I sat on the floor outside our door while Evie fumbled with the lock. When she finally got the door open, I stood and looked inside. The room was cute and clean but tiny. “This room is only temporary,” I said as Evie placed her luggage against the wall, blocking the only route to the bathroom. I set my carry-on on the quilted bed and squeezed in the rest of my bags next to the TV.
Evie flopped on the bed beside my suitcase. “I’d go to sleep now if I weren’t so hungry.”
“Let’s get cleaned up and hit Little Italy. My sister told me there’s a restaurant on Mulberry called Il Cortile that has the best Italian food in the world. She said to try the
petto di pollo con asparagi e mozzarella
and at least one of their cappuccinos.”
Evie sat up. “Oh, does that sound good. But before we go, there’s something we need to do.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Let’s get on our knees and thank the good Lord for getting us and our luggage safely here tonight.”
“Listen, I’d kiss the floor if I could get to it. But yes, let’s pray.”
We bowed our heads and thanked the Lord for safe passage.
The phone on my nightstand vibrated again. I tried to ignore it, but I opened one eye to check the green letters of my digital clock.
It’s six p.m. already?
I reached for my phone, snapped it open, and held it to my ear. “Hello?”
Except for a bit of muffled breathing, all I heard was a seething silence.
“Hello?” I asked as I climbed out of bed. I cracked opened my heavy drapes to let a dust-speckled beam of sun stream into my bedroom. The call ended, and I checked the caller ID: “Private.”
I clicked the phone shut as I considered who could be responsible for all these hang-ups I’d received lately, a sort of red flag for someone working in law enforcement. Harassing phone calls are considered a threat, but since I toted a gun, I felt more annoyed than concerned. Though, the caller seemed to be someone who knew my routine well enough to phone whenever I was trying to sleep between my double shifts. I’d been working around the clock so Dad could get caught up on his paperwork, since he was the one who’d have to cover most of my shifts once I left for New York.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as my brain slowly played detective. I didn’t think the caller could be my stepmother, Evie. She and Lisa Leann had arrived in New York by now, and they’d certainly be too busy to call and harass me, unless of course they’d wanted to talk but had fallen victim to a bad connection. But as these silent calls had continued for the past couple of weeks, I knew they weren’t to blame. Besides, Evie was off my suspect list simply because we’d been getting along pretty well since she’d made peace with my mother.
Speaking of whom, I didn’t suspect Dee Dee McGurk either, especially since I’d stopped to give her a ride home from her shift at the tavern the night before. She’d been in a chatty mood, excited about my appearance on
The Great Party Showdown
. So my third guess held the most promise. Maybe this phone prankster was my long-lost sister, Velvet James. Since she’d arrived in town, it seemed we’d never had a moment to get to know each another. The only thing I really knew about her was she’d tried to steal away any man she thought might be attracted to me. And since she’d been jilted by most of her recent obsessions, I’d say the girl had more than enough motive.
Half an hour later, fresh from the shower and dressed in my deputy uniform, I still puzzled over my mystery as I headed to the market to pick up a bag of tortilla chips and a couple of ingredients for my Tex-Ranch dip. I planned to bring my dip to the Potluck Club meeting at Vonnie’s house at seven, then leave before my shift started at nine.
When I pulled in to Gold Rush Market, my phone rang again. I checked the caller ID. “Hey, Wade. You didn’t try to call me earlier, did you?”
His laugh was low. “Must have been your other boyfriend.”
“Ha-ha,” I said, allowing my voice a touch of sarcasm. “What’s up?”
“Heard you and the ladies were meeting tonight.”
“That we are.”
“Then I’m planning to crash your little party. David too.”
The double doors of the market swooshed open, washing me in refrigerated air. I ignored the tingling chill and grabbed a blue plastic shopping basket and headed for the snack aisle.
“Get serious. Our meetings are for club members only.”
“According to that contract I signed, I am a member. Kat Sebastian called and said I’m on the same plane for New York as you.”
I dropped the large bag of chips I’d grabbed off the shelf, then stooped to retrieve it. “Then it’s finally official.”
“ ’Fraid so. David and I need some answers.”
“Like?”
“What’s Team Potluck’s financial arrangement? I mean, I’m having to take off work and still somehow manage to pay my bills.”
