Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,90

nests, and we needed to let things settle for a day or two.

I turned into the sheriff department’s lot and pulled up to the curb.

“I’ll see you after I get off work,” Marco said. “And try to talk Max into letting you go early.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to do much convincing. He’s all for us being together.”

“Good.” He gave me a kiss, then reached for the door handle. “Be safe, okay?”

“Of course.”

It was him I was worried about.

I decided to skip seeing Miss Thelma and headed to the grocery store to get the hamburgers, buns, and potatoes. While I was shopping, Max called and asked me to get hot dogs and buns along with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, multiple bottles of ketchup, and at least three hundred paper plates.

“Are you feeding an army?” I asked with a laugh.

“Close enough. Can you also stop by the Dollar General and get some outdoor Christmas lights? White? And get back as soon as you can.”

“Sure…” What in the world was he up to? I was about to ask, but he hung up before I could.

I had to go to both grocery stores in town to get all the food, then to Dollar General and the thrift store to find white outdoor Christmas lights. It was nearly four by the time I got back to Drum, and I was surprised to see the side street leading to the back parking lot blocked off with cones. I parked on the street in front of the tavern and walked around back to see if I could get help with the groceries. Max had moved his pickup truck down the street, and Ruth and Tiny’s cars were down there too. The road was blocked off about thirty feet from the corner—between the vacant lot behind the tavern and the abandoned dry cleaner across from it—and a couple of wooden picnic tables were sitting on the side of the road, with another in the middle of the parking lot.

Max, Tiny, Ruth’s boyfriend Franklin (whom everyone else called Tater), and a few of Franklin’s friends were in the parking lot, pounding tall wooden posts into the strip of grass at the back edge.

“What’s goin’ on here?” I asked lightheartedly as I squinted up at Franklin, who stood on a ladder held by two of his friends, hammering in what had to be a twelve-foot post.

“Max got a wild hair up his ass.”

“He decided to make a really tall clothesline?” I asked, shooting Max a grin.

“Aren’t you the funny one?” Max said sarcastically, but his eyes were dancing. “And you were the inspiration for this, so you’re welcome.”

I shook my head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“You waltzed in this morning wearing that pretty sundress, lookin’ like you were headed to a picnic or a summer festival, so I decided to take an unfortunate situation and turn it into an advantage. We’re having a summer block party. I’ve got a few bands comin’ and everything.”

“What?”

He laughed. “We’re gonna string the Christmas lights and plug ’em into the generator. And we’ll have dancin’, and Tater knows a guy who makes balloon animals for tips.”

I propped my hands on my hips. “You’re amazing, Max Drummond.”

He grinned from ear to ear. “About damn time someone figured that out. Now where’s the beef?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s in my car. I’m gonna need some help bringing it all in.”

“On it.” He called over several of Tater’s friends, and they followed me to my car and unloaded as much as they could and carried it through the unlocked front door.

I took the lights around back and handed them to Max with an apologetic look. “I’m not sure I got enough.”

“Ruth had a bunch and so did Ginger. With the boxes you got, I think we’ll be fixed up. Not to mention the tiki torches we rounded up to put along the sides of the street.”

“This is pure genius, Max.”

He laughed. “I have my moments. Oh, and by the way, I don’t want you or Ruth wearing your uniforms tonight. We’re gonna serve food buffet style from six to eight, and customers will come up to a bar we’re setting up. I dug some warming trays out of the storage area, so they can grab what they want and pay you and Ruth at the end of the line.”

“Where’s Ruth right now?”

“I sent her to Costco in Greeneville to get some cans of soft drinks and bottles of water. They’ll be easier to sell. She’ll