In It For the Money by Cathy Perkins

Author:Cathy Perkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Mountain Publishing
Published: 2018-07-19T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Insane in the Brain (Cypress Hill)

“Are you out of your mind?” Tate glared at Holly from the far side of the kitchen peninsula.

“What?” She carefully placed a roasted chicken from the deli on the counter. “I know it isn’t home cooked, but I didn’t have time to bake—”

“You were at the course pestering the drivers.”

“I wasn’t—”

His chin thrust forward. “Did you really think they wouldn’t call and warn me some blonde was asking nosy questions?”

She dropped the other grocery bag on the counter. “So what if I was? I learned a lot about Randy that you didn’t bother to tell me. And those guys, the ones who called you, they totally support you, by the way. I needed to know that too.”

He slammed his hands onto the counter. “Oh, so you don’t trust me?”

“Don’t be an ass. I’ve backed you every step.” She lifted plates from the cabinet and set them beside the food. “Look. I’m starving. Can we talk about this over dinner? You know, like civilized people?”

He pushed away from the counter. “I’d rather not talk about it at all.”

“Big surprise.” She found a cutting board.

“Give me the knife.” He extended a hand.

She held out the implements, then opened the second bag and removed roasted sweet potatoes and a packet of mixed greens. While Tate sliced the chicken, she dumped the salad into a colander.

“You do know the lettuce is pre-washed.” He plunged the knife into the chicken breast.

She turned her head and gave him her best, Right, sure look. “Tell me you washed the salad the other night.”

He transferred chicken to the waiting plates. An innocent-as-a-school-boy smile turned up his lips.

“Gross. When you get salmonella, don’t expect me to take care of you.” She sprayed the greens a second time.

“Where’s that cousinly luv?” A hint of humor returned to his voice.

“Bite me.”

Minutes later, they took their places at the dining room table. Other than forks clicking against china, silence reigned.

Darkness pressed against the oversized windows. During the day, the rivers and nature preserve provided a constantly changing nature slideshow. Now with the sun down, little was visible in the inky pool of darkness below her house.

Both beauty and danger lurked in the dark. She was stumbling around in the blackness of this Boulder Bounders mess, tripping over hidden obstacles that could reach up and bite her in the ass. She wondered about the threatening phone message. How concerned should she be? Apparently, like the coyotes, snakes and mountain lions that roamed the nature preserve, some of her two-legged opponents had lethal potential.

Tate broke the silence. “George and I talked. That attorney we met with is notifying the paper. Demanding a retraction—one that isn’t buried in the want ads.”

“Hope that works. I still think you should sue them for defamation. Fact check, anyone?”

He shrugged and forked up more chicken. “As long as they quit screwing up our product sales, I don’t care what they say about me. George and I are disappointed we haven’t sold many this week at the event.

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