Law Man (Dream Man #3)(68)

“Is there a problem here?” one of the newly arrived police officers asked and Mr. Pierson strode forward nodding.

“Jesus! Can’t I talk to my own daughter?” Mom shouted.

“Stick up my ass?” Mitch asked in my ear, again sounding like he was smiling.

I closed my eyes.

“Marabelle! Get over here and talk to these cops!” Aunt Lulamae demanded.

“Mara, sweetheart, you stay right where you are. Those officers have been briefed,” Mitch ordered.

“Right,” I whispered to Mitch.

“Marabelle!” Mom shrieked.

“You okay for me to let you go or do you need me to stay on the line until they’re gone?” Mitch asked in my ear.

I opened my eyes and watched both Mom and Aunt Lulamae snapping at the officers, Mr. Pierson, Roberta and LaTanya while somewhat resisting the officers instructions and therefore they pulled out their handcuffs.

So my answer was, no. No, I was not okay for him to let me go while watching my mother and aunt get handcuffed at the same time my boss and my two best friends watched it too.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

More silence then, “You want beer or wine with chili?”

I blinked at his question as Roberta and LaTanya smiled as the officers shoved my handcuffed mother and aunt toward the doors. This happened while Mr. Pierson stared at them like he’d been talked into going to an avant-garde play he did not get and didn’t much like and I asked distractedly, “What?”

“Beer or wine with chili?” Mitch repeated.

“Um…”

“Beer goes better, baby, but you want wine, I’ll get you wine. We drank all I had last night so you gotta tell me if you want more.”

“Beer’s fine,” I told him.

“You want me to get somethin’ for dessert?”

“Uh…”

The officers were opening the backdoors to their cruiser.

“Ice cream?”

“Um…”

The officers were shoving Mom and Aunt Lulamae in.

“A frozen apple pie?”

“Uh…”

The officers were closing the doors on Mom and Aunt Lulamae.

“The kids and me could swing by Tessa’s Bakery and get cupcakes.”

I’d had those cupcakes, more than once, therefore I stated instantly, “Cupcakes.”

“Right.” And in his tone was another smile.

The officers were climbing in the front of the cruiser.

Then he said, “Got Billie another teddy bear.”

The cruiser started to pull away as I asked, “Pardon?”

“Before I went to get them from school, swung by Target, got her another teddy bear.”

I moved to the counter and put my hand on it because suddenly my legs were trembling.

And they were trembling because Mitch went out of his way and got Billie another teddy bear.

But they were also trembling because he knew I’d lied about being fine for him to let me go. And my guess was that he was a busy guy but he was still taking his time to talk to me in an attempt to divert my attention from my trailer trash relatives and the mess they were making of my life. And since he was a busy guy, I knew I was sucking more of his time with all that was going on with Billy, Billie, Bill, him bonding with Bob and instigating Operation Take out the Trash and then some.

Therefore, when I had my hand in the counter to hold myself up, I told him softly, “They’re gone.”

“Good,” he said softly back.

I pulled in a steadying breath.

Then, still talking softly, I said, “I’m okay now, Mitch.”

“Good,” he repeated, also still talking softly.

I pulled in another steadying breath.

Then I whispered, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, baby,” he whispered back.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I told him.

“Now, that makes it worth it,” he replied, causing another belly whoosh then he said quietly, “Later, honey.”

“Bye, Mitch.”

Then I heard him disconnect.

I flipped Mr. Pierson’s phone shut and lifted my head to see my crew was all back and their eyes were on me.

I took them all in and said, “I’m so sorry. They –”

“Not another word, Mara,” Mr. Pierson cut me off firmly. I looked to him and his hand came up, his fingers curled around my bicep. He stepped in close and said gently, “Not another word, dear. Don’t think about it. Mitch and I have it all sorted.”

He held my eyes, squeezed my arm, smiled at me then let me go, carefully took his phone from my hand and walked toward the back and his office.

I turned and watched him go.

Then I turned back to see both Roberta and LaTanya staring at me.

That was when I bit my lip.

And when I bit my lip, LaTanya looked down at my mouth then up into my eyes then ordered, “Right, the juicy stuff first and that’s what’s goin’ on with you and Mitch. Then we’ll get to the Roller Derby Rejects. Now, sock it to me.”

Roller Derby Rejects.

That was funny.

And what was funnier, but not in a humorous way, was that both Roberta and LaTanya were not looking at me like I was a Roller Derby Reject or worse, stunned, shocked and disgusted at learning from whose loins I’d sprung. They were looking curious (very) and, well, like Roberta and LaTanya.