Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,105

walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Carly!” she said enthusiastically. “Sorry we missed you this afternoon, but I guess I see why.”

“Max outdid himself,” I said.

“I’m sure you had something to do with it.”

“Less than you might think.” I glanced to the side. “Say, have you seen Lula? I saw her earlier and wanted to say hi and ask about the baby, but I don’t see her anywhere.”’

She laughed. “Todd took her home. She was nervous about leaving Beatrice so long.”

“Oh,” I said with a sigh.

The music picked back up and Greta shouted, “I think Todd had a special night planned for her.” She winked. “I can’t wait to hear about it tomorrow.”

Which meant going to see him tonight was out of the question.

“See you later,” she called out as her boyfriend spun her around.

My earlier joyfulness had faded, but I was eager to tell Marco what had just happened. On my way over to him, I saw Hank sitting to the side of the crowd, talking to a couple of older men. He saw me and smiled, then motioned for me to go on my way.

I was thrilled he was having fun, and I hoped this would inspire him to get out more. His accessibly fitted car would help.

When I reached Marco, I pressed myself to his side, wrapping my arms around his waist as I leaned into him.

His arm curled around my back and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I could get used to this.”

“Me too.”

“I take it you couldn’t find Bingham.”

“No, and Greta said that he had a romantic night planned for Lula, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to interrupt that.”

“It’s close to ten. You really would have gone by Bingham’s if not for their plans? Now I really want to know what happened inside.”

I glanced up at him. “I’ll tell you. I promise.” Because the last person I was going to take relationship advice from was Emily Drummond.

He tugged me closer but released me as a customer approached.

We refilled more cups and handed out soft drinks and water. The cash box was overflowing, and I once again thought Max was more brilliant than he let on. We’d probably made a good deal more money than we would have on a regular night, and he’d provided a much-needed fun evening for the town.

But I was starting to worry about him. Max had a bad habit of getting blind drunk when he was upset, and his mother had been up there with him for a long time. It didn’t bode well. A half hour later, he still hadn’t come back, and I was desperate enough consider going up to press my ear to the door. Before I could decide, I saw Bart approaching our drink stand, wearing his smug grin.

“Marco. Carly,” he said jovially. “I see that congratulations are in order.”

Marco ignored his comment. “What can I get for you? The options are pretty limited.”

“I’ll take a beer,” he said, reaching for his wallet.

“I hear construction’s going well,” Marco said, sounding like he was chatting with a friend as he started to fill an empty cup.

“It was until today,” Bart said with a laugh. “But the power should be restored by late tomorrow morning.” He looked up at the lights strung overhead. “Looks like Max has adapted.”

“You know Max,” Marco said with a hint of bite. “He’s good at taking bitter lemons and making lemonade.”

“You still won’t let that go, will you?” Bart asked with a laugh. “Max’s place was here.”

I realized they were talking about Bart calling Max home after Wyatt quit running the bar.

“Max’s place was anywhere but here until Wyatt threw it all away,” Marco countered, his voice hard. “But then, we’ll never agree on that topic. I was merely pointing out how adaptable your son is.”

“Yes, he gets that from his mother,” he said with a tight smile.

Marco handed him the cup.

Bart held out a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.” He turned his attention to me. “Cat got your tongue, Caroline? You’re usually so chatty.”

My blood ran cold as he turned to gauge Marco’s reaction.

He smiled. “Ah…I’m not surprised Marco knows, but be careful, little one. The more people you tell, the more danger you’re in.” Then he turned around and walked away, walking up to a couple and enthusiastically shaking the husband’s hand.

“That was a threat, Carly,” Marco said under his breath.

“I know.”

My stomach churned, but I didn’t dare run away and let Bart