Gin Fling (Bootleg Springs, #5)(33)

“Jonah Bodine, is this your mother? Your mama? Maaaa-maaaa.” Newly engaged off-duty Deputy Cassidy Tucker was three sheets to the wind and sloshing beer out of her cup down her arm.

“Cassidy, meet my mother, Jenny. Mom, this is Scarlett’s best friend and town deputy when she’s not half in the bag.”

“Pfft,” Cassidy said. “I’m whole in the bag tonight, smarty pants. But I am so excited to make your acquaintance. Your son has just been a delight. Everyone in the whole town loves him, and no one holds the whole illegitimate son of Jonah Sr. against him at all.”

My mother blinked. “Oh, well. Isn’t that nice?”

Cassidy leaned in and grabbed her for a sticky hug.

“Around here, everyone knows everything about everybody,” I cautioned Mom.

“Apparently so,” she said, looking a little dazed.

“Bowie Bodine! Get your fine ass over here,” Cassidy bellowed. “I’m so sorry. I rarely drink my face off, Jonah’s Mama. What was your name again? But you see, I don’t have to work tomorrow, and my best friend in the whole wide world, Scarlett Bodine, is building this beautiful house, and we’re gonna get married and have babies together and be sisters just like we always planned. And I’m just so happy I could burst.”

“You’ll get married and be sisters?” Mom asked, clearly entertained.

Cassidy closed one eye. “Hang on. I think I got that wrong. Don’t wanna be giving West Virginia a bad impression to you. On you? For you?”

“Cassidy and Bowie just got engaged tonight,” I explained to my mom.

“I’ve loved him my whole entire life.” Cassidy sighed, holding up the ring an inch from my mother’s eyes. “And it’s all really happening. All I had to do was stop being a chickenshit and admit what I really wanted.”

It should have been weird. My mother introducing herself to the children of the man who’d derailed her life. My half-siblings. Meeting half of the town that knew she’d had an affair with a married man. But it was remarkably civil. Friendly even.

Bootleg loved a friendly scandal.

Bowie was nearly as inebriated as his fiancée and kept hugging my mom. Jameson beamed at her when my mother told him she’d looked up his art and loved his installation in Charlotte. Gibson brought her a second drink after she finished the gin and tonic Shelby made for her. And while Gibson and my mom discussed the finer points of fast-pitch softball, I pulled Shelby aside.

“I’m beyond sorry about the interruption.”

She gave me a wan smile. “It’s fine. Your mom is great.”

“You look tired. Are you okay? Do you want me to take you home?” She was pale, and those shadows under her eyes concerned me.

“I’m fine. Just a long day,” she said. “GT and June are going to drive me home. Juney’s hit her wall of peopling for the day.”

“You sure you’re okay?” I pressed. “I want to talk more about… before.”

Her smile was a slow burn. “I would also like to do more ‘talking.’”

“I would, too,” I admitted. “Scarlett might be a problem,” I warned her.

“We can handle her,” Shelby predicted.

I laughed. “Have you met my sister?”

“I believe we handled her just fine today,” she reminded me.

I remembered Scarlett’s face when Sheriff Tucker slapped the cuffs on Shelby. “We make a good team.”

“You ready, Shel?” George and June approached. June had a book under her arm and a head lamp on.

“Ready,” Shelby said, looking several degrees more energetic than she had a minute ago. I wondered if the show was for me or her brother. “I’ll see you back at the house.”

I wanted to kiss her again, but not with her gigantic brother, my paying client, hovering. It didn’t feel professional… or wise.

Shelby and June headed in the direction of the car.

“Funny joke today,” George said. He still didn’t sound like he thought it was very funny.

“Thanks for not pounding my face in.”

“As long as you’re good to my sister, that won’t become necessary,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Good to know. Appreciate the heads-up.”

He slapped me on the shoulder. It stung. “Now that that’s settled, we can return to our previous dudebro relationship. See you Monday?”

“Looking forward to it,” I told him, rubbing my shoulder.

“You better get back over there. Scarlett’s trying to talk your mother into doing shots.”

“Fuck.”





*



Me: My mom has officially been inducted into Bootleg Society.





Shelby: How drunk is she?





Me: She’s laying in the back seat singing Lady Gaga songs. I’m driving her to the inn and pouring her into her room.





Shelby: FYI. They have a hangover room service package.





18





Shelby





The pain in my back was a wildfire that existed to drive me insane. I couldn’t sleep. I’d known I’d overdone it. The whole day on the water, the party, the sun, the gin… the kiss.