Chapter 16
A screwdriver walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Hey, we have a drink named after you!” The screwdriver asks, “You have a drink named Philip?” ~ Text from Hailey to Pops
Isee the door to my car is open as I walk toward my parking spot in the garage under our building. What the hell? I quicken my pace. Shit. My car door is definitely hanging open. I search the area, but I don’t see anyone else down here.
Once I make I-am-not-going-to-die-with-a-knife-in-the-back-like-a-horror-movie sure I’m alone, I search my car to see if anything is missing. Nothing is out of place. Even my cluttered tray of lip gloss and hand sanitizer looks untouched. I open the glove compartment. Yep, still the same old boring papers as well as a few leftover napkins from fast-food restaurants.
I debate calling the police for approximately thirty seconds. In the end, I decide against it. There’s nothing to be seen here. Sure, they may be able to dust for prints but there’s no telling if this break-in is connected to the break-ins at my house and business. I start up the engine and head toward the pub.
I growl when I walk into McGraw’s Pub and see Aiden surrounded by Pops and my uncles. First, my car and now this.
“What’s going on here?” I ask. No one answers. Of course, they don’t. I turn on Aiden. “Are you stalking me now or what?”
He leans forward and kisses my forehead. I’m quickly becoming addicted to those forehead kisses. “It’s good to see you, too, honey.”
I tap my foot. “Is someone going to answer my question?” The uncles look anywhere but at me. I glare at Pops. “I don’t get it. First, you don’t like him. Then, you do and encourage me to go out with him. And now what? You’re pals?” I glare at the uncles. “Did you even do a background check?”
Wally grunts. “What is this? Amateur hour? Of course, we did.” He frowns at Aiden. “By the way, we need to talk about your credit rating.”
Aiden’s brow wrinkles. “My credit rating? I have a good credit rating. I hardly have any debt. I don’t even own a credit card.”
Wally shakes his head. “You don’t build good credit without taking out some loans and having a credit card.”
“That makes no sense.” I have to agree with Aiden. How does having debt give you a good credit rating? Talk about confusing. “Besides, I plan to get a VA home loan when I decide to buy a place.”
The uncles grunt in approval. Of course, they like him. He’s a fellow Army vet. I should have known. Now, they’re going to be all up in my business trying to push us together.
Pops slides a beer in front of me. “Go ahead and grab a booth, Babycakes. I’ll put in an order for hamburgers for you.” See? Case in point.
Aiden grabs his own beer with one hand before placing his other hand on the small of my back and pushing me toward a booth. He gets close and whispers, “I like your family.”
I snort. He would.
“And? How was your day?” he asks once we’re settled in a booth on the opposite side of the room from the uncles.
“Hold up,” I tell him before shouting to the uncles. “If you use the bionic ear listening device to eavesdrop, I’ll stick mayonnaise in your cream donuts until the end of time.”
“You’re mean,” Wally shouts back, but he does put the listening device away.
“Hey, Aiden,” Lenny yells. When Aiden looks his way, he asks, “What happened to the man who hurt Hailey?” When Aiden shrugs, he continues. “Hurt our Hailey and you’ll find out.”
“Message received.”
“I’m sorry. My uncles are a little overprotective.”
Aiden chuckles. “A little? How do they even run background checks?”
I don’t answer. I’m not telling him about Wally’s connections.
“Anyway, you were going to tell me about your day.”
I was? Okay, then. I go on to explain about my run-in with Estelle Bostwick.
I barely finish my story before he starts ordering me around. “You are not taking a murder case!”
Oh no, he didn’t. No man orders me around. I don’t care how hot they are. “You are not telling me what to do!”
“I sure the hell will tell you what to do if you’re diving headfirst into danger.”