“A fiery crash? So all that money went up in flames?” Jason asked.
“That’s the speculation at the moment, and it’s certainly what Bryce believes.” Peter said.
“This whole thing—with Bateman and Bryce and even poor Jerry Levine?” Leesa shook her head. “It’s just…sad. More than anything, that’s how it feels. Three lives ruined, because of greed.”
“Sad,” Adam agreed. “And also, sadly, all too common.”
Leesa looked at Jason and then at Phillip. When she squeezed his hand, he assumed she squeezed Phillip’s, too. “Let’s go have lunch with him. Let him speak his piece. All things considered, it’s not much of an imposition, is it? He did, in the end, save my life and was injured in the process. And then, once we say goodbye, we can begin to plan the rest of our lives.”
Her suggestion didn’t surprise Jason in the least. Leesa Jordan was the best person he knew. And here was the ultimate testament to what Grandma Kate had told him that first night here in Lusty. Leesa might have a temper, but she didn’t hold a grudge long.
He met Phillip’s gaze then nodded.
“Yeah. Let’s go do that little thing.” After all, they both owed the man more than they could ever repay.
Chapter Twenty-One
Leesa settled into her seat at Lusty Appetites. Jason was on her left, but straight across from her sat her ex-husband. It was her day off, but when she’d come into the restaurant, nearly everyone had greeted her. Even Grandma Kate, who’d given her a sweet hug, had come over to see how she was doing. Carrie and Tracy were working the kitchen and had run out to hug her. Ginny, Bernice, and Rachel were serving. They all had given her strong hugs, too, and, to their credit, bestowed polite nods and greetings to Bryce.
Looking around, she recognized so many people. Robert Jessop was having lunch with his brother Marc. The paramedics were having lunch with their wife, Carol. Two of Carrie, Chase, and Brian’s hands, Alan Wilson and Duncan Moore, were having lunch with Cord and Jackson Benedict, who were also, in a way, their employers.
Leesa realized with a bit of a start that there wasn’t a single person in the place she didn’t know.
“Looks like you’ve made a place for yourself here,” Bryce said. “Everyone knows you and obviously likes you.”
“Lusty has become home to me. This is a good place to live.”
“It is that,” Jason said. His smile drew hers out. She’d already decided, as much as she loved Lusty, that if her men wanted to head back to New York, well, she was certain she wouldn’t have any trouble finding work there.
They all ordered lunch—burgers all around—and then ate and conversed in what she could only call a congenial manner. The lunch wasn’t as strained as she thought it might be. They talked of general things, places and movies and the odd bits of minutia that came to mind in such circumstances. Once the meal had been eaten, they began to speak of the night before—and what had led up to it.
“I never had a clue that Bates—sorry, Bateman—was a nark,” Bryce said. He shook his head as he sat back in his seat. “Hell, in country, we watched him, and Jerry Levine get high a few times, so we figured for sure he wasn’t a cop.” Bryce leaned forward. “Jerry and Bates were the only ones who used the stuff. I stayed away from it. I was just trying to, you know, to have a little side hustle.” He fell quiet for a moment. Leesa sensed he was thinking, weighing his words. Then he shook his head again. “As lately as a couple of weeks ago, I believed the side hustle was the way to go. But over the last couple of days, I’ve been rethinking things.”
He took a moment to drink the rest of his sweet tea then set down his glass and met her gaze. “When Bateman held that gun to my head and made me call you, I was certain I was a dead man. I didn’t think you’d come—hell, I didn’t deserve for you to come. But you not only came, you brought reinforcements. You saved my life. Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
Leesa paid attention, and it did surprise her some to see a look on Bryce she’d never seen before. Humility.
“It’s like I have a second chance today, you know? And maybe I needed to come close to dying. I need to do some hard and fast thinking about the way I’ve lived my life. The choices I’ve made…hell they’ve been crappy. I need to decide if I want to spend the rest of my life being nothing more than an angry loser. That doesn’t sit well, knowing that’s what I am—that’s all I am, really. But it’s the truth, and I have to face it.”
