Page 47 of Sweet
“Spider.” She put her hands on her hips. “What? It’s a big party.”
And his girl was a perfectionist. It was what made her such a great baker, amazing businesswoman, and honor student.
Spider took a deep breath. “Everything is going to be fine. Your family is going to have everything perfect because they are you and you are them.” He walked up the stairs and kissed her forehead. “Now, will you go fix your hair thing please so we aren’t late for your graduation ceremony?”
“Fine.” Her cheeks were a little pink. “You look pretty hot in a suit.”
“Yeah?”
She twirled her smart ropes. “Plans for you later, remember?”
And there his dick went. “Evil.” He lifted a finger and shook it in her face. “You’re fucking evil, princesa.”
She laughed and escaped to the upstairs bathroom. She knew exactly what she did to him.
Minx.
Spider grabbed his sunglasses, keys, and went out to the car to see Imelda already in the front yard, leaning against the Buick and wearing a formfitting blue dress, a bright yellow scarf, and a pair of giant sunglasses that made her look like a movie star.
Spider let out a long whistle. “Looks like I’m driving the two most beautiful women in Metlin today.” He glanced at her walker. “Did you walk all the way here?”
“It’s only two blocks,” she said. “It’s good for me.”
“How long did it take you?”
She grimaced. “Too damn long. And if you tell Roberto I’m swearing now, I’ll poison you with a cookie.”
Spider didn’t try to hide the smile. “I won’t breathe a word.”
Imelda stood straight with the help of her walker and shifted to the side so Spider could open the door for her. “You’re a smart boy, Manuel.”
“I know I am.” He opened the door and made sure she was situated before he folded her walker. Tia Imelda was the only one in the family who insisted on calling him by his given name, and Spider was okay with it. It was probably good that someone remembered what it was.
“Are Emmie and her young man coming to the graduation?”
“No, not enough tickets,” Spider said. “But they’ll be at the party later.”
“Good. I need to meet this one. He looks like he might stick.”
Spider smiled. “Yeah. I think he might.”
Betsy had passed a few years before, leaving a giant hold in Spider’s life and making Emmie the reluctant owner of Metlin Books.
He missed Betsy. Though the old woman had lived a good long life, it didn’t feel like it was enough. But as she had once told him: you can never have enough time with family.
Spider was just glad Emmie had returned to Metlin after living in San Francisco for so many years. He couldn’t lie; spending time anywhere near the city still made him nervous.
He worked freely in Las Vegas, as he and Chino had agreed to many years before, but he never violated his pact with his old boss and headed into LA even though Chino had been killed seven years before.
Spider didn’t worry about his safety anymore. Not really. His work had been featured in trade magazines, and he counted some pretty fucking famous people among his clients. When anyone asked who the best tattoo artist on the West Coast was, his name was in the top five.
It was enough to satisfy his ego and still maintain his privacy.
Daisy came running out of the house, her hand holding her hat on her head and her black robes flying behind her.
“I’m here! I’m done.” She jumped in the car and grinned at Imelda. “Did you walk down here?”
“Don’t ask me how long it took.” She reached over from the back seat and put a gnarled hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “You look beautiful, mi hija.”
