“Yes, ma’am. That’s him,” Teddy said, clearly unhappy at the change in conversation. “It was arson.” He glanced over at Luke. “Why are you here eating our food when you should be out lookin’ for the guy who did it?”
“It’s my day off,” Luke said, reaching for the rolls next to me.
“Well, it’s not the first fire,” Teddy said. “There was one on Saturday at the Civil War marker on Highway 10. The sheriff’s deputy said that was arson too.”
“Oh, my goodness,” my mother said in a breathless voice. “How far was that from Tantara?”
“I doubt the two are related,” Dixie said with a tight voice. “The roadside fire was probably a cigarette.” Her eyes went round, like she hadn’t meant to blurt it out.
Teddy’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know that?”
She lifted a shoulder into a half shrug. “Lucky guess.”
“Dixie’s right,” Luke said gruffly. Now he was the one who was leaning around me to look at Teddy. “It was a cigarette, although you knew that too, didn’t you, Teddy? Are you still working for the sheriff?”
“Whether I am or not isn’t any of your damn business.”
“True, but that last case you helped them with nearly got Dixie and Summer killed,” Luke said, the first hint of anger creeping into his voice.
Teddy scooted his chair back and got to his feet. “That had nothin’ to do with me! I told Summer to drop Otto’s case, but I also told her to stay the hell away from you, and look what good that did.”
Luke turned his chair slightly, but thankfully he remained seated. “Summer is a grown woman with a mind of her own. Perhaps you should respect that, Teddy.”
“Respect?” Teddy shouted. “You mean the way you respected her a decade ago and broke her heart over that bastard Connor Blake?”
I heard some whispers and shuffling behind the crew. I turned my attention toward them, gasping when I saw the cause.
“Did someone say my name?” Connor asked, pushing his way past the cameraperson and standing to the side of the dining room entrance so the camerawoman next to Luke could capture Connor without the crew in the shot behind him.
Lauren was grinning from ear to ear.
I was steaming. That woman would do anything to piss me off. And if it brought good ratings, even better.
Luke was instantly on his feet, his chair scooting out behind him. “What the hell are you doin’ here?”
“This isn’t your house!” Teddy said to Luke. “You have no right to ask him that.” Then he turned his attention to Connor. “What the hell are you doin’ here?”
Connor gave him a patient smile. “It’s my first night alone in town, and I knew how gracious Summer always was when we were on Gotcha! together, so I decided to drop by and catch up on old times. It looks like I’m in time for dinner.”
Meemaw looked up to the ceiling as though asking the good Lord to grant her strength. Then she motioned to the kitchen. “Grab a plate.”
“You can’t be serious about letting him stay!” Teddy said to our grandmother.
“You know it’s impolite to send a guest away.”
“It’s also impolite to coerce your innocent costar to pose for nude photos with you so can advance your own career and destroy hers,” Luke said.
“Stay out of this, Luke!” Teddy said, then his eyes widened, and he turned his attention to me. “Is that true?”
“It didn’t happen exactly like that . . .”
My mother reached for the pitcher of lemonade. “I always liked that boy.”
We all stared at her like she had just announced she was having George Clooney’s baby.
Meemaw waved her fork in the air. “Everybody sit your keisters down.”
Luke took his seat, looking none too happy about it, but Teddy remained standing while he glared at the kitchen door.
“Why don’t we talk more about the two fires,” I said, trying not to panic. It wasn’t lost on me that Lauren hadn’t stopped us yet to replay anything, probably because she knew she had one shot and she was going for it.
Connor returned from the kitchen carrying a plate and silverware. He took a seat next to my mother, who gave him a gracious smile.
Luke was now sitting directly across from him, which was even worse than if I’d placed him across from Teddy. And Teddy, realizing this was really happening, sat down and scooted back to the table, now giving Connor his full attention.
“It’s so good to see you, Connor,” Momma said. “How’s your mother?”
