Darkness at the Edge of Town (Iris Ballard #2)(82)

“I heard you were quite the hero today,” Joyce said. “Again. You helped save both Iris and Sheriff Hancock. It was so, so nice of you to come all this way for them. I hope Iris has shown you some form of gratitude,” she said with a glint in her eye. Another one I had to stop myself from throttling.

“Would she be Iris if she had?” he asked.

“Then I guess it’s up to me,” Joyce said, taking his arm and leading him toward the table.

I rolled my eyes and Grandma lightly hit my forearm. “Stop being such a curmudgeon,” she whispered. “Smile and be nice.”

“I don’t know if I can,” I whispered back.

“Luke came all this way to help you. Joyce and Don think you hung the moon. They all adore you. And Luke’s not in Spain yet. So just suck it up and smile. It’s the least you can do. The very least.”

She was right. The party was in my honor. I shouldn’t be the one to ruin it. Judging from Mom’s curled lip as she stared at Luke across the small table and nursed her beer, she intended to take the party-pooper crown. I suddenly found enough energy to grow furious. One word, just one rude word to him, and I’d rip her lips off. Literally. Apparently only I was allowed to be mad at him.



And I realized I was. I was pissed that he’d brought this new complication into my life. But I was nowhere near as pissed at him as I was at myself for my reaction. I was pissed that I was pissed. I shouldn’t have been. I should have been elated for him, not sad and angry. I’d had enough of those emotions that day to sustain me for life. Once again I buried them down as deep as I could, reaffixed my smile, and joined them at the table.

One. Fucking. Word.

“…every embarrassing story you can remember,” Luke was saying as I sat in the only empty chair, right between my mother and him. She still had her death-ray glare directed toward Luke. The lesser of two evils.

“Hello, Mother,” I said. She tensed when I leaned in to kiss her cheek. She was right to worry. “Be on your best behavior tonight or else,” I whispered. “You say one unkind word to Luke, the man who’s here to help me save your son, and I will never speak to you again. Ever. Be nice.” I pecked her cheek again before scooting closer to Luke.

“Embarrassing? There really aren’t that many,” Joyce said. “She was always so serious. Well…there was the time Tim found her and that boyfriend of hers necking in the McDonald’s parking lot.”

My attention instantly perked up. Luke smiled, but I wanted to find that damn bottomless hole again. “Joyce!”



“What? You were teenagers in love. And he was a good boy. For the most part.”

“He was a good guy,” I said.

“Yes, he did pay for the abortion, didn’t he?” Mom said, sucking down her beer. “What a good boy.”

Everyone’s mouth slightly opened in shock as they glanced from Mom to me to Luke. Mom simply sipped her beer. Luke’s mouth grew tight. He knew about the abortion, just as I knew he’d paid for one himself back in college. I just rolled my eyes. And we were off.

“Then I guess that makes me a good boy as well, Mrs. Lange,” Luke said with a shit-eating grin. “I’m glad to know you hold me in such high esteem.”

Everyone else smiled except for Mom. I could see she wanted to respond, but my cold eyes stopped her. She could say whatever she wanted about me, but not about him. Not him. I saw in her eyes that she intended to take advantage of that loophole all night. I truly didn’t give a shit. My give-a-damn button wasn’t just busted, it was obliterated. Mercifully, Don and Grandpa returned with beers and a bottle of water for me. “Thank you,” I said.

“The steaks should be another ten minutes or so,” Don said. “Agent Hudson, how do you take yours?”

“Medium rare.”

“Me too,” I said, sipping my water.

“Don’s made this great bourbon marinade for them we saw on TV. It’s to die for,” Joyce said.

“Should Iris be having bourbon anything? She is an alcoholic after all,” Mom said.



Another sting, another round of uncomfortable glances. “I-I’m sorry, we didn’t even think,” Joyce said, looking my way.

“It’s fine. The fire burns the alcohol off,” I said.

“But you’re so fragile, Iris. We don’t want you to become the mess you were before,” Mom said.

I was about to say something, but Luke beat me to it. “Well, I’m sure if everything she’s endured since you called her to come help you hasn’t driven her to back the bottle, I doubt a steak marinade will.”

Without thinking, I touched Luke’s hand. “Really, it’s fine. I can’t wait to eat. I’m starved,” I told Don.

“I’d imagine. You two have had quite the busy day,” Joyce said.

“You really went to that cult’s farm? What was it like?” Don asked.

“Kind of like a hippie commune. Besides no Internet and tents everywhere, it seemed semi-normal. Everyone works together on the crops and taking care of the livestock.”

“And Billy? He was all right?” Joyce asked.

“Outwardly, yeah. He looked healthy. Happy.”

“Did he really marry some girl he got pregnant?” Joyce asked.