“Let me see,” I said, stepping up beside her. She went to her Pinterest board, showing me the images. “Hmm…I think the orange would look good for the summer. I’d save pastel pink for a special occasion.” I clicked on a picture of a girl with silver hair. “What about this one?”
“I’m not sure about that one. I feel like I’ll get bored with it after a week or two.” She grabbed a piece of her blonde hair, twirling it around her fingers as she studied the hairstyle. “But I do need something new.” She smiled up at me. “I’ll try it, but if I hate it, I’m going to the orange.”
I laughed, going back to drying dishes.
A door clicked shut in the distance, and Lora and I froze up, while Miss Cane looked back. We heard the footsteps coming up the hallway, and I don’t know why I was so fucking terrified. The hairs on my arms stood up and my throat went bone dry as I turned toward the kitchen opening. I really, really hoped it wasn’t El Jefe again.
But then I saw him.
He wore a white button-down shirt with a simple black tie. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to his forearms, revealing the delicate ink on his skin. He’d trimmed his beard down several days ago, just enough for it to not look scraggly and wild. Lora’s hiked up shoulders relaxed a notch, and Miss Cane smiled at her son.
“You’re in luck,” Miss Cane said, walking around the counter to hold his face and kiss his cheek. “I have a few tacos leftover.”
“Thanks, Mama,” he murmured.
“You’re back early, butthead,” Lora noted.
“Closed the deal a lot sooner than anyone expected.” He walked up to her, nudging her arm with his elbow.
“Don’t brag, dude. It’s not cute.” Lora playfully rolled her eyes.
He chuckled, then turned, putting his focus on me. I placed the empty glass in my hand down, giving him a forced smile. As if he noticed how forced it was, his eyebrows pulled together for a split second. Walking up to me, he held my waist, placing a kiss on my forehead.
“Everything all right?”
I kept my breaths steady. “Yeah,” I lied. “Everything’s fine.”
“Okay. You eat?”
“Yep.”
“Good.”
Cane went to the counter and practically inhaled the tacos. He even had himself a margarita, though he assured me he wasn’t a margarita guy. I knew he was more of a scotch man.
He and Miss Cane talked about her meeting that morning, as well as her little shopping adventure with Lora at a boutique. Apparently Miss Cane owned a leather jacket now.
Everything seemed perfectly fine…until his phone chimed.
As soon as he read whatever was on the screen, his face paled, eyes growing wider. My eyes flashed over to Lora, who looked at me and subtly shook her head, like she was demanding that I keep my mouth shut and to not ask any questions.
Releasing an agitated breath, Cane slid his phone into his back pocket and stood up straight. “Lora,” he growled. “Outside. Now.”
He stormed away, and Lora pressed her lips, groaning as she hopped off the stool. She shrugged at me before walking around the counter, and before the door could slam closed, I heard Cane yell, “WHAT THE FUCK, LORA!”
“What’s that all about?” Miss Cane asked, coming up next to me.
“I’m not sure,” I murmured, but I had a feeling I knew.
Miss Cane pulled out her cellphone and sat on a stool. “Those two are always arguing. Should we go out there? Break it up?
“Uh…no. I don’t think so. Something tells me going out there won’t help.”
“I hate when they get like this.” She lowered her gaze to focus on her phone. “Do you have Facebook?”
“Yeah, I do, but I hardly get on my account anymore. Why do you ask?”
“I’m looking for friends. Mind if I add you?”
I smiled at her. “Sure. Feel free. I’m under Kandy Jennings.”
I busied myself by putting the dishes away and wrapping up the leftover food. All the while, their yelling got even louder. The door creaked on its hinges as one of them came back inside. Lora popped up around the corner, snatching up her cell phone and then leaving the kitchen without looking at either of us.
The front door slammed again, and I expected Cane to come into the kitchen, but he didn’t. When I looked around the corner, he was walking down the hallway to get to the door that led out to the deck.
I chased after him, catching the door before he could slam that one too. With all this slamming, I was sure one of the windows were going to break.
“Cane,” I called as he paced the large, cemented deck.
He only huffed in response.
“Cane…what’s going on?” I took a step closer.
He finally stopped his pacing, facing me. “I just got a text from Cora. She said that Mrs. Hugo, Kelly’s mother, called the office. She told Cora that the clinic found Kelly in her bed, and her heart wasn’t beating. They think it was a heart attack or a reaction to one of the drugs she was taking, but I don’t believe that shit for a second. I know Draco did this. I know it!”