“She’s well, Ms. Butler. How are you? I hear you’re filling the world with charming little princesses.” He graced her with his posed smile, the one he always used for photo shoots.
My mother preened. “I’m doin’ my part to make the world a better place.”
Dixie made a gagging sound.
Momma ignored her and continued her conversation with Connor. “I’m surprised to see you here.” She grimaced. “What with how everything ended.”
“Life’s too short to hold grudges, don’t you think? Besides, I’m doing my part to make the world a better place too. I’m spreading the news about the Connor Life, and the Connor Life only embraces positivity.”
“The Connor Life?” Teddy asked drily.
Connor’s grin spread. He’d been looking for an in. “It’s my new philosophy on life. Clean living, which means no animal by-products cross our lips. No chemicals of any kind. We fill our lives with the joy of giving—just like I’m doing now by giving you the gift of my presence.”
Teddy stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Uh-huh.”
“Gift, my eye,” Dixie mumbled.
“So no grudges, huh?” Luke asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Oh, crap.
I patted his leg under the table. “Luke, tell us more about your new police officer.”
“I want to hear more about this grudge thing.” He shot a quick glance at Teddy before shifting his gaze back to Connor. “How’s that work?”
Connor was practically jumping up and down in his seat. “It’s important to know that resentment creates bad carma.” He gave a pleased-as-punch grin to my mother. “I trademarked that.”
“Karma?” Dixie asked. “I believe the Buddhists came up with it long before you were born.” An ornery grin lit up her face. “But then again, judging by the wrinkles around your eyes, maybe not so long.”
Connor gasped and touched his face. “It’s carma with a c, not a k. It’s different.”
“Oh, brother,” Dixie groaned.
“You really should embrace it, Dixie. Especially since you were responsible for killing your family with that fire,” Connor said as he looked over the spread of food on the table. “I only eat vegan.”
Teddy rested his forearms on the table and stared Connor down. “What did you just say?”
“Vegan. It’s when people don’t eat anything that came from an animal.”
“Not that, even though that’s crazy nonsense. I’m talkin’ about the fire.”
Connor blinked, obviously having the good sense to fear my cousin. “You know, the fire that killed your family. People were talkin’ about it today at the scene.”
“What exactly were they sayin’?” Luke asked in a hard tone.
Connor shifted his attention to my right, suddenly looking worried. “Just whisperings . . . speculations . . .”
“Which are?”
Something shifted in Connor’s eyes from fear to gloating. I suspected he thought he’d just one-upped the police chief. “You know . . . she started the fire before, did she start this one now.” He lifted the bowl in front of him off the table. “What’s in the potatoes?”
“Milk and butter,” I said in a flat voice. People were gossiping over Dixie and linking her to the fires?
“Huh.” He grabbed the tip of the basket holding the rolls. “And these?”
“Butter and eggs.”
“Why in the hell would you hold a grudge against
Summer?” Luke asked.
I shot him a questioning look. We’d long moved past that topic, but one look at Dixie’s flushed face was my answer. He was trying to take the heat off her.
“Is there anything without animal products?” Connor sounded exasperated.
“No,” Teddy said.
Connor glanced around at us as though we were ogres. “Then what am I supposed to eat?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Because you weren’t invited.”
“Summer Lynn,” Meemaw said, “we don’t talk to guests like that.”
“But, Meemaw . . .”
“Enough,” she said, pushing her chair back from the table. “The boy doesn’t eat anything that came from an animal, so I’ll get him something he can eat.”
“Meemaw!” Teddy protested, but our grandmother disappeared into the kitchen.
“Thank you, Mrs. Butler,” Connor called after her, wearing a grin that suggested he knew he’d put her to a lot of trouble and was loving every minute of it. “You know,” Connor said, “it’s funny how the people here love to talk about the past, but no one in the know wanted to talk to me about the fire today. I thought people in small towns loved to gossip.”
“That’s a stereotype,” I said.
“Even if it’s true,” Dixie muttered under her breath.
“I still learned a few things,” Connor said in a smug tone.
