Rock Chick Redemption (Rock Chick #3)(8)

I tore my eyes away and looked back at Uncle Tex.

“What?” I repeated.

Again, Uncle Tex ignored me as Nancy moved careful y toward us and then grabbed on to his arm. She leaned into him and he took her weight natural y, as if this had happened many times before. She smiled at me. “Why don’t you and Tex come over to my place for dinner?

Maybe we can talk Jet into cooking for us.” Without hesitation, Tex turned toward Jet and boomed,

“Make those f**kin’ brownies with the caramel, Loopy Loo.

It’s a special f**kin’ occasion!”

I jumped at this latest boom and Hank let go of my hand and moved away. I felt his loss like a physical blow and I closed my eyes tight to push it away.

The last time this had happened to me, I’d lost seven years of my life to Bil y.

It wasn’t going to happen to me again, no way.

No… f*cking… way.

I hadn’t even gotten rid of Bil y, I certainly didn’t need the trouble that Hank Nightingale had written al over him.

This trouble was worse. This trouble said loud and clear that Hank would eventual y find out about Bil y and realize what a f**king moron I was and Hank would never hold my hand again. Don’t ask me how I knew this, I just knew this like I knew that Manolo Blahnik made the best shoes in history.

I opened my eyes again and Nancy was watching me.

“You okay?” she asked softly.

I nodded but said, just as softly, “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

“Stroke,” she answered, without hesitation. “Nearly nine months ago.”

I moved toward her and then stopped when Eddie came in my peripheral vision.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, not attempting to get any closer and feeling weirdly scared of Eddie.

“I’m getting better every day,” Nancy told me.

I smiled at her. “That’s fantastic.”

She smiled back, it was a glamorous smile, like her daughter’s.

“Holy cow, Nancy. Jet and you have the same smile,” I said.

“Don’t tel Jet.”

“Why not?”

“She won’t believe you.”

Eddie came in close to Nancy and took her weight off Tex when I heard Indy shout, “Let’s have a big old party!” Tex moved away and boomed. “Now you’re talkin’, woman!”

I looked at Eddie and he was watching me, his black eyes no longer blank but active. I glanced away, feeling that he knew my secrets and I wanted to keep them to myself.

It was then, I noticed with alarm, that the Witches of Eastwi ck had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into planning the impromptu party.

I wasn’t sure this was a good idea.

“I’m not getting a good feeling about this,” I said to Nancy (and Eddie, since he was there).

“I’m not either,” Eddie said in a tone that made a shiver go across my skin.

Nancy patted my arm quickly then grabbed on to Eddie again.

“It’l be fine,” she said, grinning at Tex.

“I’l make the caramel layer squares,” Jet said, walking up to Eddie, linking her arm through his and putting her head on his shoulder, obviously deciding their tiff was over.

“Damn straight, Loopy Loo,” Tex said.

“I’l get the booze,” Al y said, also arriving at our group.

“Where are we having it?” Indy asked, coming up beside me. Lee materialized next to her and his arm went across her shoulders as hers went around his waist. He was looking at me and he kind of scared me too, both in a general way and in an Eddie way.

“It can’t be at Tex’s place, we’l get cat hair in the caramel squares,” Al y said and I saw Hank come up behind her and he wrapped both of his arms around her neck and yanked her back into his chest, playful and rough.

Gil would do that to me: Gil had done that to me.

They were close, you could tel , al of them, everyone around me, even Mace, Vance and Matt who’d joined our enormous huddle. They were family, and they’d taken in Uncle Tex as one of their own. This made me simultaneously happy for Uncle Tex, because he final y had this, and sad for me, because I never would.

“Cats!” Tex boomed and turned to me. “Roxie, darlin’, you got to meet the cats.”

I looked up at him and grinned. “I can’t wait.” And this was the truth, Uncle Tex had been talking about his cats for years.

“Nancy, you okay with Jet?” Tex asked.

Nancy nodded.

“Good, you al figure it out, tel us where to be. Roxie and me got some catchin’ up to do,” Tex said, grabbing on to me. “Darlin’ girl, we’re goin’ to go meet the cats.” Then Uncle Tex dragged me out of the store.

I hadn’t taken even a sip of my caramel latte.

* * * * *

I did have the chance to turn around, I caught Indy’s eye and I mouthed, “Thank you.” She cocked her head and smiled a confused smile before I was pul ed through the door. She had no idea what I was talking about but I didn’t care, I had to say it al the same, for my Grams, my Mom, my aunts and myself.

* * * * *

I didn’t look at Hank. Hank had ceased to exist for me.

He had to.

For his own good and mine.

Chapter Three