“I believe in redemption and second chances,” Leesa said, “and I believe that a person can do any damn thing they want to do, if they work hard enough to do it.”
“I guess I’ll see if I can figure things out and get them done.”
“Now?”
Leesa, with everyone else, looked over at Alan Wilson, who’d shouted that one panicked word and was on his feet, his cell phone pressed to his ear.
“What?” Duncan Moore set down his fork and appeared to focus on his best friend.
He lowered the phone and, to Duncan, said, “Holly’s in labor.” Then he seemed to remember she was on the other end of his cell. He brought it back up to his ear. “Hang on, baby. We’re on our way.”
“Go,” Jackson Benedict said. “We’ve got this.” As the two cowboys raced from the restaurant, another cell phone chimed, and Cord answered the call.
He got to his feet and looked at Jackson. “How far apart are the contractions?” He shook his head. “Never mind. We’re coming, Ari. Breathe, Red, breathe!”
“Hang on, Tinker Bell!” Jackson shouted that toward Cord, and presumably the open phone line.
They, too, ran from the restaurant. “Babies are on their way, apparently.” Robert Jessop shook his head even as he answered his own phone. “Hey, little brother, you’ll never guess what….okay, whoa! Kelsey’s there? Okay, I’m on my way. But so, apparently, are Ari Benedict and Holly Wilson-Moore.” Robert got to his feet. “And yes, indeed, it is time to implement plan Hot-Holy-Hell. But we’re in luck. The family’s all right here.” Robert closed his phone, and then he looked over at the paramedics. “Warren? Ed?”
“On our way.” They left their lunches, and their wife, and headed to the door.
“Grandma Kate?” Robert headed over to the nonagenarian’s table. “I think we could probably use a hand.” Then he grinned. “Once a nurse, always a nurse.”
“Down to the bone,” Grandma Kate said. “What a wonderful day! Three moms going into labor at the same time! Soon there will be five new babies to be cuddled!”
Kate Benedict got up and followed Robert outside. He waited for her and offered his arm as they headed off toward the clinic.
“Good grief.” Bryce looked at Leesa. Shock was in his widened eyes.
The sudden exodus of so many people because of impending births likely wasn’t something he’d ever experienced before. Even her guys were a little agog.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Leesa said. “Just wait a moment and watch.” She recalled how the family had gathered when word had gone out that Rachel’s daughter, Libby, and Libby’s best friend, Bonnie, had been kidnapped by the man the spunky teenager had called her “sperm donor.” Leesa had heard the stories of other times and had been looking forward to the next gathering of the clans, as it were.
Leesa didn’t have to explain herself. Around them, people hurried up with their lunches, left money on the tables, and headed out the door. Turning around, she could see the steady stream of people heading over toward the clinic. It didn’t take long for the restaurant to empty out.
“Where’s everybody going?” Bryce asked.
“They’re all headed over to the clinic to await the arrival of Ari and Holly—and to await the births of the newest members of the families.”
“Is that normal?” he asked.
“In this town, it sure is.”
“Then I’ll be on my way.” They all stood up. Her men shook Bryce’s hand. Leesa, suddenly moved, gave him a hug.
&n
bsp; “Take care of yourself, Bryce. Make those changes. Be the best you that you can be.”
“I’ll do my best.” He looked from her to the men who flanked her. “I’m sorry that I was such a prick to you. I’m glad you found this place—and these men. I wish you happy, Leesa.”
“Thank you, Bryce. I wish you happy, too.”
Her men slid closer and slipped their arms around her as she watched Bryce Jordan walk out of her life.
“Sweetheart, since we’re about to make Lusty our permanent home…” Jason said.
“We should begin right away by following family tradition. Don’t you think, baby?” The words of Phillip’s question, and the words his cousin and best friend, Jason, had said wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
They would talk out the details later, but right at that moment, she was so very happy they’d all be staying right here in Lusty.
