by J R Pearson
I vowed to forget Caleb.
I also called my mom, fake coughing and saying I was too sick to attend dinner that night. If I was going to forget Caleb, I didn’t want to be pelted with questions regarding my nonexistent love life.
“Jennie Marie Peterson. I’ve raised five kids during both flu and allergy seasons for years. I know a phony cough when I hear one. Don’t think you have me fooled. What am I supposed to tell your father? That his daughter wants to skip out of family dinner to do God-knows-what?”
“Mom, I—”
“Hold on dear-It’s just Jennie!” my mom shouted, then paused. “Oh, all right! I’ve got to go, dear. No more excuses, young lady. See you at six.”
Sighing, I dialed Debbie to tell her about what I found out about Maria and the break-in. Since she’d contributed in helping me, I’d like to keep her updated, while at the same time warning her that she could also become the victim of crushed cookies.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Do the police know who did it?” she asked.
“They do.”
“That quick?” Surprise laced her voice.
“It was easy for them. Apparently this guy has a history. Cody Johnson.” I gave her the rundown. “At the moment he’s posing as Tyler Cunningham. You heard of him?”
“No, I haven’t, but I can ask around for you. And let me know if I can do anything else.” she offered. I thanked her, then hung up.
“Hellooooo, Jennie!” Mandy snapped her fingers in my face. “Did you hear me? I asked if you wanted to do a double date with Josh’s brother, Steven? I know, I know, lobster tails before males, but Steven is a sweetheart. He’s single and smells like salami-oh! We could be sisters-in-law!”
Uhh….
How did hours of brooding go by fast to the point where six-o’clock smacked me in the face? It happened, and now I was on my way to my childhood home, located in Greenville suburbia. I had to park in front of the mailbox since my brothers’ vehicles clogged the driveway. Not complaining, as it was a perfect spot in case I needed a quick escape.
As I walked up the steps, loud voices drifted through the door. Sunday night dinners were bittersweet. The bitter: A house full of people wanting to talk constantly over each other, and where the honor of secret keeping held no value. The sweet: My mother’s cooking. Period.
Inside, I rounded the corner into the dining room and was immediately jumped by my brothers.
“What’s up, bubba?”
“How’s our favorite sister?”
I’m their only sister.
“Mom says you have a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, where is he?”
To clear this up for you folks at home, the many voices were coming from my four older brothers—Kevin, Kyle, Kent, and Kal. The eldest at thirty, Kevin is a very successful environmentalist lawyer whose amazing services impacted several towns. Kyle, twenty-eight, is a firefighter who happily poses for the firehouse’s “Hot Guy” calendar. I’m still scarred after seeing him wear nothing but a heart-printed speedo for the month of February. Kent, twenty-seven and the center child, is the head of security at the Greenville Inn. He’s buff and always shared weird facts about anything and everything. And Kal, the youngest son at twenty-four, is a bartender at Triple B’s. Lucky. They all have my dad’s good looks, square jaw, straight jet-black hair, and standing over six feet. Evidently, while Mom was still pregnant with me, the universe ripped up my dad’s gene recipe and switched it for hers.
Two teaspoons of bright green eyes.
A sprinkle of pudgy cheeks.
Three cups of evil light brown curls.
Five whopping gallons of shortness.
And a pinch of sarcasm.
Enjoy, baby Jennie!
It wasn’t fair.
“Quit looking like you’re going to bolt out of here and sit down.” Kevin chuckled.
I kissed my dad’s cheek before taking a spot next to him.
“How are you?” he asked. My dad was retired military, sporting a salt-and-pepper buzz cut and a thick mustache. Growing up, my dad would make every little boy piss who came looking for me piss his pants. I didn’t mind because I knew he was a harmless teddy bear at heart. When he laughed it was loud and thunderous, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Good, thanks,” I replied.
He jerked a thumb at the door.
“Is the young man parking the car?”
