Anything for You (Blue Heron #5)(75)

And now Davey had to be brought into the picture, because...well, because there was no way around it.

Shit. Just the thought made her knees wobble. He’d been so betrayed the last time, unable to believe that his sister had been sitting with the enemy in his own house. Thank God he hadn’t seen them making out. It had taken him weeks to forgive her.

The rain was really coming down when they pulled into the Chicken King. She and Davey ran inside. As planned, they were here first, and Connor would come when she texted him that she’d broached the subject.

There was only one other person at the counter, since it was early yet.

“Dad!” Davey said, bounding over. Well, that was a coincidence. Hard to avoid in a town of fewer than a thousand people, but still.

“Hey! My two favorite kids!” he said, hugging Davey. “Hi, Jessie.”

“Here’s your Born on the Bayou Louisiana Rub,” said the girl behind the counter, handing over a bag that was already staining with grease.

“Are you here to eat with us?” Davey asked. “You should eat with us! Please, Dad! Please!”

Keith looked at her. Eyes still clear, no alcohol odor, no tremor in the hand. Davey had grabbed Keith’s free hand and was swinging it, chanting “Stay, stay, stay.”

“Okay,” Jessica said, surprising herself. “Um, Davey, look at the menu and decide what you want.” She stepped away a few paces, her father following her.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Actually, yes. I have to tell Davey something that will upset him, and maybe it’s good that you’re here.”

Her father’s eyes lit up at the chance of being helpful. “Okay. Sure. What is it?”

She twisted the silver ring on her thumb. “I have a boyfriend.”

His face softened. “Oh, Jessie, that’s great.”

“Davey’s not going to think so.”

“Why?”

“It’s Connor O’Rourke.”

Her father shook his head. “From the restaurant... Oh. Right! Chico bit him, didn’t he?”

Mauled was a better word. Nearly killed. “Yes. And Davey thinks Connor killed Chico, more or less.”

“Really?”

Jess bit down on a surge of impatience. “Yes. Things are very black-and-white for him. He was five when it happened, and it’s practically carved in stone in his memory. All he remembers is that Mr. O’Rourke and Connor came over, and then Chico was taken away and died.”

“Shit. I barely remember that myself.”

“No, you were drunk at the time.”

He flinched a little. “You’re right. Well, maybe I can help now.”

“The thing is, when he gets upset, he gets violent. And he’s not a little boy anymore.”

“Can I have Triple Batter Crunch, Jess?” Davey called. “And extra onion rings?”

“Get whatever you want, hon.”

Keith’s face was solemn. “Thanks for this, Jessie. For letting me help.”

She sighed. “I hope it works.” She got a plain chicken sandwich. She actually loved Chicken King food, but her stomach was jumpy. She then sat down at a table across from Davey and her father. Keith asked Davey questions, keeping things light, and Davey tore into his meal like a starved Viking.

“So Davey,” Jess began. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I love chicken,” he said. “They make it thirty-eight delicious different ways.” He could quote all the commercials. “Joo-Joo Haitian Spice, Sweet Home Alabama Fire, Better than Grandma’s Bacon Lard with Biscuits—”

“So, the thing is, sweetie, I...uh... There’s a guy I like. And I want him to be my boyfriend.”

He took another bite. “That’s nice.”

Keith raised his eyebrows at her. So far, so good, he seemed to be saying. He obviously had no idea what was about to happen.

“He’s really nice,” Jess said. “He likes animals, especially dogs. His sister has a big, funny dog, and he likes kids, too. He has a little sister and he plays baseball with her.”

“Can I have your corn?”

She passed him the ear, dripping with butter. The Chicken King’s mission seemed to be to shorten lives. “So he’d like to meet you. Actually, he already knows you a little bit.”

“Who knows me?”

“The guy I’m dating.”

“Oh. Okay.”

And now for the hard part. “The thing is, you might think at first that he’s not nice, but he really is.”

“Who is it?”

She took a deep breath. “It’s Connor. Connor O’Rourke.”

Davey blinked. A second later, he stopped chewing. “But he killed Chico One.”

“No, he didn’t, actually,” Keith said, looking at Jessica for permission. She gave a little nod. “Chico was a bad dog that day. He bit Connor. Hard.”

“So Connor killed him.” Davey’s voice rose.

“No, no, he didn’t, honey,” Jess said.

“He came to our house and they took Chico One away and Chico died! He killed Chico One!”

“It was my fault that Chico got off his chain,” Jessica said. “So it was my fault that Connor got bitten. And when a dog bites a kid, they can’t—”