“I absolutely do. Just let me give Carrie and Tracy a hand closing down, and then we can all go to the clinic and await the new additions to the family.”
“We’ll be right here,” Jason said.
“We’ll always be right here.” Phillip nodded, and Leesa headed to the kitchen.
* * * *
“I think this brings us full circle, sweetheart. What do you think?” Jason slid his left arm around her waist. On her other side, Phillip held her hand, lacing their fingers. Out on the sidewalk, and approaching Lusty Appetites, were Jason’s parents with another, older couple. Seeing the smile on Phillip’s face, she guessed they’d be his parents, Edward and April Benedict.
Leesa turned her attention to Jason. “Gosh, I hope not. It all began with you taking a chunk out of your baby sister and then me taking one out of you.” When she thought back to her anger, her almost rage on that particular Friday evening, she wondered now she hadn’t caught the clue earlier than she had. Her reaction to her first sight of Jason Benedict had been over the top.
Jason gave her the slyest of grins. Then he leaned closer. “You can take a chunk out of me later, baby. After the party. A nice big bite.”
Leesa’s face heated, just as the door to the restaurant opened and the families of her fiancés entered.
“Look at you!” Sonja Benedict used her hands to cup the face of her youngest son. “There’s the J. Coop I used to know.”
Instead of being embarrassed, Jason’s expression was one filled with love. “Mom. I’m so glad you’re here.” He hugged her, and Leesa knew, from the look of joy on Sonja’s face, that here was a woman whose friendship she would want to hold forever.
Jason took his mother’s hands in his and kissed them then turned her toward Leesa. “Mom, this is Leesa Jordan.”
“Oh, I remember you from the last time I was here. I remember thinking at the time you’d be perfect for my son.”
“I’ll take good care of him, Mrs. Benedict.”
Sonja’s response was to give her a hug, too. “You can call me Sonja or Mom. However you like.” Then Sonja turned to Phillip. “Well done.”
“Thank you, Aunt Sonja.”
Leesa found Jason’s father to be a warm man whose smile shone in his eyes.
April Benedict hugged Phillip tightly. Then she put her hands on his arms and looked at Leesa as well as Jason. She turned her attention back to Phillip. “When your dad told me how fascinated you were hearing about Lusty, I wondered if perhaps this was where you’d end up.”
“I’ve found my destiny here with Leesa and J. Coop,” Phillip said. “I’ve never been so happy, Mom.”
“Then I’m happy for you.”
She hugged Leesa. “I hope we’ll have time to get to know each other,” April said.
“We’ll make time, because I’d like that, too.”
“We should have made time to come here more than that one visit,” Edward said. “My mother was a good woman, but she didn’t like Father talking about where he grew up. To keep the peace, it was a subject that rarely came up.” Then he leaned forward. “When Aunt Kate came to visit, Mother thought of her as Father’s only family, a maiden aunt.”
“Knowing Grandma Kate,” Jason said, “she would have played along with it—because she was visiting Grandfather on their home turf.”
“Yes, she always did. Will she be here tonight?”
“She will.” Phillip grinned. “And I swear to you, she doesn’t look any different than the last time she visited.”
Bernice and Abigail Benedict came over and greeted the New York contingent of the family. They moved off together, heading to a corner of the restaurant, where it appeared there was a larger array of tables assembled than Leesa had seen in reserve at the roadhouse.
“The original Benedict Central,” Chance said, nodding at the grouping. Then he turned to look at his younger brother. “You’ve surprised me when I would have sworn you couldn’t possibly.”
“Kind of makes us wonder what we missed in our calculations,” Logan said.
“Family is a funny thing.” Leesa met Bailey’s gaze. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law winked. “We see our family not just through our eyes as they are but through our perspectives, holding on to all the emotions that have gotten tangled inside us over the years.”
“You’re absolutely right about that!” Alice pushed her way between her older brothers until she was standing directly in front of Jason. “You have no idea how happy I am to be here.” Then she flung her arms around Jason, who laughed, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her off her feet.
