Page 103 of It Runs in the Family

An item that normally wouldn’t belong there could be whatever she’d stolen from Tommy T. I wasn’t sure I’d recognize it, would Boone? Did I want him to find it?

When he approached Rita’s house, I told him to park in the single lane driveway. Her car was on the street, and thankfully, John Jacob’s truck was gone.

Before we arrived, I’d hoped to come up with a way to sneak Boone into the garage. I could have asked him to park down the street, but she would have asked where my car was. I decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

“She’s gonna ask questions,” I said as we unbuckled. “Do not tell her we’re looking for Selena. She thinks it’s ridiculous I’m lookin’ for her, so she’ll be more cooperative if she thinks we’re here for something else.”

“Like your favorite shirt,” he said in amusement.

“Exactly. If she asks you any questions, keep your mouth shut. Let me do the talkin’. I’ll try to do damage control. With any luck at all, she won’t remember you from yesterday.” But even as I said the words, I knew that was a pipe dream. Our cousins rarely brought guests they weren’t dating to Sunday dinner. She’d remember him.

We got out and were halfway up the driveway when she walked out the front door, JJ in her arms. A huge grin spread across her face.

“Iris, you brought a friend.”

“Yeah,” I said, ignoring her statement. “You said Selena’s stuff is in the garage?”

Her eyes narrowed as she closed the distance between us, meeting us at the top of the driveway. “I thought you said she had your favorite shirt.”

“She does,” I said, pointing to the closed garage door. “Is it unlocked? Can I just open it?”

“Two weeks ago, you and Hannah got into a huge fight because you were both wearing the shirt you’re currently wearing, and she wanted you to take it off.”

“Sounds like I came on the wrong Sunday,” Boone said with a grin.

I shot him a dark glare.

Rita turned her attention to him. “You were at Granny’s yesterday with Billy.” Her gaze jerked to me. “What in the hell are you doin’ with one of Billy’s friends?”

Shit. I was going to kill Boone.

“In Iris’s defense,” Boone said in a smooth tone. “I’m not really friends with Billy. Through a string of coincidences, I got an invite from Billy so I could see Iris at your grandmother’s.”

Good God. Was he going to tell her the real reason why?

“I met Iris on Friday night, and she told me all about your family dinners. But she got away before I could get her number. I heard Billy telling some guys about his grandmother’s Sunday family meals. I figured it was the same one, so I snagged an invite.”

She propped a hand on her hip, eyeing him with suspicion. “Why not just ask him for her number?”

Boone momentarily froze.

“Because Billy doesn’t have it,” I said before he dug us into a deeper hole. “Should I go through the house to open the garage?”

“Not so fast,” she said, holding up a hand. “Are you gonna take Baby JJ or not?”

“I can’t,” I said, motioning to Boone. “We’re on a date, and nothing like a baby to kill a date.”

“Don’t I know it,” she said under her breath, then tilted her head to get a better look at Boone. “What kind of date is this if you’re over here lookin’ through Selena’s things?”

“I want to wear my other favorite shirt on my date,” I said with plenty of attitude. “Is that okay with you?”

“You’re changin’ your shirt in the middle of your date? On a Monday morning?”

Now was not the time for Rita’s synapses to start firing.

“There’s nothing wrong with wantin’ to look my best for a date,” I said defensively.

“Huh.” She didn’t sound convinced, but she walked over to the garage and turned the handle in the middle. “Hey, Muscle,” she said over her shoulder to Boone. “This thing’s heavy. Come lift it.”