Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“Mom. What are you doing here?”
“I told you I wanted to visit, see where you live and…work.” She slipped her sunglasses off and arched a perfect brow, sweeping a critical eye around the bustling store. “Is that all right?”
“Yes,” he replied after a moment’s hesitation, removing his Dracula teeth and adding, “Of course. I’m just…surprised. It’s Halloween, Mom.”
“Is it? Well, don’t fuss. I’m not staying long. I was hoping to catch you for an hour. Maxwell came with me…thank goodness. The roads are rather primitive here, aren’t they?”
“I—who’s Maxwell?” he asked.
“My chauffeur.” Margaret pivoted, disarming me with a sharklike smile, an indication that she definitely remembered our previous encounter in Michigan. “Hello, again. Viggo, am I correct?”
I offered my hand. “Welcome to Wood Hollow.”
“Thank you.” Her gold bangles jingled noisily as she fitted her palm to mine. “It’s good to see you.”
“Is it?”
Margaret’s lips twisted with humor. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”
“Mom—”
“I want to talk to you, Dexter. Alone. I’m sure you understand, Viggo.” She nodded blandly, her gaze fixed on her son.
Dexter exhaled, pushing his cape over his right shoulder. “You should have called.”
“I did. I spoke to a lovely young man named Houston who told me you’d be in your store most of the day.”
“You mean Dallas?”
“What difference does it make? I’m here now,” she replied impatiently. The “I’m not going anywhere until I have what I want” was unspoken but very much implied.
“Right. Okay, well…this is my shop, Dexter’s Donuts.” He spread his arm, gesturing to the gleaming marble countertops, the neatly arranged display cases filled with an assortment of treats, and the line of loyal patrons. “If you’d like, I can show you the kitchen and um…my SUV is out front. I’ll take you to my house, too. It’s close to the lake and there’s a nice view and…”
“Wonderful. I’ll follow you.”
Dex motioned for her to move ahead of him, turning to me at the last second with a WTF expression. I shrugged and pulled my cell out, indicating that he should text or call if he needed me to run interference. He blinked—message received.
I finished my coffee and tossed it into the bin next to the counter where Janey was chatting with Cooper’s aunt and uncle, a couple of proud hippies who’d set aside their usual tie-dyed and peace sweatshirts to dress for the holiday.
“We’re Sonny and Cher,” Aunt Rhona said in greeting. “Where’s your costume?”
“Now, Rhona. Not everyone embraces ghoulish holidays,” her husband Harry reminded her, seemingly unbothered by the shaggy clump of a wig atop his head or his vertically striped bell-bottoms. The man looked positively ridiculous.
I nodded, unsure what to add. “Well…have fun.”
“Oh, we will.” Rhona winked, hooking her arm through her husband’s and dragging him to the exit.
“They’re a hoot.” Janey chuckled lightly, then tilted her chin meaningfully. “Who’s that with Dex?”
“His mother.”
Janey gasped. “His mother! Oh, wow. He didn’t mention that she was coming today.”
“She surprised him.”
“That’s so nice! Or…not? Your face is doing something weird, and I can’t be sure.”
“It’ll be fine.”
Janey quirked a brow and nodded along. “Hey, while you’re here, I wanted to talk to you about the baby shower we’re planning for Dex. I think it would be a nice touch to have his surrogate join us.”
“Freya?”
“Yeah, would you mind asking her? If it’s not okay for her to travel, no worries. Safety first. But if she can come…ohhhhh, we’ll give her the royal treatment!”
“Why?”
Janey put her hands on her hips, exposing her tattooed arms under the generous folds of her witch’s costume. “What do you mean, why? Because she’s carrying Dexter’s little miracle, and the whole town wants to welcome that baby. Not that everyone is invited, mind you. Fire hazards and all that. And why are you looking at me like this is the first you’re hearing about it?”
“Two weeks from today at Cooper and Silas’s house. I know.”
She beamed. “Good. So you’ll ask Freya?”
“Ja. No problem.”
“Thanks.” Janey hooked her thumb toward the kitchen. “Everything okay there? He didn’t exactly seem excited to see her.”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe I should make sure he’s all right.”
“No, let them be,” I advised. “She’s come a long way.”
Janey gave a dubious shrug but didn’t argue. She probably thought I had some sage insight, and that wasn’t the case. The truth was…family confused me. I lived thousands of miles from my own for a reason. It had nothing to do with a lack of love or piety and everything to do with sanity.
Dex would establish boundaries with his child’s best interest at heart. It was what a good parent did. I wondered where my boundary would be.
I wasn’t family, I was a new friend—a temporary lover, an uncle of sorts on a mother’s side, though she had no rights. This time next year, the child might not recognize me at first glance. They might cry at the sight of the scary man with a bushy beard. I wouldn’t blame them.