Mrs. Del Rio suddenly stepped in between them while Hannah and Magda pulled Sam away. What was going on?
"You need to leave, and I mean right now," Mrs. Del Rio was saying to Brian while crowding him in the doorway. She then started shouting and struggling. "How dare you put your hands on me!" Next she cried out and fell.
Sam tried to go to her but Hannah and Magda wouldn't let him. Why were they keeping him back? He had to help her.
"I didn't do anything to you, you old bitch!" Brian was yelling and looking around desperately, like he was the one who needed help.
"We all saw you!" Hannah yelled and several other people joined in to say that they did too.
Brian didn't stick around. He was out the door and rushing down the street while a number of people were already on the phone with the sheriff.
Sam was finally able to go to Mrs. Del Rio. Feeling sick that she got hurt because of him, he kneeled down next to her. "Please don't move," he told her.
She grabbed his arm in a strong grip and pulled him down so he leaned over her. "You bet I won't," she whispered. "I'm a seriously injured woman."
As Sam straightened and gaped at her, Mrs. Del Rio winked at him. He couldn't believe it. She was faking.
He started to wonder if it was all fake. He never actually saw Brian touch her.
"You scared me," Sam told her as he helped her over to the nearest booth someone cleared for her so she could take a seat.
"Don't worry about me. I'm an agile old bird. Used to be a dancer," she said with wiggle of her eyebrows.
She was in good spirits but soon she had Rico to deal with.
"Some guy shoved you? What the hell?" Rico said as he kneeled in front of his grandmother and peered at her with concern.
"Isn't he sweet?" she said and cupped Rico's face. She leaned in to give him a kiss, and Sam was pretty sure she whispered something in her grandson's ear.
"You're such a con artist," Rico hissed at her and she shushed him.
"Go get me an icepack or something," she told him so he would stop staring at her disapprovingly. As he left, Mrs. Del Rio looked after him then turned to Sam. "He's a handful."
"He is?" Sam said in disbelief. "You just take it easy." Brian might not have pushed her, but she shouldn't be throwing herself on the floor like that at her age.
By the time the deputies came by to take statements, it seemed everyone was willing to confirm they had witnessed Brian grab Mrs. Del Rio and shove her. Sam wasn't sure if they had bought her act or were just going along with what she said. Either way, it got Brian arrested not long after that.
The sheriff caught up to him as he tried to drive out of town. Brian took them on a little bit of a car chase, but he didn't get far. According to the story going around, they found some pills not prescribed to him in his car.
That was the good news Sam gave to Wyatt when he came into town for the parade. He also filled him in on what Mrs. Del Rio had done. They were talking by the crowded counter while DJ and Riley were sitting with Raquel. They were getting some snacks before going to the school to get changed into their peach costumes.
"It's worse for him that way, and I'm glad you didn't get hit," Wyatt said.
"I would rather get hit than risk Mrs. Del Rio getting hurt," Sam told him.
"That is so you," Wyatt told him then he cupped his face. "It worked out. That's what counts."
Mrs. Del Rio was sitting by the wait station, supervising the bustling café and still pretending to be hurt. Wyatt went over to thank her.
"You think I would let him mark this handsome face, not on your life," Mrs. Del Rio said and smiled up at Sam fondly.
"I'm going to make sure never to get on you're bad side," Wyatt vowed.
"Be good to Sam here, and you won't have any trouble from me," she told him.
Today two of Wyatt's friends were coming in from out of town for the festival. With everything that was going on, Sam hardly had a chance to get nervous about meeting them. Then two guys came into the cafe and called out Wyatt's name at the same time, so he knew that must be them. They came over and immediately turned to Sam.
"If you're not the boyfriend, I'm going to be very disappointed," the chunky one with glasses said while he peered at Sam too closely. He didn't wear glasses in the old photos of him that Sam had seen, but he knew he was Stan.