Leesa’s jaw dropped. A quick scan showed her that most people witnessing the scene, including Phillip, Jason’s brothers, and Alice’s fiancés, Ian and Ken Kendall, appeared just as shocked as she was.
“We’ve been talking, Alice and I,” Jason said.
“And talking and talking.” Alice rolled her eyes. “And it helped. It’s funny how you can misinterpret things and then believe something that’s totally untrue.”
“I thought we agreed there would be no self-flagellation,” Jason said to her.
“We did. But since our talks, I’ve been thinking.”
“Alice.”
“Jason. What I’ve been thinking is that I did my part to poke at you, and I wasn’t totally above feeling sorry for myself sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Logan said the word as if he was testing it on his tongue for the first time.
“Oh, you.” Alice gave her brother a mock punch in the arm.
“I’m so glad the two of you have talked.” Leesa slid her arm around Jason and gave him a hug. Here was the kind of man she wanted to pledge her life to, the kind who could re-examine himself and make changes.
Phillip was like that, too, and generally less wedded to being dogmatic. Jason was a bit less flexible, but that was fine. He could look at himself when the situation warranted. Could you really ask anything more of another person?
Leesa didn’t think so.
Rachel arrived, both her husbands in tow, which told Leesa that Brandon must have gotten off a little earlier than usual.
“I am so happy for you!” Rachel hugged her, as she always did, and Leesa knew her change—from lone woman to one with a best woman friend—was complete. Rachel’s hug was a solemn vow that, no matter what, she’d have Leesa’s back.
Brandon and Trace both gave Leesa a hug and shook her men’s hands. Then Rachel stood in front of Jason and Phillip.
“This woman is a saint! An angel!” She stepped just a bit closer. “Treat her well, or you will have me to deal with, and trust me…you don’t want that.”
Leesa snickered, which made Rachel snicker.
Then Jason and Phillip made her fall in love with them all over again. “She is a saint and an angel—and she’s ours. Thank you for being her friend.”
Jason kissed her cheek.
“If we fail in our sacred duty to Leesa, we’ll stand here and take whatever wrath you pour out upon us.”
Phillip and Jason kept their expressions penitent, and then, when Rachel laughed, they joined he
r.
“I think I’ll talk to Grandma Kate. That was a lot of emoting. Maybe we should create a theater group.” Trace Langley’s eyes sparkled with humor.
“Save us a seat,” Leesa told Rachel.
“We will.” She looked over her shoulder. “Ah, here come some people I met at Sunday supper, once.”
Leesa and her men looked out the window to where Rachel had been looking. “Here come your folks, Leesa, and…whoa...I think your entire family.”
Leesa grinned as her parents, followed by all her siblings, arrived. She’d had a long conversation with her parents the day after their lunch with her ex-husband. She’d told them about Lusty shortly after she’d moved here, so she didn’t think it was as much of a shock to her parents when she called to tell them about falling in love with two men named Benedict.
“My girl.” Caitlyn Shaughnessy Montoya wrapped Leesa in her arms, and Leesa sighed, soaking up endless motherlove, as she always did. She’d been in the army for fifteen years, during which visits with her folks were few and far between. And even though they lived not so far from each other now, and saw each other on a regular basis, she never let the opportunity to hug her mother pass.
“Daughter.” Her father, José, sometimes liked to try to be the gruff patriarch, but he usually failed miserably. He gathered her in close, and then, turning her, he kept his arm around her as he looked at Jason and Phillip.
“So, you wish to marry my daughter.”
“Oh, we more than wish to, sir. We need to. We are destined to. Leesa is the other half of me.” Jason offered his hand. “And she is more precious than rubies.” José shook Jason’s hand. She’d never quite seen that look on her daddy’s face before. If she’d thought about it, she might have thought Phillip would have the smoothest of tongues. But it had been Jason who’d been smooth and who showed an appreciation for her father’s sensibilities by quoting scripture.
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