Coffee Date? Part I
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Entering her shop, January met Lottie’s curious gaze and gave an irritated shake of her head.
“Rumor has it, he came back and you and your family drove to Burlington with him and your parents came back but you didn’t.”
“Lottie, don’t.”
“Come on. If you want me to get the rumor mill under control, give me something to tell them.” Lottie was pleading, “it’s nearly two in the afternoon. You never come in this late.”
“Would you believe, I walked out of my own house?”
“What? Why?”
“Well, my daughter has met her father and has declared him my dad,” she mocked Kaylee’s voice, “and he’s all in so I decided to give him the full Kaylee experience.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we were having a heavy conversation, me, my parents and Gulliver and she came in all excited about finding Henry’s siblings.”
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Coffee Date? Part I
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“Henry?” Lottie’s face was horrified, “not the skunk Henry!”
“Yup. Henry has an entire family living behind the wood pile, and it was evident based on my daughter’s description they are all sickly. Gulliver hypothesized their mother must have died and they are struggling to survive. He’s called his friend Ford Miles to come and help. I am not getting sprayed again. I simply looked him in the face and told him he wanted to be a dad so he could be the dad and I’m out. I’m coming to work for the day. He can deal with Henry’s orphaned brothers and sisters.”
“Gulliver is the name of your not–husband.”
“Yup.”
“He’s attractive. Did you stay out all night with him?”
“Kaylee wanted him to read bedtime stories. In order to stick with her bedtime, I stayed with her at the hotel. I slept with her in her bed. He slept in his own, thank you very much.”
“You have strength I don’t know if would have been able to match,” Lottie leaned against the counter. “He was drop dead gorgeous, the epitome of bad boy vibes and he clearly wanted you.”
“He can’t have me. He’s a liar and I don’t trust him. I can’t rob 276
12:33 him any more time with Kaylee, but I don’t come as part of the
Coffee Date? Part I
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package.” She frowned, “did you know Darwin’s dad apparently has the hots for me? I’m very excited about it.”
Lottie’s eyebrows lifted in her forehead, “um, what?”
“Kaylee told me yesterday that apparently Darwin wants to be her brother for real and that his father is in agreement but he’s too shy to ask me out.” She headed to the back room where she did her designing work.
“He’s really an odd fellow.” Lottie’s nostrils pinched shut like she was avoiding a stench, “when he brings Darwin to the restaurant, he can barely talk to the waitress. He reminds me of that character from the television show who couldn’t speak to women unless he was drunk.”
“He’s not that bad. I’ve talked with him before.”
“Did he talk back?”
“Yes,” she laughed at Lottie’s words. “He’s always been very polite, but our kids are best friends. We’ve spoken many times and have been around each other for the kids‘ play dates.”
“Does he talk to you, or does he stick on his phone?”
“He’s usually on his phone.”
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“See,” Lottie pointed at her, “you know who thinks you’re hot?
Coffee Date? Part I
Digger.”
“Moe’s son?”
“Uh–huh.”
“I can’t be with a guy named Digger.”
“It’s his nickname.”
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“Yeah, but rumor has it, he got that name working as a marine and was digging graves. No thank you. I’m trying to get away from mobsters, not recruit another one.”
“He’s doing a legit business. He’s running a diner.”
“Which most of the town thinks he’s using to launder money for his father’s motorcycle club friends.”
“He has tattoos. They’re really sexy.”
“You date him then. If I wanted a tattooed bad boy, I could go chase after my daughter’s father who apparently is the incoming head of a Greek mafia,” she pointed at her friend, “and keep your mouth shut.”
“You know I will. Also, his friends came in here last night and cleared out a bunch of surveillance equipment that the feds put 4/6 in here.”
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Coffee Date? Part I
“I know. I approved it, remember?”
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Lottie’s voice was gruff. “I keep thinking of the times I’m in here alone and singing or dancing while I’m doing stuff or the conversations I’ve had with my son’s father where I’ve threatened to run him over with my car. My kid is sixteen and he’s not seen the man in ten years but if that guy gets hurt, guess who will get blamed now.” Lottie grunted furiously.
“Yeah, I agree it’s a violation of our privacy. Dad is pissed off at Davis, his FBI contact. There were cameras in my house, in all the shared spaces and when I tell you that I have been in those areas in nothing more than my underwear I’m not lying. Gulliver called Davis a dirty cop but before I could find out why he calls him that Kaylee came in excited over the prospect of owning a family of skunks.”
“So, Gulliver is at your house now with her?”
“Yes. Dad took off to the garage. Mom said she was going to the nursery. I just left and came here. He can deal with her craziness. I love my kid, Lottie but she likes things like skunks and she’s so damn loud it scares them to death, and they start spraying in terror.”
“She likes him?” Lottie asked quietly as January adjusted some metals and stones on her workspace.
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Coffee Date? Part I
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“Loves him. It was love at first sight for both of them. Last night I think she convinced him to read about ten stories before she finally fell asleep.”
“The guilt must be eating you alive.”
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January shrugged, “it’s really not. This is all his fault. Do I feel bad that he lost out on a lot of her life so far? I really do but it’s not my fault. I did nothing wrong and there isn’t anyone who can convince me otherwise. He lied, he used lingo my father knew was mafia related and then Davis told us things which Gulliver has confirmed were accurate. He’s a dangerous man, Lottie. If he’d been truthful from the get–go and let me know what I’d be dealing with, maybe I wouldn’t have been so terrified, but I was scared and I feel justified in saying everything which happened was his fault, not mine. I feel bad but I don’t feel guilty. It’s simply sad that it came to this.”