“I hear you, Wade,” I said as I rounded the corner. I jerked to a stop, almost plowing down Wade’s mom, Faye, who appeared to be studying a display of Diet Pepsi. She was dressed in her plump-girl jeans and a pink tee. Her graying curls did nothing to soften her deepening scowl. “Donna, are you talking to my son?”
When I nodded, she put one hand on her hip. “No wonder he doesn’t answer, and here I am having an emergency.”
“Wade, I’ll have to call you back.” I closed the phone and put it in my pocket. Despite my differences with Mrs. Gage, I felt myself kick into deputy mode. “Is everything all right?”
Faye pointed toward the street where her car was parked. “Engine trouble again.”
I pointed to my basket of goods. “Let me pay for my items and I’ll take a look.”
Mrs. Gage pulled her cell phone out of her large tan purse. “This is a job for Wade, not you.”
I held up my hands as if she had a gun trained on me. “Only trying to help.”
Faye paused in mid-dial and looked up at me. “Help yourself, you mean.”
I shifted my weight. “Excuse me?”
“I hear you’re dragging my son to New York with you.”
“I don’t think I’d explain the situation quite like that.”
“Then how would you explain it?” Her voice rose an octave. “You just can’t leave my son alone, can you?”
The nearby faces of the market’s patrons began to swivel toward us as she continued. “I guess ruining the best years of Wade’s life hasn’t been enough for you.”
I stepped back, surprised at her public assault. I tried to hush her by lowering my voice, hoping she’d follow suit. “You can’t blame me for that.”
Faye only got louder. “Wade never would have started drinking if you hadn’t spun his head.”
“Wade’s drinking broke my heart as much as anyone. Thank God, he’s sober now.”
“And I plan to keep it that way,” Faye said. She finished dialing Wade’s number, then held her phone to her ear. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m talking to my son.”
She turned and walked away, cooing, “Wade dear, I’ve been trying to reach you … Yes, car trouble again. I’m at the market. Can you come?”
At the checkout stand, I reached for my wallet to pull out my Visa when Peggy Sue, the cashier, asked, “That was quite the scene. You okay?”
I shrugged. “Guess so.”
“That Faye’s a witch.” Peggy Sue folded her arms across her goldenrod yellow smock with the words “Gold Rush” written in black thread across the front. She said under her breath, “Don’t let her get to you.”
“I won’t give her another thought,” I lied.
Later, when I was standing in Vonnie’s kitchen, I stirred my Tex-Ranch dip in one of Vonnie’s large ceramic bowls and mentally rehashed my encounter with Mrs. Gage. Vonnie, who was busy pouring freshly brewed tea into blue-tinted glasses, noticed my foul mood. “Is everything okay, dear?” she asked.
“Fine,” I said, hoping I could avoid any additional questions. I love Vonnie. She’s more like a real mom than anyone else. Still, I wasn’t too anxious to discuss my love life with her, especially as I sensed she was rooting for me to fall for David. Falling for David was actually something of a temptation, especially now that I’d gotten to spend more time with him, since we dated a bit and so often covered the same accidents. But the fact that David was a guy I more than admired was beside the point. What my so-called love life didn’t need was additional pressure from Vonnie.
Vonnie handed me two glasses of tea. “Set these on the coffee table. We’ll talk later, okay?”
I nodded, though I didn’t intend to follow through.
Just as the girls and I got settled in the chairs Vonnie and I had already arranged around the coffee table, David walked through the front door. He too was dressed ready for work and managed to snag a seat to my right.
His grin was broad as I announced, “Welcome to one of our newest members.”
Vonnie, dressed in jeans and her favorite red blouse, grinned like the proud mother she was. “Yes, son, welcome to the club.”
“Glad to be included.” He reached for one of the preset plates topped with chips, dip, and Lizzie’s tuna sandwiches on rye.
The phone in my pocket chirped, and I pulled it out to read the text message that had just come through. “It’s from Lisa Leann,” I said.
“What’s the news?” Lizzie asked, her blue eyes peering over a set of reading glasses she’d slipped on as she held her handwritten agenda.
I read the text message aloud. “We’re safe in NYC. About to go to dinner. More later.”
“Safe?” Vonnie asked, her eyes wide with alarm. “Oh dear, safe from what?”