I took my time folding a napkin in my lap, not looking up. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid.
“No, he couldn’t make it. Work stuff.” I shrugged. Would that be considered a semi-lie?
“That’s got to be the oldest excuse in the book.” Kal narrowed his eyes. “He’s lying to you.”
“What does he do for a living?” Kevin asked.
I opened my mouth to tell them it wasn’t a big deal when Kyle cut in.
“I bet he’s some punk-ass artist who paints stupid little aardvarks in his stupid penthouse, wearing stupid boot-cut jeans.” His faced twisted in disgust.
“Okay, you really need to let Jessica go, dude.” Kevin laughed. “No one could’ve predicted she’d dump you for that painter—”
“Aardvarks! He paints freakin’ aardvarks! Why not something more interesting, like lemurs?” he exclaimed.
“Aardvarks are neat,” Kent stated. “Did you know they have the ability to seal their nostrils to keep insects and dust from going up their snout.”
Needless to say, we all just stared him into silence.
“Boys! Come help carry out the rest of the food!” my mom hollered from the kitchen window that overlooked the dining room. My brothers rushed out to help.
“There is no boyfriend,” my dad guessed, giving me a lopsided grin.
“No, and there never will be.” I sagged in my chair.
“Good. You don’t need one,” he declared, snagging a buttered roll from the middle of the table and popping it into his mouth.
“I saw that, Jim!” My mom’s face appeared at the window. “Jennie! Hi, honey. Where’s your new boyfriend?”
“He ditched her, Ma!” I heard Kyle say.
I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.
My shocked mother dramatically clutched the pearls around her throat.
“No!”
“He did,” Kyle confirmed. “Kal and I are going to track him down. I still have my old baseball bat in the trunk of my car.”
Am I the only one without a damn bat?
Beside me Dad shook his head, silently laughing.
“After dinner, though,” Kal said. “There’re bread crumbs in the mac and cheese, and I’m not leaving without some.”
Mom made yet another gorgeous dinner. The food glistened under the chandelier. If only someone could bottle up the smell that permeated the house and sell it in stores. It would be called Mama’s Home Cooking eau de parfum. Small bowls of steaming hot gravy, tomato sauce, buttered rolls, and corn bread sat at each end of the table. Sides included mushy peas, mashed potatoes with bacon bits, and two large pans of mac and cheese with bread crumbs. One night, years ago, Mom forgot to make two and made the mistake of setting it in the center of the table. My brothers and I ended up dog-piling on top, breaking one of the table’s legs.
The main course was honey garlic chicken, garnished with parsley. The honey glaze mixture Mom used to coat the chicken pooled underneath the boneless breasts. As usual, dessert was still in the kitchen on the counter. As if she read my mind, mom announced the dessert was a salty caramel-chocolate cake.
“I may or may not have added an extra layer of frosting.” She giggled as if she done something scandalous.
This dinner, like many others, was the reason why I didn’t care about being soft in the middle. I was full of my mom’s delicious cooking. Why would I try to work off a night of good food surrounded by family laughing and constant badgering by running on a treadmill?
Well, I didn’t mind shedding off that last part.
We dug in, and all that could
be heard were forks scraping plates, moans of approval, and the sound of the TV drifting in from the living room. Like clockwork, once everyone finished their first plate and began their second, Mom asked each of us how we were doing with jobs and relationships.
“Kal, when are you going to stop fighting with that nice young lady and just marry her already?” My mom shook her head at him.
“You talking about Felicity?” Kent cut in. I didn’t mistake the dreaminess in his eyes.
“How do you know about Felicity?” Kal glared at him.
“I… uh, don’t….” Kent averted his attention to the mac and cheese. Mom gave them disapproving looks and moved on to me. I could practically hear the billion or so questions and rants zipping around in her head. Now would be a veeeeerry good time for something catastrophic to happen.
Where were Bed-Head Mandy and her friend Aluminum?
