I listened to Shirleen tel Darius’s mother about the coffee maker, clearly both of them appreciating the story a lot more than I ever would.
Then we watched Days of Our Lives.
Then Dorothea came over.
She was pretty, soft-spoken with eyes that went bright when she met me, then settled into what I suspected was a permanent sadness that she tried to hide but it didn’t work too well .
She wasn’t what I would expect a drug dealer’s mother would look like, she looked normal and kind, a lot like Darius looked when he wasn’t being scary.
We left, with Dorothea making me promise to tel everyone she said hel o and Shirleen making me promise to come back and watch Days of Our Lives with her and to keep her informed of any new kitchen appliances Eddie and I bought together.
Darius was long gone.
Matt was looking like he was going to ask for a raise.
Daisy took off the minute we got to Fortnum’s and I found out from Indy that Mom, Tex and Lottie were at our place for Mom’s PT, then they were going to hit the El Camino to cruise neighborhoods looking at apartments.
Jane and Duke went home and I cal ed Eddie.
No answer.
I left a message.
“Cal me.”
When I flipped my phone shut, I worried that I should have said good-bye or offered something witty and amusing. Then I spent awhile trying to think of witty and amusing things to say next time I had to leave a message for Eddie. Then I gave up because I wasn’t witty or amusing.
Indy and I closed the store and we were standing outside, locking the doors when something down the sidewalk caught Matt’s attention and he did the chin lift.
“Later,” he said and that might have been the first thing he said al day. Then he took off.
“Lee’s boys aren’t fond of bodyguard duty, they’re action men,” Indy explained.
I nodded and saw Hank walk up to us.
Hank was the same height as Eddie, maybe tal er by an inch. He had an athlete’s body, lean and muscled. He also had thick, dark brown hair and whisky-colored eyes. Hank wasn’t a badass, bad boy. Hank was the to-die-for boy-next-door. Hank was every mother’s dream and every girl’s wet dream. And, I had the sneaking suspicion Hank was my next bodyguard.
Indy greeted him and I stared at him.
“You got Jet Duty?” Indy asked.
Hank cut his eyes to me.
“Yeah.”
He didn’t sound happy about it.
Indy laughed and looked at me.
“Don’t take it personal y. Last time Hank played bodyguard, I led him to a pot farm and it was on al three networks. Don’t ask, I’l tel you later.” She gave me a hug and took off.
I stood there and looked up at him, feeling uncomfortable.
“What now?” I asked.
“Dinner,” he answered, took my arm and guided me down the sidewalk to a black Toyota 4Runner that was parked on the street. His head was up, his eyes alert.
“Um… where’s Eddie? I cal ed him…”