spot along the river that boasted boutique shops, a movie theater, restaurants, a book store, an IMAX theater, the Newport Aquarium, and amazing views of downtown Cincinnati.
Along with the growth came the Blue Zone, an upscale adult entertainment area a few blocks south of the river. The Blue Zone was a single street catering to an adult's every whim, from microbreweries to massage parlors, from fortune-tellers to a pricy sports bar where all the local pro players hung out after the game.
It was assumed that more could be attained at the massage parlors than a massage, and more than your palm could be read at the fortune-teller. I wondered if it was at one of these places that Jean-Claude worked.
"Did Flora say where she'd seen Jean-Claude?"
"He."
"Hmm?"
Ana exited the highway. "Flora's a he. I think. A very pretty he at that. I didn't ask for proof."
Digging Up Trouble Page 9