Page 24 of Sweet Summertide

The full breath allowed him a moment to scan his surroundings. That’s when he spotted Alfonso sitting on the hood of the red truck. Theodor walked with purpose and pointed his finger at Alfonso. “You called my dad? I was taking care of it. I even had a deal worked out to get us both out for free.”

Alfonso put his hands up in surrender. “Alfonso not know this and call mamma.”

“That’s even worse,” Theodor said and stopped in his tracks. “She’s the last person that actually likes me.”

“Alfonso like.” He held a hand over his heart and then pointed it to Theodor. “Alfonso. Theodor. Bros, no?”

“Yes, Alfonso, we’re friends. And thank you for getting me out, however you went about it. I’m grateful to not be stuck in there with her for one more minute.”

“Holly?”

“Who else?” Theodor looked back at the building’s side door where he’d exited. “I left her in there. I tried to cut a deal and talk my way out of it, but there was nothing else I could do but wait for the judge to decide.” He opened the passenger side door. “Plus, she deserves to stay in there a little longer for what she was going to do. Speaking of that, did you get the delivery?”

“Si,” Alfonso climbed in the front seat and slammed the door. “What now?”

“Drive. I need to get to the shop. I have more work to do than ever. My father turned off the money spigot and now I have to win that grant money to keep my shop going. I can’t afford anything else going wrong.”

Alfonso put the truck into reverse but was halted by a passing car honking a horn behind him. He wasted no time throwing the truck into park and diving out the door, shouting something in Italian and flailing his arms and hands in the air. Theodor rolled down the window and pulled his upper half through the opening, sitting on the narrow ledge. A woman got out of the car, the windblew her dark hair in front of her face and shrouded her features, but she shouted right back at Alfonso.

The high-pitched voice was unmistakable. “Hey, Millie. Here for a conjugal?” Theodor teased once he knew for sure who the woman was.

“Very funny.” She rolled her eyes and approached him. “You know I told her to back off of all this, and I thought she listened to me for once. I can’t believe she went ahead with her harebrained idea.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You knew what she was planning and didn’t stop her?”

“You act like I’m in charge of her. Holly has always had a mind of her own, just ask her parents who cut her off yesterday.” Millie slapped herself in the forehead. “That’s why she did it. Now, her creamery is her last shot to make it on her own.”

“I don’t care if she was told to do it at gun point, she went too far. And what makes her reason so special? This business is my only chance too, but you don’t see me sabotaging her at every corner just to win a few bucks.”

Alfonso came around and whispered into Millie’s ear causing her to look at him with sad eyes. “You’ve been cut off too? That’s not great, but now you’ll have to suck it up like the rest of us and work for a living instead of relying on daddy.”

“That’s amusing coming from someone defending a rich girl for the same reason.”

Alfonso put his body between Theodor and Millie but faced Millie. “No fight like racoons. Get Holly. Alfonso got bro.” He nodded with his head towards Theodor as though Millie wouldn’t know who he was referring to.

She put her hands up and walked back to her sedan. “Keep him away from me and keep him away from my best friend, will you?”

The two guys stood by and watched as she pulled her car forward and parked in a vacant visitor spot before they got back into the red truck. Theodor’s emotions floated over the abyss of his reality. Nothing she said about him needing to work for his own living was wrong. But it’s one thing to strike out on your own and another to know you’re still in spring training. Until fifteen minutes ago, he was biding time, now he was thrown into the big game of life.

“Alfonso, I think spring training is over. No more Saint Theo. I’m winning the grant money no matter what. Now let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER 13

It wasstrange enough that instead of getting to make her phone call, Holly had been released shortly after Teddy and with no formal charges being filed. The entirety of the event had ended like it had begun; out of nowhere. Stranger still was the sight of her best friend sitting on the hood of her car outside the police station doors. On any other day, Holly knew Millie would come through and bail her out, but she was not expecting her today because Millie was supposed to have been out of town.

“You’re a mess,” Millie said as she wrapped her arms around Holly. “And you smell like woods and fart.”

“My next best-selling flavor.” Holly pantomimed a banner in the air above their heads. “How’d you know I was here?”

“I just knew you were going to do something stupid,” Millie said as they got into her sedan. “I have a friend in the force who called me. I just don’t know why you got yourself in this situation.”

“I appreciate you coming. I just wish Teddy had stayed out of it.”

“Do you think you would have let someone do what you were about to do to his supplies?” Millie said and cranked the car.

“I suppose not. He’s going to hate me forever.” Holly buckled her seatbelt, not wanting another mark on her record anytime soon.

“I ran into Teddy and Alfonso a few minutes ago. He didn’t seem too pleased with you.”

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