by Ava Mallory
“Mom, you heard me right. I'm getting married.” Diana said.
Without thinking, I hung up the phone.
“Don't tell me that you hung up on your daughter?” Charlie took the phone out of my had and hit redial.
I couldn't speak. Even if I could, I wouldn't know what to say. It wasn't that I was upset that she was in love and wanted to get married. It just seemed so sudden.
“Is everything okay at home?” Charlie asked Diana when he got her back on the phone, adding, “Because your mother is about to have a heart attack.”
*
I don't know how long we'd been in the restaurant, but the waitress was clearing the table and I still had a plate of food sitting in front of me. Not even the sound of Nubbin's voice had snapped me out of my state of shock.
“Corolla, what are you daydreaming about over there? Isn't it bad enough that the man of your dreams is sitting right next to you? What else do you need?” Nubbin teased.
Charlie put his arm around my shoulders playfully. “Earth to Mercy. Are you there? She's getting married. That's what people do when they fall in love. You should be happy. Look around, Nubbin is safe and sound. We got the bad guys, the snow is melting, things are getting back to normal.”
He was right. I felt bad for not acknowledging all the good that had come out of this frightening situation, but I couldn't help but feel like I was about to lose my daughter – my little girl.
Nubbin leaned forward, patting my hand. “Snap out of it, Isuzu. You're wasting food and you're wasting time. We have stuff to do.”
I blinked to clear my head. “What do we have to do?”
Charlie and Nubbin exchanged glances.
Charlie said, “We have to evict someone.”
Confused, I asked, “Who?”
“Karen!” Nubbin laughed loudly. “Can you believe my greedy daughter let her move into my house?”
Now, he had my attention. “Karen lives in your house? When did that happen?” I asked.
“When that knucklehead husband of hers finally decided he'd had enough and he threw her out on her big, round rump.” Nubbin said.
That's why there were new issues of magazines strewn about and why the place was in the condition it was in. She kept her office at the nursing home in shambles. Why wouldn't she do the same where she lived?
“So, let's go kick her out of there now to save you the trouble later.” Nubbin said.
I looked at Charlie, thinking I'd misunderstood. “Save me the trouble? Is that what he said?”
Charlie nodded. “You really need to start paying attention. Nubbin already explained all of this an hour ago.”
I apologized. “Sorry, could you tell me again? I missed it.”
Nubbin cleared his throat. “Tahoe, I said that I had my will changed. I'm giving you the farm because I know you'll take better care of it than my good for nothing offspring. You can have that and all the land and everything in it.”
My breath caught. Was he serious?
“Don't look so shocked. If you don't take it, then Karen and her family will take over, so you're doing me a favor by accepting it. The only thing is, you have to wait until I'm dead.” Nubbin explained.
I didn't know what to say.
Nubbin continued, “And, when you two get hitched in California, don't abandon the farm. You hear me?”
I said, “I'm not the one getting married. My daughter is.”
“I know that, Toyota. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about when Deputy Dog takes that job offer in California and moves out there. Don't forget about us little people.” Nubbin said, surprising me even more.
Charlie's face reddened.
“Don't be embarrassed. What did you think that Camaro here wouldn't find out. Eventually you two would have run into each other somewhere.” Nubbin said.
I changed the subject to allow my brain to process. “How did you get out of the nursing home anyway?”
Nubbin smirked. “I walked out.”
I tried again. “Okay. How did you get out without being seen?”
“I told you. I walked out. Karen was taking her usual after dinner nap and I walked right on out of there. Charlie and Agent Conner were waiting outside for me.” Nubbin explained.
Why was I surprised? Of course it would have been that easy with Karen in charge.
“How's the girl?” Nubbin asked, referring to Tina. I knew that he missed her.
“She's fine. Noah is growing fast. He's been spending a lot of time with my neighbor. I should introduce her to you soon. You would love her. She reminds me a lot of you.” I said, remembering that I was speaking about the same woman, who had convinced me to join a group exercise class.
“Why the look?” Nubbin asked. “Is she crazy?”
I shook my head. “No, she's just a little pushy sometimes, but I love her.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I directed my question to Charlie.
He nodded. “Shoot.”
“Why did you call me to tell me that Nubbin eloped?” I asked.
Charlie laughed. “Well, I knew everyone would start looking at you because you and Nubbin are so close. After Nubbin mentioned that he'd changed his will, I knew I had to move quickly and get you on board. If I had taken some more time to think, I would have figured out a way to keep you in California.”
“Impossible.” I said. “If snow, floods, bank robbers and your bad attitude didn't stop me, nothing would.”
Nubbin asked Charlie, “So, it's all set then?”
I looked up at Charlie, unsure of what Nubbin was referring to.
Charlie leaned forward. “Looks that way.” He put his arm around my shoulders. “Do you know any good realtors in Lake Villa?”
Nubbin laughed. “I'd go with you if I could, but I have to wait to see what happens to Nolan first. I guess I should feel bad. I do, but at the same time, I feel like it was time.”
I nodded, feeling sorry for the predicament his brother put him in. “How about after the trial, you come out and spend some time with me? It will be fun.”
Scratching his head, Nubbin said, “I just might do that. I just might, Honda.”
The End
About Ava Mallory
Ava Mallory is a slave to the written word. While some authors have trouble keeping up with one persona, Ava greedily gathers many personas and they converge into what she likes to call her "World Domination Posse".
Ava writes any and everything from Cozy Mysteries to Psychological Thrillers to Gothic Romance, Paranormal Romance & Romantic Suspense. Never a day goes by when there isn't a new project in the works.
Currently, when not catering to the needs of her four children or not actively collecting man candy images to share with the masses, Ava is writing the next few books in her new A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery series and developing a new Cozy Mystery series!
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