Page 83 of Take Me to Church
The last one is the one that interests me the most.
The prosecutor's office began looking into any case involving the IGL and started discovering some discrepancies. Crimes that were swept under the rug.
Like my sister’s murder.
There's no guarantee they'll be able to make any charges stick, but for the first time I have hope her piece of shit husband will be held accountable, and that’s enough for me right now.
Unfortunately, the prosecutor's office isn’t the only place that’s a mess because of Ansel and his son and son-in-law. Mountain Oak is crumbling fast, and more dangerous for women than ever as the men left scramble and fight for the power and control they’ve been built to believe is theirs.
"You're coming to dinner, right?" Lydia glances at Piper as she carefully wraps the potatoes with foil before zipping the dish into an insulated carrier while I collect our contribution to the dessert table.
Piper purses her lips like she's thinking it over, even though we all know she's not. She doesn't miss family dinner, but she likes to pretend she's undecided. Just in case the rug gets yanked out from under her.
My suspicions about Lydia’s friend were right. All her bluster and aggression hide one of the most delicate hearts I've ever seen.
She's even worse than Shelly.
Piper sighs, continuing an act that is easy to see through. “I guess I could eat.”
I take the potatoes from Lydia, carrying them with one hand and the brownies we baked in the other as we make our way out of the house and across the street to the converted firehouse where Cody and Felicity live.
Felicity opens the door as we file up the walk, her smile wide. “You have perfect timing.” She steals the potatoes, lightening up my load. “Cody just fired up the grill.”
I follow Piper and Lydia inside. The scent of food hangs in the air, along with the heavy drone of multiple conversations and rowdy kids. Myra waves from where she stands in the kitchen, helping Jill set up for our family dinner. It’s an event that used to happen once a month but has recently become almost a weekly occurrence. And I’m not even a little mad about it. The girls need to feel supported and accepted, which is something my family’s real good at.
Jill glances up as we walk in, immediately coming for the women at my side. Today she grabs Piper first, squeezing her in a tight hug. "How are you, honey?" She leans back, looking down at the new boot on Piper's foot. "Did everything go okay today at the doctor?"
Piper’s lips pull into a small smile that she instantly flattens out. "I guess it went as well as it could have. I have to wear this ugly thing for six more weeks, but then I should be done."
"It's not that bad." Jill purses her lips, tapping one finger against her chin as she studies the boot. "I bet I know someone who could turn that thing into a work of art."
Piper snorts, rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty sure no one would ever call this thing a work of art no matter how much it's been bedazzled."
It's clear she thinks Jill is referring to Felicity's daughter and her penchant for gluing sequins and rhinestones to anything that holds still long enough—including a few pairs of my boots—but I know better. I see exactly what Jill’s up to, and I'm pretty sure she’s barking up the wrong tree.
Jill turns to Lydia, her expression soft as she pulls her in for the same tight hug she gave Piper. If I wasn't paying attention I might not notice she's careful to always rotate who she hugs first, but I don’t miss anything that concerns Lydia. Thankfully she tolerates my hovering.
Might even like it a little.
Jill smooths Lydia’s hair back from her face. "What about you, honey? How do you like working with Christian?"
Lydia sneaks a peek in my direction, and I know exactly what she's thinking. "It’s actually pretty great." Lydia smiles sweetly. "I think we're going to get a lot accomplished."
Jill pats her on the arm. "I bet you are. That boy’s got a waiting list six months long. He needs all the help he can get."
I know Jill’s proud of me, of the business I've built, but it’s not what Lydia’s talking about. While Lydia does seem to enjoy working with me and the rest of my team doing pre-construction demo in some of the nicest homes in Memphis, she enjoys our other job much more. The one we don't get paid for in cash.
What we do get is so much more valuable.
Jill moves down the line to focus on me. "And you've been working hard at more than just your day job, haven't you?" She grabs my face and hauls me down to plant a kiss on my cheek. "That front yard of yours is looking beautiful."
I chuckle. "It was mentioned that maybe I should stop putting that project off." I wrap one arm around Lydia’s shoulders and pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple just in case it's not already clear I'm teasing. "Apparently the outside of my house left a lot to be desired."
Piper snags a pretzel from one of the baskets on the island and pops it in her mouth. "It looked haunted." She thumbs over one shoulder in the direction of where Damien and Josie sit on the couch with Hope and Niko. "Especially when their cat comes over to mooch a snack."
Lydia grabs a pretzel of her own, crunching into it. "Poe is a sweet baby. He's allowed to come over for snacks whenever he wants."
"Poeisa sweet baby, but hearing a creepy voice sayhelloas you walk from the garage to the back door in the dark is fucking terrifying when you don't know it's a cat meowing." Piper suddenly straightens, lips pressing together. She lowers her voice. "Did I just say fuck? I feel like I just accidentally said fuck."
