Rose reached over, swatting Grady on the back of the neck with a wooden spoon. “You leave those two alone. I want a wedding, and they’re my best shot right now.”
“I don’t think they’re going to get married right away,” Grady said. “James would tell me if he was considering something like that.”
“A mother can dream,” Rose said. “Speaking of dreaming, I pushed two of the beds together up in your old room. I’m not sure how comfortable you’ll be.”
Grady’s eyes were gleaming when he glanced at Sophie. “We’ll be fine.”
“I oiled the bed springs, too,” Louis said.
Grady choked on the swig of beer in his mouth. “What?”
“Oh, don’t demean yourself that way, son,” Louis said. “I’ve seen the girl, and I think like a man. I know exactly what you’re going to be doing in that bedroom tonight.”
“Dad,” Grady hissed, inclining his head in Rose’s direction. “Don’t say stuff like that with Mom in the room.”
“Don’t be such a prude, Grady,” Rose said. “I’m the one who told him to oil the springs. I’m just glad that our bedroom is at the opposite end of the house.”
Sophie wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
“So, what are you going to do tomorrow?” Rose asked. Sophie got the feeling she was trying to change the subject for her benefit.
“I’m going to the bank,” Grady said. “I need to find out who wired that money.”
“Well, the good news is that Anna Shepherd is an account manager there,” Louis said. “She should be more than willing to help you.”
“Who is Anna Shepherd?” Sophie was curious.
“She was Grady’s prom date when he was a senior,” Rose said. “Oh, don’t worry, dear. She’s put on a few pounds and popped out a few kids since then. She’s no match for you.”
“Oh,” Sophie said, unsure how she should respond.
“It wouldn’t matter anyway, sugar,” Grady said, patting her hand. “I’ll be too tired from tonight to even think about rekindling prom-night passions.”
Where was that hole when she really needed it?
Twenty-Five
“I said no!”
James was standing next to the pool table, cue in hand, waiting for Jake to make a shot. It was Saturday, and Jake had stopped by for an update, which had led to a few beers and a few games.
Ally had joined the party twenty minutes before, and she hadn’t stopped irritating James since. He was at the end of his rope.
“It’s right on the corner,” Ally said. “It’s literally like fifty feet away. What could possibly happen?”
“Ally, you’re driving me crazy,” James said. “We’re close to getting somewhere on this case. Really close. Grady is up north right now. He’s probably at the bank even as we speak. This is all going to be over soon.”
“So, why can’t we go over to the beauty parlor?” Ally pressed. “I want a manicure, and Mandy’s hair looks like it hasn’t been cut in months. Rats could be living in there for all we know.”
Mandy ran a hand down her hair self-consciously.
“Baby, don’t listen to her. You look beautiful,” James said. “Ally, get out.”
“No.”
James pointed to the door with his cue. “Get. Out.”
“Nu-uh,” Ally said, contorting her face for emphasis.
James shook his head, moving around the table so he could line up a shot. Just as he drew back his elbow, Ally grabbed the stick so his shot was flubbed. James’ face was furious when he straightened up. “Do you want me to kill you?”
“Just think, if we were at the beauty parlor, you would have made that shot,” Ally said.
James glanced over at Jake for backup. “Tell her it’s a bad idea. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”
“It’s not really my place,” Jake said. “Although, honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is. We could walk them over there and then they can text us when they’re done and we’ll pick them up.”
James sighed, glancing over at Mandy, who was sitting on the couch gnawing on her fingernails. She did look a little crazy. “What do you want?”
Mandy looked surprised by the question. “Are you really asking me?”
“I’m really asking you,” James said. “You’ve been cooped up here for days, and you’ve only complained about it a hundred times. That must be some sort of new record.”
“A haircut, maybe a pedicure, and a wax sounds good,” Mandy said.