“So what have you learned?” Luke asked, then added sarcastically, “Maybe you can help out my investigation.”
“Well . . . ,” Connor said, leaning his elbow on the table, clearly missing the insult, “I’ve learned the fire was arson, and it started in the kitchen. I also overheard the homeowner talking to his insurance agent. She’s expediting his case.”
Luke gave him a hard stare. “Anything else?”
Connor shrugged. “I’m still working on it.”
“You should go back to Dancing with the Stars,” Dixie said. “You had better luck there, and you got voted out the first round.”
Connor’s jaw clenched. “I can’t help it if I have a bad ankle, just like I can’t help it if Summer sabotaged me, just like she did back on Gotcha!”
“What on earth are you talkin’ about?” I asked.
“I know you told the homeowner not to talk to me.”
I remained silent. I wasn’t going to lie, but I wasn’t going to confirm it either.
Dixie looked down and pulled her phone out of her lap. “I have to go soon.”
“Where?” Teddy asked, his voice full of suspicion.
“I’m a grown woman, Theodore Stanley. I don’t need you to babysit me.”
“I do if this concerns Trent Dunbar.”
Dixie gave me an incredulous look. “Did you tell him?”
“No! I swear!”
Teddy’s eyes hardened. “So it is about Trent Dunbar.”
“Who’s Trent Dunbar?” Connor asked.
“Shut up, Connor,” Teddy said. “This is none of your damn business.” Then he turned his attention to Dixie. “What the hell, Dixie? That boy is responsible for our parents’ deaths!”
“No, he’s not,” Dixie said with tears in her eyes. “I killed them. I was the one to start the fire.”
“Well, it’s about time she fessed up,” my mother said.
“Stay out of this, Momma,” I said with a shaky breath. I hated when Dixie and Teddy fought, and this was a doozy, not to mention Dixie’s heart was clearly breaking. I grabbed Teddy’s arm. “Maybe we should talk about this later . . . when we don’t have company.”
Teddy swallowed and sat back in his seat. Dixie looked down at her plate as a tear slid down her cheek. I squeezed my hands together in my lap and nearly jumped when I felt a large hand cover mine.
Luke.
I turned to look at him and soaked in his reassuring gaze.
He cleared his throat. “Dixie, you and I have discussed the circumstances of that fire until we’re both blue in the face, and we both know that what happened was a terrible, unfortunate accident. You’ve paid your dues, Dix. Don’t torture yourself any more than you already have.”
She glanced down at her phone again, then pushed her chair back. “I have to go. I’m sorry, Teddy. I’m especially sorry you don’t trust me enough to let me make my own decisions.”
His mouth fell open. “That’s not it, Dixie.”
“Really?” she asked, swiping a tear from her cheek. “Because that’s exactly how it looks from where I’m standing.” With that, she turned and ran through the kitchen door.
Silence descended on the table—broken, of course, by Connor. “Where’s your grandmother? I’m starving.”
“Shut up, Connor,” I said in unison with Teddy and Luke.
As if on cue, my grandmother came through the kitchen door with a big bowl in her hand. “You want vegan?” she asked. “Here’s your vegan.” She scooped a handful of daisy heads from the bowl onto his plate. “Here’s your daisy appetizer. And then a dandelion-weed entrée.” She dropped a handful of leaves and dandelion flowers next. “And for dessert, you have blackberry cobbler.” She shoved the bowl on top of his head and smashed it for good measure, blackberries dripping down his face and into his lap.
“What the . . . ?” Connor shouted. “What’d you do that for?”
“That’s for ruining my granddaughter’s life, you good-for-nothing, backstabbing, yellow-belly, conniving Yankee!”
Luke leaned closer, whispering under his breath, “She pulled out Yankee. She’s not playin’.”
He was right. And while I was loving every minute of my grandmother’s performance, all I could think about was Dixie.
And how I was going to have to apologize to vegans the world over.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Connor didn’t waste any time leaving, shouting that he was going to sue my grandmother for ruining his shirt. My mother ran away right after him, saying she was leaving before she was accosted too.
