“Sure thing,” Skinner said. “Hey, I’m going to send you alink to my page so you can give our ride share a rating. Building business, you know.”
Her phone immediately pinged with the link. “Talk soon,” she said, and climbed out of the van.
She was feeling exhausted suddenly, but there was much more to do. She and Marcy needed to buy some groceries. She had to determine if Marcy could cook, because they needed food. And she needed a nap and some meds.
So much to do. So little time.
Twenty-six
Edie was feeling the old thrill of the heist rising in her; she would have skipped back to the house that night if she wasn’t afraid of falling and breaking something. Her balance wasn’t what it used to be.
She’d spent the afternoon with Grant Howell, a man she’d dated the summer they’d spent in Vegas. His name had come roaring back to her out of the blue. She remembered that he’d worked in casino security. Irene had found his number, and to Edie’s amazement, he’d answered the phone. He was retired, bored, and happy to hear from an old friend. He’d agreed to meet her at an old haunt for a drink.
Grant didn’t ask a single question about Edie other than if she was married. She’d said she was, but she was here with her book club on holiday. Grant didn’t need to know any more about her. He was happy to talk about the Pelican. He knew everything there was to know about the casinos in town, and especially the Pelican, now that it was going crypto. With a few prompts from Edie, he talked. And talked and talked.
When she walked into the house, she was immediately greeted with the smell of something so savory that her stomach growled.She hadn’t eaten since this morning. She figured the cook was Fran, but came to a hard stop when she saw her granddaughter wearing an apron and stirring something on the stove.
Moreover, Irene and Joan were seated at the tiny kitchen table with laptops and notebooks. Like this was all perfectly normal.
“Hi, Nana.”
Don’t “Hi, Nana’” me.She was still so angry with Marcy. “Are your bags packed?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go. We can find a flight at the airport.”
“Hi, Edie.”
Edie had not heard Frances come into the kitchen and turned around. She looked pale and disheveled, her hair a mess. She’d obviously been napping hard. “Something smells delicious,” Frances said, but her face said otherwise.
“What is the matter with you?” Edie asked.
“I had a nap. So?”
“I thought Marcy would be on her way to the airport by now.”
“Yeah. About that,” Frances said, and winced slightly. “I was thinking—”
“Don’t think,” Edie interjected, thrusting a finger into Frances’s face. “Don’t say whatever you are about to say, because Marcy is leaving.”
Frances calmly pushed her hand aside. “Hear me out.”
“Have you lost your fucking mind? I am not going tohear you out, Fran. This is my granddaughter.”
“Edie. Please hear her out,” Joan said. “That’s our rule—we always hear what the others are saying. Communication and respect are—”
“No!” Edie said, turning on Joan and Irene. “We are not going to peace and love our way out of this, Joan! Marcy is not staying. If she stays, then I go.”
Irene groaned. “Here we go.”
“Edie, listen. We need an in with Rocco,” Frances said. “Marcy knows him. He wanted to date her at some point andlookat her—she’s as beautiful as you. She’s the perfect lure. We need her.”
Edie’s rage was rapidly building. She wanted to grab whatever Marcy was stirring and fling it at the wall. “I can’t believe you’re evensuggestingthis,” she said, her voice shaking with fury. “Kids are off-limits. Is this my payback? You’re all still so mad about what happened that you’d use my own granddaughter against me?”
“For heaven’s sake, Edie,” Joan said.
“Nana, I want to help,” Marcy said. “I mean, sure, this morning I didn’t because I was hungover and mad at you. But what you’re avenging here? Rocco did that to me. And my friends. You’re not the only one who wants to make him pay—Iwant him to pay.”
