easiest people to negotiate with,” Sue said. “But they’re good to their word. Maybe you’ll end up with some good Basque recipes.”
“Maybe so. But I bet not a day before we’re married,” Ginger said.
Her brother Richard had the largest home in the family and wanted to host the barbecue to officially introduce Matt to everyone. It almost rivaled a Lacoumette family gathering, it was that busy and loud. Ginger’s sisters-in-law, Beth and Melissa, provided almost all the food with Dick buying excellent meat for the grill and Sue providing dessert that she bought because she was not into cooking or baking at all. The men all knew Matt and had dealt with Matt, George and Paco when negotiating trucking contracts for their crops but they were meeting a social Lacoumette this time, not a shrewd businessman.
The conversation was reduced to jests about business associates socializing together as in-laws.
“I suppose the elder Lacoumette will begin to take into consideration that we’re now family when we write our next contract,” Dick Dysart said. “Or maybe he’ll hire an agent to do his negotiating.”
“I think you’ll be lucky if Paco doesn’t insist on driving the trucks,” Matt said. “He’s a very hands-on businessman. My advice? Look at his own truck before you even consider the idea. It’s a hundred years old.”
“We know he has plenty of money, Matt,” Richard said. “He’s getting it from us and our low prices!”
“Is that a fact? Paco said you robbed him blind!”
Ginger, who had never been a part of the trucking business, learned something. These men were happy to have come to terms that satisfied them and allowed them to call each other thieves. It was an old and time-honored system.
There were four kids, still enjoying the backyard pool, ranging in age from five to twelve. Her brothers each had a boy and a girl. The food was wonderful, the day passed with everyone in great spirits and the proposed union of Dysart and Lacoumette was heartily and genuinely approved.
It was late in the day when everyone was cleaning up and packing up to say their goodbyes that Sue took Ginger aside. She pulled her around the corner of the family room of Richard’s large house. They stood in a dimly lit hallway and Sue said, “I don’t want to do this but I won’t keep secrets from you. Mick got in touch with me. He doesn’t know where you are, which I believe is what you want. He says he’s in a crisis and needs to talk to you. It’s urgent, he says, and you’re the only person who will understand, who can help him, and he asked me to have you call him.”
“What kind of crisis?” she asked.
Sue shook her head. “I don’t know, he wouldn’t tell me another thing.”
“Is he sick?”
“He wouldn’t say. Your father is angry—he told me not to tell you anything about it. But I won’t lie. What if he just wants money?”
“Mom, I’m not going to give Mick money. I’m a slow learner but I’m not that slow.”
“Thank God,” Sue said. “Then you won’t call him?”
“Of course I’ll call him. Nothing is ever urgent with him—unless he wants to tell someone that he just got a personal call from Bruce Springsteen. But you know Mick would’ve told you that. I’ll find out what he wants. I’m sure it’ll be a simple matter to tell him to go away, that I don’t care about his plans or his concerts, that I’m not giving him anything, that I’m no longer in any way attached to him.”
“Don’t call him, Ginger!” Sue said. “Don’t even tempt fate.”
“Mom, I’m not the simple idiot I was when I was with Mick. He can’t threaten me or manipulate me anymore. Maybe he wants to make amends. That would be positive. Closure would be good. But I’ll make sure he’s not dying.”
“What if he is dying?” Sue asked.
“Still,” Ginger said. “I would be sorry to hear that but we’re not together and we haven’t been for a long time.”
“Don’t, Ginger. Don’t talk to him.”
“I’m not afraid of him, Mom. I’ll call him. I’ll give him as much as ten minutes.”
Suddenly there was Matt, standing in the hallway. Looming in the hallway, bigger somehow. Broader. His face scowling. It was Mad Matt.
“No,” he said. “No.”
Sixteen
Ginger wouldn’t let Matt say any more while in her brother’s house. Once they were in his truck she turned in her seat to stare at him. He was still frowning.
“What was that about?” she