Page 74 of It Runs in the Family

“Why are you so damned worried about her?” Ava asked in exasperation. “Because I guarantee you she’d never worry this much about you. She only thinks about herself.”

“I know.” I had to admit if the roles were reversed, and Selena had a vision of my death, she probably wouldn’t try very hard to find me. Then again, I hadn’t tried very hard either, had I? I’d asked a few questions here and there, but that hadn’t stopped the guy from showing up at the Stop-n-Go looking for me.

“Look,” Mary Ellen said softly, quickly glancing over her shoulder at me. “We all know something happened to her after she graduated from high school. And Ava and I know you did everything in your power to help her, but some people just don’t want to be helped.”

I nodded but remained silent. I supposed that was true of Selena. I’d tried and tried, and nothing had helped. And yet… could I sit back and let her stay with a guy who could very well end up killing her? Maybe that would be the best way for me to stay alive, but would I be able to live with myself?

“Okay,” Ava said, sounding chipper as she sat up straighter. “It’s over and done. What do you two say we go get those mani-pedis?”

“I can’t really afford that right now,” I said. “Just drop me off at Garrett’s.”

“Don’t worry about payin’ for it,” Mary Ellen said. “We’ve got you covered. Our treat.”

“I don’t know.” All I wanted to do was go home and sulk and think this through, but I couldn’t go home. Which meant I’d be hanging out with Garrett for the rest of the day. While I loved him like a brother, I knew some of his deputy friends came over to his house on Sunday evenings. Sure, I probably couldn’t be in a safer place, but I didn’t feel like socializing with people I didn’t know, especially when all I wanted to do was hide.

“Come on, Iris,” Ava said. “Don’t be pouty. We’re over it already.”

“I’m not pouty,” I insisted. “I’m just tired.” Which was true. I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, and there wouldn’t be any resting at Garrett’s place. Then again, I was probably being a little pouty too.

“Just think,” Mary Ellen said, bright and cheerful, “you’ll have freshly painted nails for your job interviews.”

She had a point, but the kind of jobs I’d be applying for didn’t typically require fresh manicures. “Okay,” I said. “Why the hell not?”

If I did end up getting murdered, at least I’d have cute nails for my funeral.

Chapter Twenty

We headed to Ava and Mary Ellen’s favorite nail salon for our mani-pedis, then had an early dinner at the diner in the strip mall off the highway. I’d kept Garrett up to date about what we were doing so he wouldn’t worry, which the girls thought was ridiculous, not that I was surprised. They didn’t know the whole story, and I still didn’t want them to.

After we left the diner, they begged me to come to their apartment so we could hang out for a while longer, but I insisted I needed to get back to Garrett’s.

“What’s your hurry?” Ava asked. “It’s not like you have a job to worry about.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” I made a face. “It’s been a long day, and I want to get a fresh start on searching for a job tomorrow.”

An ornery glint filled Mary Ellen’s eyes. “I hear Tiny Tots Daycare is hiring.”

Our cousin Marsha owned Tiny Tots Daycare, and she was the last person I’d want bossing me around. She ran her daycare like a military school.

“Very funny. I’d work at McDonald’s before I took a job with Marsha.”

“But think about how pissed Trinity would be,” Ava said. “Watchin’ all those kids when you refuse to watch hers.”

She had a point, and it was almost worth working there for a day or two just to get a rise out of her. Almost.

“The difference is I’d get paid to watch all those kids,” I grumbled. “Even if it’s barely minimum wage. The only thing I’d get paid to watch televangelist-in-the-making-Edward is a heap of aggravation.”

I convinced them to take me to Garrett’s, and when they turned down his street, Ava let out a slow whistle. Multiple cars were parked in front of his house and in the driveway. “Looks like Garrett’s havin’ a party.”

“Just his usual Sunday night thing,” I said, reaching for the door handle as she came to a stop, perpendicular to the end of his drive.

Mary Ellen spun around to look at me, her face bright with excitement as her hand gripped the top of the seat. “What Sunday night thing?”

I was surprised she didn’t know, but then again, they weren’t all that close to Garrett. Their mothers weren’t on good terms. My mother hadn’t been on good terms with anyone before she’d taken off, but strangely, no one seemed to hold it against me. I was the only cousin who was friendly with at least one person from each of Granny’s children. “Some of his deputy friends come over on Sunday nights.”

“To watch football?” she asked with a pointed stare.

I lifted my shoulder into a half-shrug. “Yeah, in the winter. But when football season’s over, they usually just hang out on his patio.”