After wiping my nose and regaining my composure, I looked apprehensively at the balding attorney. “I need time to look this over. I’m just not sure Charlie was in his right frame of mind when he made this decision.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, he thought highly of you. It wasn’t like he was forced to pass off the business; he had other options. But that was his first request and he wanted to make it happen. He said you had a…” Mr. Gardner reached for the right words. “He said you had a nose for business. Mr. Langston felt you could take it wherever it needed to go, and only wished he could have stuck around to see what you’ll do with it. Well, I need to head out.”
He glanced at his watch and stood up, eyeing the wolf. “My number is on the card clipped on the top. Regardless of what you decide, we’ll have another meeting to discuss this in detail with any questions you might have. Oh, and something else,” he began with a short chuckle. “He told me to tell you that you don’t have to wear those fruity earrings anymore if you don’t want to. I’m not sure what that means, but he wanted me to let you know.”
Tom hesitated, waiting for the wolf to move and I motioned Austin with my eyes and he complied, allowing the lawyer to pass.
“Y’all have a good afternoon,” he said, walking back to his car and wiping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.
My heart ached for Charlie, and I only wished I could have seen him one last time. I wondered if he knew how much he meant to me. But why did he do this? How could he leave something so important in my incapable hands? That got me scared, and I needed to talk to April. She would be able to keep me from going into a full-blown freak-out.
I leaned back and stared at Austin. He rested his chin on the arm of my chair and I got lost in his clear blue eyes.
“How long are you going to stay that way? Because I’m starting to feel like you’re avoiding me.” I patted his nose. “Anyone ever tell you that your breath stinks?” Nothing riled him up. “I could take you to the pet store and have them clip your toenails and paint them pink.”
He snorted angrily and grunted, circling around the porch.
Then I suddenly felt a tingle between my legs and slid down in my chair a little bit. Maybe it was the hot afternoon sun, but damn if I didn’t feel… turned on. Austin’s wolf was making a peculiar sound of distress while pacing back and forth, as if he were guarding me from invisible predators.
When it passed, I took the papers inside and laid down for a nap.
Chapter 24
Everyone gathered in the kitchen to devour Mom’s succulent homemade brisket. The small table only seated six, so Ben and Wheeler ate at the counter while the rest of us sat down. Austin’s wolf trotted out of the room.
Mom was still shaken up about Maizy having been left on the side of the road and every so often, I caught that look in her eyes a mother gets when they’ve come close to losing the most precious thing to them. I admired her courage and resilience for all she had been through in the last week, and I guess like me, she valued family even more because of it.
During dinner, I noticed Maizy hiding her meat beneath her mashed potatoes. Denver waltzed over to the microwave and heated up a hot dog. Her eyes brightened when he dropped it on her plate and she hunched over with a big smile on her face, looking like she had just gotten away with something. Maybe she had. He appeared satisfied with himself, although he tried to hide it from the guys. Maybe it wasn’t a “cool guy” thing to have a little girl think you were the best thing since peanut butter and jelly. Despite his idiotic methods, I trusted Denver with her more than I did the others. Reno was too rough around the edges and I still didn’t know what to make of the twins. Wheeler was the smarter of the two, though you’d never know it by all the tattoos, not to mention he seemed to be a moodier guy than his brother.
Jericho mentioned getting another tattoo and my mom told him he already had one too many.
“Boys, we’re going to be staying the night out,” Austin announced, walking into the room with a swagger I couldn’t help but admire. His dark jeans were loose (in a good way) and his tight black shirt was tucked in, showing off a nice leather belt with a silver buckle.
Jericho whistled mockingly.
“Who’s we?” I asked.
“Me and you. Let’s go.” He flicked an icy glare at Jericho, who had scooted his chair right beside me—so close our arms touched. Reno took the spot on my left and everyone else looked spread out. I guess I didn’t think about how it might look to be sandwiched between his brothers until Austin came in and made me aware of it.
The extra space at the table allowed them room to move down, but they chose to sit right beside me. I just thought they were being consolatory because of the recent attack.