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Joseph beggedto stay home from school. The mansion was being turned into a wedding venue courtesy of Tasha. Joseph wanted to see everything happen and of course get a few laps in. He was obsessed with swimming, and I wasn’t sure how to stop it. He had a future in professional baseball, not swimming.
My son gave me one last pleading look as he got out of the car. I shook my head. He sighed, grabbed his book bag, and headed into the school. For a brief moment, I thought of the homeless children. Did they have any type of schooling? There had to be something in place. Ava and Dottie were intelligent, they had to learn somehow.
As we pulled away from the school, Daryl cleared his throat. He was never one for conversation. When he did talk, it was important.
“Yes, Daryl,” I said.
“Sir, it’s not my place. I was just wondering how Miss Lisa was doing.” He kept his eyes on the road.
“Oh.” I hadn’t expected that. “She’s okay. I got her into rehab, but I don’t know if she’ll succeed.”
“May I suggest something?” he asked.
“Of course.” I leaned forward.
“I have this cousin. He doesn’t have anything going for him. For the right price, he could go down there and keep an eye on her.” Instead of heading straight home, Daryl circled the block.
“Do you think that would help?” There was a big part of me that wanted her to succeed.
“Yes. I’ve known plenty of people that were addicts. The biggest help is having someone. My father died of an overdose. I would have tried anything to help him,” Daryl wiped at his face.
He had been working for me for as long as I could remember. Aside from CeCe, he never spoke of his family. Until today. I didn’t know he had a cousin or anything about his father. It made me want to ask more, but he deserved his privacy.
“Can you set him up with a car, phone, accommodations, and anything else you can think of?” I pulled out my phone to transfer money into Daryl's account.
“Yes, sir.” Daryl pulled onto my street.
Since his cousin would be down there with her, I wouldn’t have to go. There was no way I would be able to get out of the phone calls, but that wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience.
When we finally pulled up to the driveway, Daryl had to park at the end of it. Cars and delivery trucks blocked out the pathway. Tasha had everyone in town setting up. Scaffolding was being set up on the front lawn. I didn’t want to know what that was for. Knowing Tasha, she would have gymnastics hanging from it.
Tasha stood by the front door with a clipboard and headset on. I tried scooting by her, but she grabbed my arm.
“Frizzo laid out a tux on your bed. I need you to try it on.” Tasha wrote something down, barely looking at me.
“You should be a wedding planner instead of a professor.” I smiled.
“I’m good at this, but I love history.” She tapped her earpiece. “No, I said no almond milk! Oat milk! Do you know how many people are allergic to tree nuts?” She sighed. “Sorry, Tristan, it’s a crisis. Go try on the tux.”
I kissed her cheek and headed into the house. People weaved down the hall carrying various items. Two people carried cages with parakeets. Another person chased a peacock around. Tasha really was making this the event to talk about. Good, Ava deserved to be the center of attention.
Ethan charged down the hall. Sweat dripped down his temple. There was no way all the wedding had him nervous, or maybe he realized it was too soon to get married. He was obsessed with her, but marriage was a huge commitment.
“Bro, where would a sewing kit be?” Ethan shoved his hands in his pocket. It was quick, but I was almost positive there was blood on his knuckles.
“How would I know? I’ve only had to sew Joseph’s stuffed animal a few times, and I just ask a servant to get the supplies.” I shrugged.
“It’s your house. You should know where your stuff is.” He leaned in. “It’s an emergency.”
“CeCe would know.” I headed toward the kitchen.
Ethan grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. “Not her. We also need someone who can sew.”
“Joseph mentioned that Dottie can and I can a little. Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” I asked. Joseph had texted me that the eye of his stuffed elephant fell off. Dottie sewed it back on for him. According to him, she was the best aunt ever.
“Perfect.” Ethan clapped his hands together. Definitely blood on his knuckles.
We found Dottie in her room. She had tech spewed across her bed. A projection of a waterfall played against the wall above her desk. She was fussing with the lens, trying to get the picture to come in clear. Her curly hair fell in her face, and she blew it out of the way.