Without saying a word, Teddy grabbed his plate and headed into the kitchen. A half minute later, I heard his truck start up behind the house. From the sound, he was headed toward the county road.
Luke and I sat at the table, and I watched Meemaw for a clue as to how she wanted to handle this. She pushed out a sigh and sat back in her chair. “There’s still some blackberry cobbler left. I didn’t dump it all on his head.”
I grinned. “It would have been worth the sacrifice.”
“Speak for yourself,” Luke said. “Miss Viola makes the best blackberry cobbler in the state. It would be a shame to waste it on that Yankee.” Then he winked, and I knew he’d called Connor a Yankee to commiserate with Meemaw.
She offered him a smile, but her eyes looked sad. “Then you be sure to take home the rest of it with you.” Lifting her plate, she stood and headed into the kitchen.
I rose from my chair and turned to the crew, who were still filming. “And that’s a wrap. See you tomorrow.”
“You’re not the producer,” Lauren said from behind one of the camerapeople. “You can’t call it a wrap.”
“No, but you’re in my grandmother’s house. You got your pound of flesh, which should fill up an entire episode, so pack up your cameras and go. Now.”
Bill and Tony weren’t in the group, and a quick glance out the front window confirmed that they were stuck outside interviewing Connor and Momma about their evening. The rest of the crew cast nervous glances between Lauren and me.
Luke got to his feet and turned to me. “Summer, does your contract say the cameras have unlimited access to your private life?”
“No. It says I have the final say as long as I provide them with enough suitable footage.”
He turned to face Lauren. “I’d say you’ve gotten more than enough ‘suitable’ footage. Now pack up your cameras and get out of Viola Baumgartner’s house before I arrest you for trespassing.”
The crew lowered their cameras and started to pack up, but Lauren gave me a death glare that rivaled my grandmoth
er’s. “You’ve got a bright-and-early call time, Summer. Don’t be late.” Then she turned around and left, leaving the crew to deal with Luke.
I grabbed my plate and Luke’s and headed into the kitchen. I found Meemaw at the sink, rinsing off her plate. “Meemaw, Luke and I have got this. You go rest.”
“I can clean off the plates, Summer Lynn.”
“Of course you can, but I feel bad that Lauren made you host this dinner.”
“I already told you that I was the one who called the dinner. I had something to tell all y’all.”
Something that included my mother. That was frightening. “What is it?”
She shook her head. “Nope. This is an all-or-nothing deal.”
Which meant we would have to do this all over again, but hopefully minus Connor.
Meemaw dropped the dishrag in the sink. “I’m gonna take a walk. Clear my head.”
“I’m sorry, Meemaw.”
She turned to look at me. “I know I gave you a hard time, and if I had to do it over again, I’d do it different. I’d do a lot of things different.”
I nodded, and my voice cracked. “Me too.”
She reached out and patted my cheek, then headed out the back door. As I set the plates on the counter, I noticed Dixie’s and Teddy’s mikes on the small breakfast table. I also noticed Dixie’s car next to my car from LA. If Dixie’s car was still here, where was she?
I went back into the dining room to clear off the rest of the table, surprised to see Luke supervising the crew’s exit while holding his plate with one hand and his fork in another.
He cast me a sideways glance before turning his attention back to the crew.
Five minutes later he walked into the kitchen, where I’d brought the haul of dirty dishes, with his empty plate. “Your grandmother still doesn’t have a dishwasher?” he asked, grabbing a dish towel.
I chuckled. “After nearly fifty years of livin’ in this house, why would she get one now?” My smile fell. “I could have handled that, Luke.”
“I know. You handled all the chaos just fine.”
“I’m not talking about the mess we call a family dinner. I’m talking about you threatening to arrest the crew if they didn’t leave.”
He did a double take. “Lauren was making a stand, and I had the means to put her in her place.”
Blazing Summer (Darling Investigations Book 2) Page 8