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Miss Mabel scowled at her and Tristan. “You two come with me.”
They followed her to Luther’s office, and when they entered, he seemed surprised by their appearance. “Did we have a meeting this morning?” He put his finger on his desk pad calendar. “No, I don’t have you down for an appointment.”
“Shut up, Luther,” Miss Mabel said.
Luther shut up.
“Good morning, Miss Mabel. You’re looking mighty pretty today,” Tristan said, smiling at the woman as if she wasn’t scarier than a rabid dog. “I assume you want an update from me and the sheriff.”
Skye gaped at seeing Miss Mabel preen. The old bat even fluffed her hair.
“I was going to say you looked very pretty, too, auntie,” Luther said. “But he beat me to it.”
“Oh, hush, Luther. You were not about to say that. It would do you well to take notes on how a true gentleman treats a lady. Maybe then you could actually find a lady.”
Tristan stepped back, putting himself out of view of Miss Mabel, then winked at Skye. She covered her laugh with a cough. Between the bizarre comedy act happening and that they were here to talk about an alien museum, she had the urge to say, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
Miss Mabel turned her attention to Skye. “Give me your report.”
“Um...” Report? She didn’t have a report. Skye eyed the door, wondering if she could get away with joining Fuzz under Rebecca’s desk.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“We emailed you our findings and suggestions, along with cost estimates, Miss Mabel,” Tristan said, stepping between the two, taking the matriarch’s attention away from Skye. “You probably heard that Sheriff Morgan’s apartment was destroyed by a fire.”
“Bad business that, but what does that have to do with fulfilling her responsibilities?”
“Not a thing,” Skye said.
Miss Mabel waved her off as if Skye was a pesky fly. “I wasn’t asking you.”
There was no reason for the rudeness, and Tristan was seriously tempted to grab Skye and walk out. Instead, he smiled. “We know you’re busy and your time is valuable, but if you haven’t had the opportunity to read our report, perhaps you can do that and then we can meet again at your convenience.”
For some reason, Miss Mabel had always had a soft spot in her heart for him and his brothers. Probably because all three of them got a kick out of smiling when she frowned, telling her how nice she looked whenever she was grouchy, which was often, and refusing to be intimidated by her, unlike most of the town. Most of Marsville’s residents hauled ass or hid—much like Fuzz—at the sight of her.
Miss Mabel liked feeling important, and he and his brothers got that. It didn’t hurt anything to feed her ego, and it kept them on her good side. He should have explained all that to Skye before now.
“We copied Luther on the email, so if you wish, he can print out the report now for you to read.” He mentally crossed his fingers, wishing that she’d elect to read it later and they could get the hell out of here.
“I have an appointment I must get to. I’ll study your report this afternoon.”
Wishes did come true. He glanced at Skye and raised his brows, hoping she got the message that she needed to participate in this conversation. For her part, Miss Mabel needed to show the sheriff some respect, and she would if Skye demanded that respect. He realized he was getting attuned to Skye when he knew she wanted to roll her eyes. He swallowed a smile.
“We think you’ll find we’ve covered all your concerns, Miss Mabel,” Skye said. “After you go over our report, either one of us will be glad to answer any questions you should have.”
“I’m sure I will.” With that, Miss Mabel lifted her nose in the air and departed their company.
“It’s always good to chat with you, Luther,” Tristan said. Beside him, Skye made a noise that sounded a lot like a snort. He grinned at her. “Shall we go to work?”
“Yes, please,” she fervently said. She smiled at Luther. “Thank you for your time, Mayor.”
Luther gave them a wave, his attention already on other things. The moment he saw them, Fuzz rushed to the door, as eager as them to leave. Rebecca wasn’t at her desk when they came out.
“How about I load up the boxes in my car and drop them off at home.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“Wouldn’t have offered if I did.” He walked her to her car. “Here’s the thing about Miss Mabel. She’s a lonely old woman who grew up in a family that felt entitled. Her parents taught her that she was better than everyone else. If you treat her as if she is a very important person, while at the same time not letting her run roughshod over you, you’ll find you might actually get along with her.”
