Vice(36)

He cut off the rest of my question about lunch with a quick, hard kiss  which still managed to nearly rock me on my toes. Drawing back, he  murmured, "I've been wanting to do that ever since you told everybody to  go fuck themselves. Politely, of course."

"You probably shouldn't curse in church. God is listening. Or kiss me  like that, since God is probably also watching." I glanced over my  shoulder, not surprised to find Tammy scowling. "And even if He or She  isn't, that one over there is."

"Like I told you last night, people might as well get used to the sight  of me kissing you." He did it again, longer this time, only pulling away  when Dolly and Conway started giggling. "I plan to do it any time I  can, Jeannie Jackson."





CHAPTER TWENTY THREE





"Are you sure you don't want to go home, check on Kitty? Maybe start  getting ready for school tomorrow?" I pinched the bridge of my nose and  sighed when Tammy rolled her eyes. "Let me guess-you've been ready  since... Friday night? Wait-Thursday."

"No." She snorted and rolled her eyes again. "That would be stupid  considering we moved yesterday." She crossed her arms and lifted her  chin, doing a sort of wiggle in her seat. "But I did it last night  before I went to bed. And Kitty is fine. I texted her while you were  sucking up Pastor Neal."

"I was not sucking up to the pastor." I turned around, flicking a glance  at Abraham out of the corner of my eye, pretending to frown at his  smirk. "I was sucking up to his wife. Everybody knows if you're going to  have anybody on your side in a small town, the first choice is the  pastor's wife. Second choice is the local law enforcement."

"And since your aunt already has Sheriff Pete wrapped around her little  finger, it only stands to reason she would get started on Mrs. Neal."  Abraham pulled the car over to the shoulder, shifting it in to park and  turning until he was able to look at all three kids lined up in the  backseat. "Here's the thing, kids. I have to go eat lunch with my  parents and your aunt has said she'll go with me."

"Okay." Dolly shrugged her shoulders. "So we'll go, too." She beamed at  him. "We like you." She nudged her brother, who nodded. "We like  spending time with you."

"And I like spending time with you, too." Some of the tension in his  face melted away, his lips curving in a soft smile which set butterflies  fluttering in my stomach. "Which is the problem. See, my parents...  they're not nice. So even though I like spending time with you and would  love to hang out with you this afternoon, I don't necessarily want you  to have to deal with my parents."

Dolly cocked her head. "Are they like Harold?"

Abraham and I must have looked confused because Tammy said, "What she's  asking is if one of them is going to call Conway a little sissy boy or  call her stupid or call me fat or-."

"I think we get the point." And even though it was probably a little  sacrilegious, I couldn't quite help sending up a quick prayer of thanks  that my sister had shot her bastard of a husband. Clearing my throat, I  shook my head and said, "No, they're not, because I won't let them."

"And neither will I." Abraham reached over and squeezed my knee. "And if they won't stop being rude, we'll leave."

Dolly looked at Conway and then Tammy before turning back to Abraham and nodding. "Okay. We're going."         

     



 

"Okay." Abraham faced forward, shifting the car in to drive and pulling  back on to the road, keeping his hand on my knee. "If we don't make it  to dessert-which is usually the best part of the meal, if I'm being  honest-then we'll go to the grocery store and get all the ice cream we  want."

"Awesome." Conway pronounced the word slowly and when I glanced in the  rearview mirror I saw he was smiling from ear to ear. "Ice cream is  awesome."

"Well, I found the path to Conway's heart." Abraham gave my knee a  squeeze and I shifted my gaze to him. "Want to give me a clue on how to  do the same with you?"





THE HANSOM HOUSE was set back a good mile from the main road, the graded  but unpaved drive lined with old oaks on both sides, creating a canopy  from the early afternoon sun. I'd never seen the house itself-after all,  that would have required an invitation, which would have taken an act  of God in high school-but I'd heard rumors about its grandeur. When the  drive ended in a rolling expanse of brilliant green lawn leading up to a  two story house with columns, a wrap-around porch, and a terrace, I  realized the rumors hadn't been exaggerated. Flicking a look at Abraham,  I said, "You might have warned me I was underdressed."

"You could be wearing couture and be underdressed as far as my parents  are concerned." Abraham parked directly in front of the steps leading up  to the porch, shifting the car in to park and killing the engine.  Unfastening his seatbelt, he rolled his shoulders and rubbed one thumb  over his eyebrow piercing. "That's not a dig at you, it's just who they  are."

"Then why do I think you're about to take out most of your piercings?" I  reached over, wrapping my fingers around his wrist and pulling his hand  away, pressing it on the seat between us. "If it doesn't matter, if  they're going to be assholes no matter what you do, why bother catering  to them? It just makes you sad and gives them more power than they  deserve."

He stared at me for a long moment before leaning over and kissing the  tip of my nose. "Okay, Jeannie Jackson. Lord knows why I listen to you  when I'm sure it's only going to get us in trouble but okay."

"How old do you have to be before you can kiss boys?" Dolly's question,  interspersed with Conway's giggles, drew my gaze to the backseat, where  she was watching with avid interest while Tammy was pretending she  wasn't. "Because you do it all the time so it must be fun."

"And that's a discussion we'll have at some other time." Pasting a smile  on my face, I reached for the door handle and said, "Let's get this  show on the road so we can go home and relax, hmm?"

We were still in the process of climbing out of the car when the front  door opened and a tall, thin woman who looked as if she should be  pinching cheeks and rapping knuckles with a ruler stepped out, her long  black dress falling nearly to her ankles, her snowy white apron plain  and frill-less, her thin, bony hands clasped at her waist. She stared at  each of us in turn, ending with Abraham. "Mister Abraham. You neglected  to mention you would be bringing guests."

"No, I didn't, Nora." Abraham wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling  me tight against him, his fingers flexing once before lying flat. "I  told you there would be an additional four to five people for lunch. If  you chose not to believe me, that's up to you."

Even with the distance, her sniff was indignant and audible. Lifting her  chin, she said, "I'm afraid there isn't anything appropriate for...  children."

"Oh, they're pretty flexible when it comes to food. Aren't you, kids?" I  took Conway's hand, squeezing when he pressed himself against my leg,  half hiding behind me. Next to him, Dolly had her hands planted on her  hips, meeting the older woman's glare with one of her own. Tammy's face  was blank, which was more than a little troubling. The last time my  oldest niece had looked that calm was the moment before she laid in to  Sheriff Pete and while I had a feeling I would enjoy watching her rip  Abraham's parents a new one, something told me it wouldn't help Abraham  one little bit. "No picky eaters here."

A lie, but I was relatively certain God would forgive me.

Nora sniffed again before opening the door wide, stepping to one side.  "Your parents are waiting in the drawing room, Mr. Abraham." She slid  her gaze over the kids, her upper lip curling in a sneer. "I'm afraid  children aren't allowed in there."         

     



 

"And I'm afraid I don't give a damn." I meet her sneer with a smile,  pushing Dolly ahead of me as I knelt and scooped up Conway, settling him  on my hip. "They go where I go unless there's a legal reason why they  can't and last time I checked backwards social mores didn't qualify as a  legal reason."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hansom-."

"Will be just fine." I paused in front of her, holding her gaze, willing  her to blink first. When she finally did, I nodded and said, "I trust  we understand each other now."

"Of course... miss." If I wasn't already fighting an uphill battle I  would have taken issue over the slight hesitation before her address but  as far as insults went it was far from the worst I'd ever had. She  gestured to one of the arched openings and said, "Appetizers are  available in the parlor. Lunch will be served in ten minutes."