“I do, but I don’t want to pick a wife from a catalog.”
“It’s just a wife on paper, son. Once the sale goes through, you pay her and file for a divorce, but you might find someone you do like.”
My mind flashes to the beautiful, warm woman who was just in my arms, but I shake my head at the idea. The owner of the motel chain needs an answer in the next sixty days. That’s not enough time. It’s a moderate-sized motel chain, but it’s family-run, and despite their liberal politics, they are conservative when it comes to family dynamics. The owners, a husband-and-wife team who have been together for almost forty years, want to sell to another family. That’s why they didn’t bend and sell to a bigger chain. They say their business is personal, and they want to keep it that way.
That’s where I come in. I was referred to them by someone I’ve worked with in the past. Although they are all about family values, they didn’t earn their money legally, which is why they are willing to sell it to me.
“Like, Mom?” I shake my head.
“You know what I mean, but she would be going into this knowing it’s a business deal, although I would love it if you could fall in love.”
“Yeah, because that’s so easy.”
“It could be if you’d put yourself out there instead of hanging out with nothing but a bunch of guys.” Mom waves me off with one hand and flips through the catalog of women with the other. “Look at all these beautiful women.”
“It’s not like picking out a couch,” I almost snap.
Hazel, who was listening by the door, enters. “Feelings always enter the picture. Don’t be naïve. If you want no strings, keep it in your pants.”
“Hazel, I don’t want to hear no talk like that about my child.” Mom waves her handaround.
“Your child is thirty-six. He’s closer to forty than he is to being a child. He’s a grown man.” Hazel puts a hand on my shoulder and pinches my cheek again. Then she kisses the top of my head. “Find a wife and have some damn babies.”
“Son, Hazel has a point. You’ve got to put yourself out there and find someone, and this motel chain is a good investment. Your sister can work for you after she graduates from college. It’s a legitimate business, and it’s going to get you one step closer to not dealing with criminals anymore.”
She flips through the book of eligible women, but none of them appeals to me.
“Or,” Hazel says. “You can find yourself a girl in Shadow Cove. We have good stock here. If Ripley can fall in love—" Hazel leaves the rest of the statement hanging.
“See?” Mom adds. “If he can, it should be easy for my baby.”
Now
I hate to admit defeat, and it’s too early to call it, but it’s not looking good. Stubborn ass woman. I never shy away from a challenge. I’m not ready for her to go, and I want more of what we had on the couch. Only, the next time, I want us to be naked while we take our time exploring each other.
Her back is to me. She’s rigid, so I put my hand on her shoulder. For a fraction of a second, she melts, but she catches herself and tightens her body, however, that fraction is all I need. I pick her up bridal style and return to the kitchen.
She still won’t eat. I kiss the side of her neck and put my hand on her breast. She tries to remove it.
“You want to cook something for yourself?” I ask. “You need to eat. Your stomach keeps growling.”
“I want to leave.”
“No.”
“Then I won’t eat or drink.”
“That would piss me off,” I warn.
“That’s good because I’m already pissed off.” She stomps on my foot, but it hurts her more than me. I can tell by the way she flares her nostrils that she’s in pain.
“I won’t eat either,” I announce. I stand with her in my arms and go up the back stairs.
“Really? You just scarfed about three pounds of pasta down your throat. Too bad you didn’t choke, you fucking psycho.”
I ignore her while I make the trek upstairs. Finch silently follows behind us. She hits me, but the hits don’t have much impact. We finally get to the second level. As I go down the hall, she kicks the wall, knocking down a picture I have of my mother. Then she grabs a vase and throws it down, shattering it.
Finch whines and runs in the opposite direction.