Chapter Seventeen
Mom’s lips parted, about to fire away, when the TV’s news anchor’s voice cut through everyone’s conversations.
“In other news, regarding the homicide investigation of Anthony Genova, the manager of Enzo’s Restaurant, and Luca Salvatore, who also worked at Enzo’s, police have yet to catch the person or persons responsible. But they have admitted the two murders are connected. If you have any information at all, please contact—”
“I heard about that,” Kyle commented around a mouthful of potatoes. “I think an angry customer did it. They probably asked for linguine noodles but instead got angel hair, and now they’re hell-bent on revenge.”
Kevin reached over and slapped him upside the head.
“Think before you talk, please? For everyone’s sake.”
“Salvatore was found floatin’ in a Jacuzzi,” Kal informed the table. “I feel bad for the sap who found him.”
Shit, I’m the sap. I was sweating bullets. Focus on eating. One pea at a time….
“Their families must be so devastated.” Mom said.
“Hey, Jennie, don’t you work there?” Kal asked, brows furrowed.
All eyes were on me.
“Uh, no. You must be mistaken,” I mumbled. I’d say it’s about time for a bathroom break. Conveniently, the bathroom is near the front door.
I slid my chair back and was about to get up when the loud tune signaling breaking news put everyone on pause again.
“More information just came in from our sources regarding the double homicide of Enzo employees. We just received the nine-one-one call informing authorities of Anthony Genova’s death. Turns out the woman who called it in is a waitress at the restaurant. We’ve censored the exchange due to explicit language. Take a listen—”
“Nine-one-one operator, please state your emergency.”
“Hello, um, m-my boss, he’s bleeding. He’s… [bleep], just send help. There’s a lot of blood”.
“Miss, where are you located?”
“Um… I-I-I’m at a restaurant named Enzo’s off Cedar Parkway.”
“Miss, what—”
“Ugh, just send help already! My name is Jennie Peterson, and I’m freaking the [bleep] out here! My [bleep] boss could be dying. I think he’s been stabbed.”
“Ms. Peterson an ambulance is on the way, please remain calm—”
“No, no calm! Not in the least [bleep] bit!”
The news anchor resumed talking but from the burning gaze my family directed at me, I could tell they were no longer listening. Their jaws weren’t simply dropped. No, their jaws crashed through the table, into the floor, broke into the earth’s crust, and dropped right into Hell. Which is where I’d rather be right now. How come when I requested for a catastrophic event to happen, it did, but not the three inches of height growth I’d been wanting all my life?
Let’s shoot for nonchalance and see what happens.
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to tell you guys something.” I lightly chuckled.
No one blinked. Oh, screw it. I’m already in another hole, why not wallow in it?
“You might as well call me Ms. Sap because… I also found Luca Salvatore’s body.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, several things immediately happened.
Kal spewed water into Kyle’s face.
Kevin choked on a piece of chicken. One cough dislodged it, sending flying across the table and smacking Dad in the forehead.
Sneaky Kent grabbed the last spoonful of mac and cheese.
And Mom fainted.
The silver lining? This was my way out. As everyone surrounded Mom, I waited to make sure she was all right, and then I speedily grabbed some corn bread, stuffed it in my purse, and raced out the house, hopping in my car and burning rubber. It wasn’t until I was five minutes from my apartment building that I realized I had forgotten to get a slice of cake.
That’s what I get. Karma, you lovely bitch.
I was opening the apartment door when my phone buzzed. Probably one of the Peterson brigade members, demanding my return and a clearer explanation of the bomb I left them with.
Except it wasn’t.
Caleb.
I thought about letting it go to voice mail and also thought about what he could possibly say.
Curiosity won.
“Hello?”
“Don’t hang up. Please listen,” he rushed. It was nice to hear his voice even though I was trying to erase him from my brain.
“What, Caleb?” I walked in and waved to Mandy. She and Josh were sitting in the living room, watching TV.
“I came by this evening. You weren’t there,” he said.
