4
Abigail
Ipush through Nixon’s front door at seven on the dot with more attitude than I should, then slam it closed again with no guilt for the way the door rattles in the frame. “Nixon Rosa, you come out here right now! You have a bunch of explaining to do, and you’d better do it right now before I lose my mind.”
Only Wanna Be With Youplays through speakers set up throughout his two-story ranch style home. Nix is all about quality; television, music, food. Why eat a sandwich when you could bake fresh fish with homemade spices and sauces? Why watch a regular TV when you could have surround sound andexperiencethe movie? Why doanythingunless you’re going to do it with precision and style?
His music almost –almost– tempts me to slow my attitude and smile, since Hootie and the Blowfish were Mom and Daddy’s favorite, but I’m just so mad from today, I’m not ready to let it go.
“Nixon! Show yourself.”
My brother steps out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. He’s freshly showered, so his inch-long black hair spikes up, and his forearms flex where he’s pushed up the sleeves of his shirt.
“Uh… Is there a fire? Or are you just being a psycho for fun?”
“No! To both. But I’m gonna light a fire in your butt if you don’t explain to me what the heck today was all about! Why were you having a stand-off in my shop? Why the weird stares and smell of gunpowder?” I throw my hand up. “Whois Spencer Serrano?”
Chuckling like nothing about earlier was a big deal, he turns away and makes me follow him back to the kitchen. “I have absolutely no idea who that dude was, but he seemed to think he knew me, huh? You blame me for something I didn’t do.”
“You don’t know him? Not even through work?”
“Nope. I’ve never seen him in my life.” Nix stops in front of his industrial-sized stove and mixes Momma’s taco beef recipe in a cast iron pan. He picks up a half empty beer and takes a sip. “What did he want? And who was that chick? She looked kinda familiar.”
“Jess Lenaghan is getting married next week. She came in to see the arrangement I did for her bouquet.”
He turns to me with a curled lip. “Lenaghan? She’s related to Luc, right? The EMT?”
“I have no clue!” I’m holding a gallon of rocky road ice cream in a plastic bag, and the corner of the tub smacks my thigh when I lift my hand in exasperation, then drop it just as fast. “I don’t ask about her private life, Nix. I never ask, because it’s none of my dang business.”
“She looks like Luc.” He turns back with a shrug and continues cooking. “She’s seriously marrying that mountain? He’s got a bad attitude, Ab. She could do better.”
“She’s not marryinghim! He’s her friend. And how do you know she could do better if you don’t know who she is?”
“Because Mitch is friendly with Luc, and you know how weird Mitch is with friends. That means Luc must be cool. His sister shouldn’t be marrying a thug like that.”
And there goes my bad mood as silly giggles find their way up my throat. I’ve met Jess’ actual fiancé, and though she might not be marrying Spencer, the guy she is marrying doesn’t look a heck of a lot less thuggish than his friend. He looks dangerous, just like Spencer, but he watches Jess in that way that I appreciate. He looks at her the way Bobby Kincaid looks when he collects his weekly supply of flowers. He looks at her the way Daddy looks at Momma.
“Her fiancé is so kind, Nix. And you sound awfully judgmental. Just like I was judgmental about Spencer. Mom would smack our ears if she heard.”
He rolls his eyes. “Lucky she’s not here then, huh? And I’m not being judgmental, I’m being smart. No normal guy steps in my way and does the Clint Eastwood staredown for no good reason. He was packing heat, Ab. Does he think he’s being sneaky about it? Because he ain’t.”
“You mean like how you carry a gun every day?”
I walk the rest of the way into the kitchen and help myself to his fridge and freezer. I tug the doors open and toss dessert in, then grab a half empty bottle of white wine from the fridge and a glass from the rack under the island counter.
“Do you think I don’t see that knife on the counter right now? It’s not a steak knife, Nix, and you’re not hunting with Daddy right now, so…”
“Since when do you have sass?” He turns and threatens to swat me with the spatula. “Sit down, drink, and talk to me about that chick.”
“Who, Jess?” When he nods, I scoff and pour. “Absolutely not. I mean, I’m not a shrink or a doctor or anything, so it’s not like I signed privacy agreements, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here and gossip with you just because you’re threatened by the fact someone other than Troy is taller than you.”
He turns to me with pursed lips and a lifted brow. “Really, Ab? Sassandback talk all in one day? What the hell has happened to you since you moved out? Are you partying with delinquents? Smoking a doobie with Nadia in the back cooler? Snorting banned substances while you eat naughty brownies?”
I sip my wine and laugh. “I’m not smoking, snorting, or partying. You can relax.”
He narrows his eyes and points the spatula at me. “You didn’t deny the brownies, Abigail.”
I say nothing, but our eyes meet, and his fatherly scolding turns to a grin.