Fate Actually (Moonstone Cove #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,14
working together for barely a year before they’d announced they were getting married. Having a Filipino son-in-law might have been a surprise for their parents, but since Rani was Catholic, they had no issue with it.
And as Toni learned at Luna and Rani’s wedding, large Filipino families were as fun, crazy, and nosy as large Italian families, so really Luna and Rani were made for each other. Their two kids were twelve and thirteen and currently shouting across the basketball court with their Dusi cousins.
“Is Rani getting an electric car?” Toni tried to change the subject and not be jealous of Luna’s wine. “He texted me about it two weeks ago and I never heard another word.”
“He’s a climate scientist. He kind of feels like he has to even though in his heart he wants a muscle car.”
Toni took a bite of steak. “We’ll get there. You know, there are shops that will take old cars and put electric engines in them now.”
“Are you thinking about doing anything like that?”
“I’m considering it.” Toni shrugged. “Gotta plan for the future, right? It’s going to be a growing wing of custom work.”
“Yep.”
Jackie took a sip of wine. “Give me any car I can fit four children into and not spend a fortune on gas. That’s all I want.” She glanced at Toni. “You’re not drinking? You okay?”
Luna said, “She’s got a blood pressure thing her doctor said.”
“It’s minor,” Toni said. “She’s just being careful.”
“Did you tell her about Dad and Gina?”
“She told her,” Luna said. “Relax.”
“I’m just saying she’s young to have a blood pressure thing.”
“Hey.” Toni leaned closer to her sisters and tried to change the subject. “Have you guys heard anything about Marissa dating that Whit Fairfield guy?”
“Seriously?” Jackie kept her voice low. “Are they a thing now? What a pair. They deserve each other, I guess, but that’s so trashy. He was her neighbor.”
Luna shook her head. “Nico’s poor kids.”
Nico’s kids were about the same age as Jackie’s. The oldest was just about to graduate from high school, and the youngest was just going in. Since Frank and Nico were as close as brothers, Jackie had spent more time with Marissa than either Toni or Luna.
“That woman,” Jackie said, “is the most selfish person I think I’ve ever met. Ever. After the way she treated Nico, I hope she gets a UTI every time she has sex.”
Luna almost snorted wine out her nose.
“Harsh.” Toni bit back a smile. “But probably deserved.”
“I know Nico’s kids are teenagers, but they’re still kids,” Luna said. “They’re gonna care about their mom dating someone who’s been so horrible to their father. If nothing else because it’ll make people in the Cove talk.”
“Please,” Jackie said. “I’m pretty sure I saw Beth text Rosie a meme about one of the real housewives of something or other with her mother’s face pasted over the picture.”
Toni winced. “Ouch.”
“Supposedly Marissa has been trying to get something out of Nico. Some piece of the winery that she wants for herself or she’s never going to sign the papers and never give him a divorce and contest everything.” Jackie shook her head. “What a mess.”
“That sucks. Did… uh?” Toni cleared her throat. “Speaking of the winery, did you two hear about what I found at Nico’s last week?”
“Oh holy shit, are you talking about that finger?” Jackie’s eyes were the size of saucers. “Frank and Nico were talking yesterday. What is that? Who loses a finger and just leaves it in someone’s tractor? Did Nico flip his shit?”
“What?” Luna’s eyes went wide. “Someone lost a finger?”
“But no one knows who!” Jackie said. “Nico says it’s not any of his guys. Danny says none of the harvesting crew got hurt. But some asshole’s been messing with Nico’s crews and stuff, so Frank thinks maybe whoever is messing with Nico is the one who lost a finger.”
“What happened?” Luna said. “It got cut off?”
“Honestly, it looked more… ripped off.” Toni shuddered. “It was really gross.”
“Are the police doing anything about it?” Luna asked.
Jackie shrugged. “What are they gonna do? They asked at the hospitals, according to Max, and no one came in with a missing finger.”
“You ask Leah?”
“I asked Leah too. None of the nurses have seen anything like that.”
“What about Aunt Gloria?”
“She’s a large animal vet,” Toni said. “Do you really think someone’s going to go to a vet if they lost a finger?”
“Maybe.” Luna narrowed her eyes. “Was there a lot of blood?”