The Hookup (Moonlight and Motor Oil #1)(88)

Whether it was because he sat there after the drama, or by design, which was more likely since it seemed Izzy, Deanna and Addie maneuvered him there, Johnny was at the head of the table. He was flanked by Iz and Toby. Charlie sat at the foot flanked by his wife and Addie.

The women had been through four bottles of wine and were on their fifth.

The men, two of them driving, were only on their third six-pack.

They’d been through queso dip, followed by four choices of street tacos with enough for leftovers, Mexican corn, black beans and a southwestern themed salad, and now the table was littered with little pink melamine plates with creamy lace designs on their edges covered in chocolate cake crumbs, vanilla frosting smears and ice cream residue.

The dogs were out dead, snoozing in the grass.

Brooks had fallen asleep in Deanna’s arms but was now up in his crib.

There were lightning bugs blinking in and out in the darkened periphery and soft candles were glowing in the screened porch but there was no glaring outside light to disturb the cocoon of friendship, food and magic that Izzy had created.

Johnny understood it all then.

It didn’t matter if there was a dent in the drinks tub.

It didn’t matter that Perry was somewhere out there, pissed and intent on making trouble for Addie.

Their mother had taught them this was it.

This was the beauty of life.

It wasn’t making do.

It was finding the joy in all you had and if you could give it a little sparkle with crystals dangling from trees or just lying side by side, staring at the stars, you did it.

On this thought, still softly giggling, Iz turned bright eyes to him. “I wish Margot and Dave were here.”

Yeah, it was finding the joy in all you had, gathering memories, filling them as full as you could, goofing off wearing cheap sandals in front of a horse or sitting under a canopy of Christmas lights and crystals.

“We can invite them next time, sp?tzchen,” he murmured.

She shot him a dazzling smile then looked back down the table when Charlie started talking.

Toby leaned his way and Johnny braced in order not to get ticked if his brother teased him verbally rather than just shooting him looks like he had from the first through the several that came after it when he’d called Izzy sp?tzchen.

Tobe knew Shandra never got that.

Toby, like Johnny, knew what it meant that Izzy did.

It had startled him the first time it had come out.

But from that first time, it came out easy.

He looked to his brother just as Toby said under his breath, “I wish Dad was here.”

They locked eyes.

There would be no end of the teasing Lance Gamble would dish out about crystals in trees.

But he loved chocolate cake.

And he thought there was no better time, not even fishing, than spending it with friends.

Last, it made him happy when his sons were happy.

“Me too,” Johnny muttered.

“ . . . so my Dee-Girl gets on her hands and knees . . .” Charlie was saying.

“I did not!” Deanna cried. “I just bent over!”

Johnny and Toby looked to the end of the table.

“ . . . in spiked heels and the littlest skirt you’ve ever seen . . .” Charlie talked over her.

“Charles!” she snapped.

“ . . . she whips out her phone, turns on her flashlight and shines it into the murk . . .”

“A lady would never get on her knees in the street. Especially in a skirt.”

“ . . . then she looks up at me . . .”

“Stop!”

“ . . . and says, ‘Baby, you gotta go after that,’ like I’m gonna be able to pull off a sewer grate and retrieve her freaking earring.”

“It was my favorite earring!” Deanna exclaimed through the audible mirth rolling around the table.

He looked to his wife. “How can you have favorites when you got two drawers full of them?”

“I don’t have two drawers full of them,” she denied.

He arched his brows.

“Okay, but they’re small drawers,” Deanna muttered.

Everyone again burst out laughing.

Johnny nabbed his cold beer, sat back in his chair at the head of the table and joined them.





All In

Johnny

THE NEXT MORNING, after feeding the horses and letting them out to pasture, Johnny walked to the back porch, his gaze on Izzy and Addie sitting on the loveseat there.

He walked through the door and saw that Addie had her long legs stretched out, feet on the coffee table in front of her, and she was wearing a striped cami and short-shorts sleep set. Her mass of hair was an appealing bedhead mess. Her eyes were still shadowed with sleep. All of this further making Johnny wonder what kind of dumbfuck Perry was. She had a mug of coffee curled in both hands like it was the elixir of life.

Izzy was wearing his Home tee over a pair of his pajama bottoms that she’d cut off at the knees and her hair was also an appealing bedhead mess that had something to do with sleeping but more to do with something else.

Suffice it to say, bottle five moved through bottle six and halfway through bottle seven, so a fun night got more fun.

After bottle seven and a half and everyone leaving, Johnny got to take off her dress, and with Izzy plastered, they’d probably not been as quiet as they should have.