My heart clenched again.
Uncle Marsh kept talking.
“Man I saw here yesterday morning, the situation we walked into, not good. Way he was with his kids, way he looked at you, I could let it slide. You mattered to him yesterday. No man who’s any man at all has something, especially someone matter to him one morning and that night, she doesn’t. No matter what happened, what was said, who was hurt and how. Your aunt tried to walk away from me, told me to let her go, I wouldn’t. I’d find a way to make her stay. Because she matters and it’s worth whatever I have to do to make her stay. That’s the way it is, Tyra. Simple.”
God, I loved him but he was killing me.
“This isn’t helping, Uncle Marsh,” I whispered because, well, it wasn’t. It was making it worse.
“It isn’t now, honey, and I know that. But it will when it sinks in. I’m telling it like it is. I’m telling you what you should expect. You matter, Tyra, and that’s what you should expect.”
I felt tears sting my eyes and turned my head away.
“I take it I should come back.”
This was Aunt Bette from behind us and I took in another huge breath, turned in my chair and aimed a big, fake, bright smile in her direction.
“No, it’s all good,” I lied then pushed up from my chair. “Take a load off. I’ll go in and see what I can rustle up for dinner.”
Aunt Bette stared at me then she looked at Uncle Marsh.
“Biker road kill,” she remarked.
So Aunt Bette, cutting right to the chase.
“No truer words were spoken,” Uncle Marsh muttered.
“Guys, can we let this go?” I requested. “You leave tomorrow. We’ve had shrieking women attacking my door, mob kidnappings and a breakup of a non-relationship that was more relationship than any relationship I’ve ever had. Not the happy-go-lucky surprise visit to sunny Denver you were expecting, I’m sure. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the time we have. Sound like a plan?”
Uncle Marsh opened his mouth to speak.
Aunt Bette got there before him.
“Marsh.”
His eyes cut to his wife.
“Let it go,” she ordered softly.
Uncle Marsh held his wife’s eyes. Then his came to me.
“Last time you were at our place, you bragged about your cooking. Dazzle me.”
I looked to Aunt Bette. She rolled her eyes. I rolled mine back.
Then I went into the kitchen and rustled up some dinner. I didn’t know if it was dazzling. I just knew there were no leftovers.
* * * * *
Standing outside security at Denver International Airport the next day, Aunt Bette gave me a tight hug.
She also slipped a business card that had the name “Cabe Delgado” on it into my hand when she was done.
“You have any problems, you call Hawk,” she told me.
I nodded.
That was when Uncle Marsh moved in for his hug. It was longer and it was tighter.