Page 138 of Hutch
“Does it taste like buttermilk?” I ask him.
“Well, no…”
“Then why are you complaining? You soak it to make sure it stays juicy through the frying process.”
“I don’t care what its soaked in as long as it tastes like this.” Collin grins, chicken stuck in his teeth. He’s such a goofy goober, but he grows on a person.
“You’d think they were raised in barns.” Kathleen glares at Collin.
“Sorry, Mama Kat.” He flashes his chicken filled pearly whites at her.
“I’m going to disown you.”
“Nah, you won’t. You love me.”
She shakes her head and turns her attention to me. “Daisy, Jonathan has been telling us about your ex and the problems he’s causing. I spoke with a friend of mine who’s a detective and he urged me to have you file a restraining order. He says that’s how they can legally do something if he continues to harass you.”
Not what I wanted to talk about tonight.
“I agreed to file one. I emailed all the things the attorney wanted today to put the petition together.”
“Good. I can’t have my future daughter-in-law worried about her safety.”
“Mom,” Hutch warns.
“What? I only speak the truth. I expect grandchildren within five years.”
“Mom!”
She winks at me and I realize she’s only trying to rile him up. She’s not serious. At least not much. Despite the twinkle in her eye, I can see speculation there as well.
“Now back to this ex. My home is open to you day or night, honey. If you get scared, you come to my house, and I’ll call my detective friend to put a police unit outside the house. When I heard the way the police handled your situation before, I wanted to go slap some people.”
“Nana did slap a few people.” I remember being barely conscious, but I not only saw her slap the sheriff, I heard it. I think everyone in the hall heard it to. She might have been old, sick, and frail, but harm one of her loved ones and you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest. She even threatened to go the state police in Charleston since the sheriff wanted me to not press charges. I’ve never seen her so mad. It took me days to talk her out of that and to just leave it alone.
“Good for her.”
Collin looks around. “Anyone else want the rest of the mashed potatoes and gravy?”
“There’s enough there for everyone to have seconds if they want it,” I point out.
“There’s enough for me…”
Thomas eyeballs the dish and Collin dares him to touch it with his glare.
I pick it up and hand it to Thomas. “Get as much as you like. I’m not really hungry and the boys don’t need to load up on so many heavy carbs.”
“Then why did you make it?” Collin grouches.
“Because you love them. Doesn’t mean you need to be stingy.”
He grumbles but doesn’t say anything I can make out.
“Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t want to put you out. I’m fine here behind several locked doors and a security system. There’s also more than a few athletes that hang out. If I need help, I can usually just yell down the stairs and at least five people will come running.”
“The offer is there regardless.”
“Thank you.”
