Man Law by Adrienne Giordano

Author:Adrienne Giordano [Giordano, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2011-07-04T05:00:00+00:00

“Hey,” Vic came through Gina’s back door and found her in a pair of cutoff shorts and a snug T-shirt, scrubbing the hell out of a pot.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “You’re early.”

“I stopped home to change and came right over.”

“You hungry?”

“Oh, yeah. I want that meal you promised me.”

He kept telling himself that’s why he left the office early and rushed over here.

“I have meat loaf, mashed potatoes and peas on a plate in the fridge.” She shut the faucet and grabbed a towel. “I just have to warm it.”

“I got it. You need help cleaning up?”

“No, but thanks. This is a solitary thing for me.”

He stuck the dish in the microwave and, through the doorway, spotted Lily sitting at the dining room table. “Hey, Lil. What’s happening, sweet pea?”

“Hi, Vic. Doing my spelling words.”

He made a face at Gina. “Spelling? What’s that about? It’s summer.”

Gina grabbed the dirty plates off the table. “She’s behind in spelling, so I got her some workbooks to do over the summer.”

Yowzer. Poor kid.

“Where are the boys?”

“Jake’s getting ready for practice and Matt’s at the movies. Roy went with him.”

The microwave dinged. Food was ready. Using a potholder, Vic pulled the plate, but the kitchen table was cluttered with leftover dinner dishes. “Where do you want me to eat?”

“Take it in the dining room so I can finish in here.”

He sat next to Lily at the end of the dining room table. “I got thrown out of the kitchen, Lil.”

She shrugged one bony shoulder. “Me too. Mama doesn’t like us in there when she’s cleaning. She needs room. Do you want to help me? You could read me my words.”

He popped a forkful of meat loaf in his mouth, savored the exploding flavor. Wow. That was good. And real mashed potatoes. Not from the box. Heaven.

“Sure,” he said, swallowing the bite of food. “What have you got?”

She handed over the book and pointed. “Just read me these words.”

“Okay. First word is been.”

“B-e-e-n.”

“Good job. Next word is meant.”

“Meant?” she asked.

“Yep.”

She grabbed her pencil with the big strawberry eraser on it—again with the strawberries? This kid was obsessed—and wrote something down.

“I got it,” she said. “M-e-n-t.”

Ooh, so close.

“You left out a letter.”

She studied the paper and shook her head. “How? M-e-n-t. I wrote it out. Men with a T on the end.”

“Well, that’s the way it sounds, but the A is silent.”

Her squinty-eyed glare nearly impaled him. “There’s an A in meant?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, sounding so much like her mother with that clipped tone.

Vic patted her hand. “It’s M-e-a-n-t, but it’s a hard word. Kind of a trick question.” He waved his hand. “Let’s skip it.”

A minute later Gina coughed—loudly—from the kitchen doorway and gave him the same look Lily had given him. “Can I see you a minute?”

Not waiting for a response, she went back into the kitchen. Vic frowned. This can’t be good.

“I think you’re in trouble,” Lily said.

He held out his hands. “What did I do?”

“I don’t know, but you’d better get in there or it’ll be worse.

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