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Swallowing hard, Vannah turned to Byron who nodded but said nothing. So much for less intense than yesterday. Despite her uncle Romero’s perpetual smirk, Vannah could tell he was dead serious.
Max laughed. “You do remember who his brother is, right?”
“I remember.” Romero turned back to Max then back to Vannah. “He know what I do for a living?”
“Yeah, I told him a little about it,” Vannah said glad she’d filled Byron in a little more on these uncles on their way there.
“Security firm, right?” Byron offered.
“Yeah, that’s part of it. But I’m also a private investigator.” Romero’s smirk flattened before very seriously adding the next part. “I hunt people down.” He paused staring at Byron for a moment as if to let that sink in. Then just as fast as it’d gone flat, the smirk was back. “Anyway, you’re picking up what I’m throwing down, right?”
Amanda groaned loudly. “Oh my God! Who even says that anymore, dad?”
The wheezing laughter started up again and just like that, the mood eased up. Vannah’s mom had always said Romero could have the attention span of a gnat and thankfully so. He went from practically threatening Byron, to happily inquiring about his brother.
Nena walked over to let Vannah know she’d be filming soon and wanted footage of each family at their tables with all the kids.
“Oh, hey that reminds me,” Manny said picking up his phone and tapping away. “Mandy told me you collect video’s that might get your website lots of hits. I got a couple for you.”
“Here we go.” Romero rolled his eyes.
Manny laughed standing up and walked over to them. “These are good. Did them myself.”
Vannah was already suppressing giggling, and she hadn’t even seen the videos. She and Nena exchanged wide eyed looks. Vannah could tell her sister was also holding back so much as smirking because like herself, she didn’t dare, since Uncle Manny sounded so proud of himself.
“Don’t I have to sign a release?” Romero asked looking annoyed. “Since I’m the one in them?”
“Yeah? Whatta ya gonna do?” Manny asked as he cued up a video on his phone. “Sue your nieces for using ‘em?”
He handed the video to Vannah as Nena and Byron leaned in on either side of her to watch. “This one here’s called the slamming door challenge. Mandy showed me online and I thought if anyone would be perfect for this it’d be this one with his precious car. Kids aren’t even allowed to eat in it. I had to get sneaky about mounting the phone so he wouldn’t know I was filming.”
He handed the phone to Vannah who was already smiling big with anticipation. Nena and Byron leaned in on either side to watch with her.
“I told him I had to wiz just a few blocks after we left my place.”
That alone had them snickering, and Vannah was just glad this was apparentlysupposedto be funny. Because just the fact that this was some kind of hidden video gag on impatient Uncle Romero, of all people, had her going already.
It started out with Manny and Romero in his car, but the camera was facing Romero and he already looked irritated. “Seriously? How old are you, man? Couldn’t you piss before we left the house?”
“Just pull over right here, will ya?” Manny pointed out the window.
“You’re not pissing on the side of the road, Manny.”
“What am I, an animal?” Manny asked sounding genuinely appalled. “I mean right here, at the gas station.”
Turning to glare at his uncle, Romero shook his head but grudgingly pulled into the station. “Hurry up,” Romero urged impatiently. “We’re already late because of you, and now this.”
“I had to get him good and worked up,” Manny explained proudly to the girls as they continued to watch. “To get the best reaction.”
They turned back to the video. “You want anything?” Manny asked. “I’m getting a hot dog.”
Romero’s head jerking to look at his uncle wide eyed, as he parked the car, already had them all in stitches. “A hot dog? Are you shitting me? We’re late because you justhadto finish every bit of that big trucker breakfast special your wife made you.”
Vannah leaned against Byron laughing so hard she could barely see through her blurred eyes.
“Just a little snack for the road,” Manny said as he opened the door and started out.
“Unbelievable,” Romero shook his head pulling his own phone out and glanced down at it. “Make it fast, Manny, and you’re not eating in my car.”