“I was at my parents’ house.” The madhouse.
Mandy waved and mouthed, “Caleb?” I nodded.
“I wanted to talk about this morning.” His voice sounded displeased.
“It doesn’t matter. We’re not dating, and I have no hold or control over you. If your plan is to get to know other women, go ahead. Just don’t expect me to be part of it.”
While talking, Mandy and Josh munched on popcorn, eavesdropping. I glared at the pair.
“You’re right,” Caleb said gravely. “You can’t control who I keep company with. Especially with Chloe. My sister.”
“Your sister?” I balked.
“Sister!” Mandy shouted.
I dashed into my room, closing the door behind me.
“She’s your sister? Why didn’t you say something? You let me look like a fool,” I hissed.
Scratch that. I was to blame for acting that way.
“A very cute fool. Besides, it’s kind of hard to make introductions when you’ve got coffee on your face.” He chuckled. I winced. “Chloe drove in from West Emily to bring the rest of my belongings I kept at her house.”
Mental forehead smack. Dammit, I’ve become a cliché. I had literally taken a scene right out of a cheesy, romantic-comedy sitcom.
“I’m really sorry,”
“It’s okay. I would have done the same. Well, just without the coffee of course.”
“I’ll have to apologize to Chloe.” I let out a breath.
“Don’t worry about it. She likes you,” he assured.
“I bet. It isn’t every day some crazy person dumps coffee on her brother.”
We shared a laugh before settling into comfortable silence.
“Jennie, I’d like to take you to breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“And completely forget what happened in front Sweeney’s? Because I’d love that.”
“Me too. I think we should rewind to when your body was pressed against mine.”
“Oh.” I gulped, a wave of tingles headed south. “I think so too.” Regretfully, I had to switch topics. “By the way, the news broadcasted my nine-one-one call during the middle of dinner tonight. My whole family now knows that I found a dead body, which I was trying to keep under wraps. Although I didn’t make it better by confessing to discovering Luca as well. Plus, they heard me practically curse out the dispatch lady.”
“Damn, I was going to tell you about that when I stopped by
earlier. The station meant to release a call from another case but accidently handed out the wrong tape.”
“Accidently?”
“Not the force’s proudest moment. We’re scrambling to fix it, and since this is my case, I plan to personally deal with the schmuck who caused this.”
“Tough words, Detective. I like it. What exactly is a schmuck?” I teased.
“You’re lucky I enjoy that mouth of yours. I’m guessing your family didn’t take the news well.”
“My mom fainted.”
“Yikes, I’m sorry. I should’ve texted or called.”
“No biggie. The sooner this gets solved, the sooner they can forget.”
“Really?”
“No, it’s just wishful thinking. They’re never gonna let it go. At this point, only bacon and your magic hands will make me feel better.”
“I’m happy to provide both. Pick you up at nine?”
“Sounds good.” After reluctantly hanging up with each other, I happily bounced to my bedroom door to update Mandy. The second I turned the knob, she and Josh fell at my feet looking red and guilty as hell. Evidently, the nosey duo took eavesdropping to a new level.
“Hey there, meatball.” Mandy quickly picked herself up. “There’s a perfectly good reason as to why—”
“Do tell.” I crossed my arms and waited to hear her lame-ass excuse.
“Well, you see I… we, um.” She looked to Josh for help, who was inspecting a crack on my doorframe. “Uhhh… oh, fudge it! Get out of the way so I can help you pick out an outfit for your date tomorrow.”
I moved and gestured Josh in too.
“We should choose something simple but flirty, though not entirely suggesting you regularly open the petting zoo that is your lady lumps for free. I’m thinking a different hue of green would definitely work for your skin tone.”
That came from Josh.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains onto my pillow, bringing a glorious warm spot and the reminder of breakfast with Caleb. I savored the sun a bit more before turning on my phone. The device went berserk, buzzing and pinging. All indications of, let’s see—