Page 11 of It Runs in the Family

Jesus Christ.

He started to turn away from the door, then swung back around, an excited look in his eyes. “Say, you think you can do me a favor?”

“I’m done watchin’ your kid.”

He waved his hand. “Not that. Could you use your mumbo jumbo shit to tell me who’ll win the Spurs game tonight? I still have time to place a bet.”

“Fuck you, John Jacob,” I said in exhaustion, then set the car seat on the porch, making sure it was in the shade from the large oak tree in the front yard. “Take your kid.”

I headed down the walk to my car, aware the baby was still on the porch. The fucker was playing a game of chicken, but I wasn’t caving first. But I drove around the block and parked at the end of the street, and the damn car seat was still on the porch. I called Rita, but it went straight to voicemail. With a sigh, I called Garrett.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a panic. “Is that guy following you?”

“What?” I asked in confusion, then realized why he’d said it. “No. Rita must still be sleeping, and that jackass John Jacob won’t take his kid. I told him I was going to leave the baby on the front porch. He didn’t care. So I left JJ in his car seat on the porch in the shade and drove around the block. The baby’s still there!”

“He’s playin’ chicken with you, the fucker,” Garrett grunted. “Piece of shit shouldn’t be havin’ kids.”

“Too late for that now,” I said. “I can’t leave the baby on the front porch. What do I do? Call the sheriff?”

“Shit, no. They’ll get you for negligence.”

“Even though John Jacob refuses to take his kid in the house?” I asked in frustration.

“He’ll just call you a liar. Call Hannah. She’ll take ’im.”

I hesitated. “Can you call her? Hannah and I aren’t exactly gettin’ along right now.”

He chuckled. “What happened this time?”

“She’s just so damn touchy.”

“What did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did something?”

“Because you’re right. She’s the touchy one. Which means you pissed her off. What’d you do?”

Garrett would know—Hannah was his younger sister.

“I got a new shirt at Maurice’s, only I had no idea she bought the same shirt. We both wore it to the last Sunday dinner. Which you missed, I might add.” I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. “And I can’t help it if I look better in it than she does.”

He laughed. “Yeah. Not getting in the middle of that. If you don’t want to talk to her, text her.”

“This doesn’t seem like a texting situation.”

“Then go get the baby or try to wake up Rita.”

“Her phone went straight to voicemail, and I banged on their door and rang the doorbell for a good thirty seconds. If that didn’t wake her, nothin’ will.”

“Then I hope your boss doesn’t care that you’re bringin’ a baby to work.”

“Shut up. I’m calling Hannah now.” I hung up on him and pulled up her number. If nothing else, I could see if Hannah knew where Selena was. Out of all the cousins, she seemed closer to Selena than anyone else lately.

“Well, well, well,” Hannah said in a snotty voice when she answered. “Look who came groveling.”

“Ain’t nobody groveling here,” I said, realizing as I made the claim that I technically was groveling. “Look, let’s call a truce for the sake of an innocent baby.”

“What are you talking about?”