Weeding Out Trouble (24 page)

I looked over my shoulder. Riley stood with Kevin, side by side, watching me. It had never been clearer how much they needed each other.

Especially now.

"You want to go over?" Bobby asked.

I looked up at him. "I'm right where I need to be."

He kissed the top of my head.

Three police cars swerved to a stop. Uniformed officers swarmed.

"I better get some coffee on," my mother said. She kissed my cheeks, then hurried into the house.

Bobby walked me over to his front steps. "How's the turkey?" I asked.

"Gone," he said. "It flew off."

"I hope it's okay."

"I'm sure it is." Obviously trying to lighten the mood, he said, "I don't suppose you want to call off Thanksgiving?"

"You're not getting out of it that easy, Bobby MacKenna."

"A guy can try, right?"

Across the street Ian yanked Lewy to his feet. Handcuffs bound his wrists. Blood covered his face. I wondered if it was a result of the wild turkey or of the men trying to protect me.

Not that it mattered.

Ian pushed Lewy past Mario's shot-up car, toward a cruiser.

I curled closer into the nook of Bobby's arm. "Besides, don't you think we have a lot to be thankful for this year?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Although . . . "

"What?"

"Mario's going to pitch a fit when he sees his car."

"What did you think of Lowther House?" I asked Mrs. Greeble as I drove toward home. Thanksgiving morning had dawned sunny and warm, all traces of snow long gone.

"It was wonderful, Nina. I still don't understand how you were able to get me in."

"As I told you, Pippi owed me a favor."

"Must have been quite some favor."

"It was."

I couldn't have been happier that Pippi had agreed to let Mrs. Greeble become a resident of Lowther House for the rest of her days, paying only what she could.

"Why, Nina?"

"Why?"

"Why help me?"

"Simple," I said, pulling into my driveway. "Because I can."

When I came to a stop, her hand shook as she placed it on mine. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I helped her into the house, settled her on the sofa next to my father, shook him awake so he'd have to be social, and went into the kitchen to see if my mother had everything under control.

Kit had slept there last night but he'd gone out earlier with BeBe. He didn't say where. I didn't ask.

The delicious scents of garlic and tomato sauce filled the air.

"Four lasagnas should be enough, correct, c
hérie
?"

"More than. Thank you so much for cooking, Mom. No one makes better lasagna than you."

She pinched my cheek. "What are mamas for? How did the visit go?"

"Very well. Mrs. Greeble moves into Lowther House tomorrow."

"You did a good thing."

"It feels good. A bit like extortion, but good."

"All's well that ends well, no?"

"I suppose. Is Riley upstairs?"

"With Kevin."

I headed that way. I knew I should have kicked Kevin out Tuesday night, but after everything that happened, it didn't seem so urgent. He was packed and ready to leave after dinner, and he was hoping Riley would go with him.

Kevin had come to me yesterday with the news. As much as I hated to lose Riley, he belonged with his dad. Being together was truly the bond that would help both of them heal.

I was going to miss him like crazy.

Thankfully, Kevin agreed to let Riley stay here on weekends, and starting this summer, Ry was going to work for me as Kit's apprentice.

The job wouldn't be easy, but it would teach him the value of hard work, responsibility, and hopefully keep him out of trouble.

I wasn't holding my breath.

At the top of the stairs, I knocked on Riley's ajar door and poked my head in. He and Kevin sat on the bed. Neither said hello.

"He wants to stay until Sunday," Kevin said.

"Good. I'll need a few days to get used to the idea of his leaving."

Kevin rose. "And it will give me time to move out of Ginger's place and into one of my own."

Ginger. None of us had talked about her. Of how Lewy had tricked her into becoming part of his drug ring, of how she had no way out, of how he used a ginger root as the Ecstasy design to remind her of her involvement, to ensure her silence. Terrified for her own life, she'd run when she witnessed Lewy kill Daisy and was now safe and sound in Wyoming with her mother. Where she planned to stay. Word was, she agreed to testify against Lewy for her freedom, but would never work in law enforcement again.

The Freedom PD was taking quite a hit, but weathering well. They'd found Daisy's hard drive and a list of her clients, which included one Dr. Marvin Partridge. Brickhouse had been right about her former student.

Turned out Randall Oh had been telling Brickhouse and me the truth, and I felt badly for thinking he was a coldblooded murderer.

Not enough to call him and apologize, mind you.

All charges against Kit had been dropped, and Joe was reassigned a new partner.

"Anyone here?" Kevin asked.

"Mrs. Greeble, my dad, my mom."

"You sure you don't mind me staying for dinner?"

"I'm sure. No complaining about lasagna, though."

Even if there'd been a turkey left on the store shelf, I wouldn't have bought it. I didn't think I'd ever be able to eat it again, not after one saved my life.

"Do we at least have stuffing?" he said.

"Yeah, it's called ricotta cheese."

He grumbled his way past me, out the door.

My cell phone rang, and I checked the caller ID. "Thanks for calling me back, Claudia," I said. I wouldn't have answered if it had been anyone else.

Brickhouse's daughter sounded confused. "Is something wrong, Nina?"

"Not at all." I smiled at Riley, who was clearly eavesdropping. I asked her about ever having duped Brickhouse. "Between you and me," I added.

She laughed. "All the time, Nina. And between you and me? I'm due to be married soon. But the truth is, I eloped almost a year ago. My mother doesn't have a clue."

Vindication never felt so good!

I offered congratulations and hung up, feeling proud of myself.

"What was that all about?" Riley asked.

"Can't tell. So," I said, sitting on the bed, "are you going to miss me?"

His lips had returned to a soft pink. His fever had broken yesterday and he was feeling normal again. "No."

Definitely normal again.