“Just a figure of speech, most likely,” Lizzie said as Wade opened the front door and slipped into the party. He quietly sat down across from me. Lizzie added, “Text the girls that we have a couple of new members.”
I obeyed.
David, Wade now on our team. Will join us in NY
.
The phone chirped again, and I read her reply.
Nelson too. Txt us report of meeting
.
Later, Goldie led us in a long prayer for help in the competition and for God’s favor and grace in our homes and at our places of employment while we were absent. After the amens, we chatted as we sipped tea and balanced our plates in our laps. Wade, dressed in a black tee, jeans, and his famous cowboy boots, sat his plate aside then leaned his elbows back on his chair and stretched out his long legs while he posed a question. “I don’t mean to be a killjoy, but how much is this little trip going to cost?” He shot a look at David. “Some of us aren’t independently wealthy.”
Lizzie, who looked sharp in her navy top over a pair of indigo jeans, seemed to be the go-to Potlucker in Evie and Lisa Leann’s absence. She said, “Fortunately, the reality show will pay our way plus our expenses. But they’re not paying for our time, except for a small stipend, which we’ll have to share.”
Wade swiped at a strand of blond hair that hid his blue eyes. “Meaning?”
I piped up, “Meaning we really need to win this thing.”
“Hear, hear,” the members of our club sang as everyone lifted their tea glasses into the air.
Wade raised his glass halfway but didn’t smile. Lizzie asked, “Do you have any other questions?”
He nodded. “Since David and I weren’t privy to your financial arrangements, if you do win, how are you planning to split the proceeds?”
There was silence as the girls and I looked at one another. Lizzie said, “We’re playing to help pay off the church mortgage and—”
“To build a youth wing,” Vonnie added.
“We’re not playing for personal gain,” Lizzie said. “However, you boys weren’t in on our initial decisions, and we’ll have to work out some sort of agreement.”
David said, “Don’t worry about me.”
“Well, helping out our church sounds like a good cause,” Wade said. “I’m happy to volunteer my time, at least as much as I can afford. But as an independent contractor, if I don’t work, I don’t eat.”
The girls nodded, and Lizzie said, “I’m sure we can come up with something by way of compensation.”
David asked, “How long do you think we’ll be out there, a week?”
“If we keep advancing in the competition, it could be up to four weeks,” Lizzie said.
Wade whistled. “That long?”
Everyone shifted uncomfortably.
“I feel your pain,” Goldie said. She was wearing a lightweight peach blazer with matching pants. Now I’m no fashion expert, like Lisa Leann. Still, I couldn’t help but notice how much the color of Goldie’s outfit complimented her strawberry blonde hair. “I don’t know what Chris will do without me in the office. It’s our busy time.”
With Goldie’s words, everyone fell silent, lost in their own dilemmas. We picked at what was left of the food on our plates until Lizzie changed the subject. “Vonnie, Goldie, are your hubbies still planning on joining us?”
“Fred is,” Vonnie said.
Lizzie nodded. “We, the actual contestants, will be staying at the Hilton, two to a room. But our husbands will have to fly in and stay at their own expense.”
Goldie’s eyes seemed to plead. “Can’t they stay with us?”
Lizzie ran a hand through her salt and pepper hair then shook her head. “Not according to Kat.”
Goldie added, “But they can room together, right?”
Lizzie nodded again. “As long as they make arrangements on their own. Oh, and Samuel’s coming and so’s Vernon.”
“What about Lisa Leann’s Henry?” Vonnie asked.
“She hasn’t said.”
Wade spoke up again. “You know, my mom is thinking she might like to join us in New York.”
Because of Faye’s reputation for trouble, I wasn’t the only one who turned to Wade and stared. It was Lizzie who spoke first. “Your mother wants to join us?”
“At least that’s what she said when I was helping her get her car started a few minutes ago.”
“What sort of car trouble did she have?” I asked.
Wade chuckled. “Somehow, that distributor cap in her old Chrysler keeps falling off. Luckily I’ve always found it beneath her car.”
That’s hardly an accident
, I fumed as I felt a scowl tempt my forehead. I made no comment as Wade continued. “Anyway, Mom happened to mention how excited she is about me being on the show, and how much she thinks of you all.”
I managed to freeze my eyebrows, which now wanted to skid out of control. “No kidding.”