"Oh. Well." I elbowed his ribs. "I'm not going to miss you either."

"Good we got that straight."

"Definitely," I said.

"Did you see Bobby's column?" I asked, standing.

"Yeah. It was okay."

I laughed. "Don't gush. It doesn't become you."

Bobby had written a touching column about the turkey that saved me, and about how it had been given a home on a farm north of the city where it was guaranteed to never become someone's dinner.

Ian had graciously taken the turkey in, and Tam insisted he adopt the turkey captured the other day and Gregory Peck as well.

Ian hadn't complained a bit. Penance, I suppose, for tricking me.

I loved that Tam.

"Did you give Booby an answer yet?"

I gave him the Ceceri Evil Eye until he corrected himself.

"Fine, Bobby. Did you give him an answer yet?"

The incident with Lewy the other night had finally propelled me to tell Bobby how I felt about him. And him about me. He proposed that night while I was being stitched up in the hospital, which was more romantic than one would think.

I hadn't given him an answer yet.

With more than a bit of derision, Riley said, "You know, you need to take into consideration that he's not going to make any money writing. How's he going to pay his bills? How's he going to be able to keep you supplied with cookie dough?"

Ah. He was worried. How sweet. Not that I said so. I could only imagine the attitude shift that would cause.

"But you love him, right? And he loves you?"

"Yeah, but life is a little more complicated than that."

He turned toward me, his blue eyes serious. "No it's not."

Maybe, just maybe, he was right.

I hated when that happened.

I didn't dare reach out and tousle his hair, though I wanted to. "Mrs. Greeble's downstairs. I'm sure she wants to tell you all about Lowther House."

"I'll be down after I shower," he said, turning up his stereo, dismissing me.

I couldn't believe I was going to miss the little bugger.

But I was. I closed his door behind me and nearly jumped clear out of my fuzzy socks when I saw Kevin standing there.

Arms crossed, chin down, he didn't look happy. "I owe you an apology," he said. "For the other day."

Eyebrow raised, I asked, "Which part?"

He rolled his eyes. "For all of it, I suppose. But mostly the other morning. You were right, about Leah."

Riley's door thumped from a song with heavy bass.

"I know."

He cracked a smile. "I've got a lot of mental stuff to

work through. Thanks for not putting up a fuss about Riley coming to live with me."

"You're welcome. It's not going to be easy to let him go. He's grown on me. A bit like lichen to a shady rock."

Bushy eyebrows dipped quizzically.

"Never mind," I said. "I'll miss him."

Fidgeting, Kevin wouldn't look at me. His Adam's apple bobbed. Finally, he met my eyes. "You couldn't have been a better mom to him. I mean it, Nina."

Tears sprang immediately. I fought to keep them from spilling over. "Thank you for letting me be his mom."

"You always will be." He nodded, turned, and hurried down the stairs.

Riley's door flew open and he nearly knocked me over. I hadn't even noticed the stereo going off.

He looked at me like I was nuts. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"What?"

"Standing there?"

"Um, uh—"

"Whatever," he said, brushing past me and into the bathroom.

I smiled and went downstairs. Brickhouse and Mr. Cabrera had shown up. Bobby too. My mother had him slicing cucumbers. He glanced up at me with a "Help me" look in his eye.

Flash and Miss Maisie had joined Mrs. Greeble, Kevin, and my dad in the living room, and just as I was about to rescue Bobby, the doorbell rang.

I opened it. BeBe rushed in, tail thrashing, drool oozing. On the stoop, Kit and Ana held hands.

Ana saw me looking, and her eyes dared me to say something.

Nope. Uh-uh. Just call me Nina Colette Ceceri I'm So Happy for Them, Please Don't Let Them Screw It Up Quinn.

Mac, Bobby's grandfather, was just climbing the stairs as Ana and Kit passed through the door. He gave me a big kiss on my lips and said, "I promise not to steal anything."

"That's good to hear, Mac."

I relieved Bobby from the cucumbers just as Ian, Tam, and Niki showed up. Not long afterward, Mario and Perry arrived. My mother, true to her word, had contacted someone who took Mario's car away and promised to return it good as new, well . . . used, in two weeks. Much to Mario's relief.

And Perry's dismay. He'd been hoping the car was gone for good.

Riley came down the stairs, and I couldn't help but notice how Mrs. Greeble's face lit up. He dutifully kissed her cheek and let her ruffle his hair.

Josh, Bobby's sleazy cousin, arrived next. To my surprise, he brought a nice bottle of wine. And Bobby had been worried about his family. It gave me hope.

Jean-Claude, Shay, Marty, and Jeff came as a group. They hadn't had other plans, and really, what were a few more people? It was great to see their faces when they spotted Kit.

My sister Maria had called to say she was going to be late and not to keep dinner. She had to suffer through an earlier dinner at her in-laws.

"Dinner is ready," my mother called out. BeBe barked happily.

We'd decided to serve the meal buffet-style, since there was no way we'd fit everyone around my kitchen table.

I found a quiet corner, waiting until everyone else was done dishing up lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and antipasto.

"You have the strangest look on your face," Bobby said, walking over to me.

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

I motioned with my head to all the people trying to

squeeze into my kitchen. "Mrs. Greeble is right. Blood isn't always the tie that binds. Families are made up of people who love and care and nurture each other. I guess I'm thankful for my family. The whole kit and caboodle."

He put his arm around me and pulled me close. "Me too."

"Speaking of, where's the rest of your family?"

"My family?" he asked, looking innocent.

"Yes, your family."

A mischievous light entered his eyes. "I might have forgotten to invite them."

Smiling, I said, "You're in so much trouble."

"How much?"

"Lots." I looked into his eyes. "Your family, Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Just be sure they're at our wedding."