Page 100 of Hiss and Make Up
Sierra found Dale on the swing and sat next to him. Puck tried to hop up between them, but his paws were muddy, so she shooed him away to play with Luna.
“Nice little gathering,” Dale said.
It really was. It had all of her favorite people, plus a few new faces she’d have to get used to. Freddy was pretty great, and Chloe was growing on her.
Dale smiled at Luna splashing in the water and calling Puck to jump in with her. Puck was having none of that, but he hopped and pranced around the perimeter.
“You okay?” she asked.
She’d encouraged Dale to take some time off to rest and process things, so she hadn’t seen him much this past month. Lynette had lured him with news of an imaginary call from her dead husband, then she’d knocked him out with ether and hid him in her bathroom. While he’d been physically fine—confirmed by a trip to the hospital Sierra had insisted upon—the events had left him shaken. The deception. The abduction. Waking up alone, tied up in a dark bathroom. Discovering that Lynette Guidry had stolen his truck to move her dead husband’s body and had been planning to frame him for it.
It was a lot to process.
Dale scratched his beard. “I’m fine now. Thank you for taking over at work.”
Taking over his hours had doubled hers and allowed her to pay back Liz and kick off some plans for the future. Big plans. But it wasn’t easy filling Dale’s shoes, and she’d missed him the last few weeks. “I half-expected to see you back after a couple days.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” he said.
“What stopped you?”
Dale looked out through the yard toward the bayou. “It was time for a break.”
“I understand.” She stood and asked, “Want something to drink?”
He politely declined, and Sierra left him to swing and stare at the bayou. She grabbed an orange soda from the ice chest. When she stood, she spotted her dad entering from the side gate. She walked over and gave him a hug, the unopened can still in her hand.
“Hey, Pumpkin,” he said.
“You made it.”
“Wrapped up a little early at the farmer’s market.”
“Had a good morning?”
“Oh yeah, sold quite a few bags of fertilizer. Not many seedlings, but it’s still early for most people starting winter gardens. I did hand out a bunch of cards.”
“The weather was beautiful for it.”
“Sure was. You and Marc should come sometime. Bring Luna if Liz is working.”
“That’s actually a pretty good idea.” The market took place every Saturday morning on an old horse farm turned into a city park. They had music and food every weekend, with lots of space to run around and huge live oaks to climb. Luna would love it.
“Well, I guess reintroductions are in order?” he said.
Sierra’s stomach did a few flips, although she had no idea why. They weren’t a get-Dad’s-approval kind of family, and her dad already knew Marc. This shouldn’t be a big deal.
So why was she so terrified?
Sierra walked with her Dad a few feet to the grill where Marc was putting the last of the burgers on the flame. “Marc, you remember my dad, right?”
His face lit up. “Sure! Glad you could come, Mr. Menard.” He waved his hands around, then held out his left hand awkwardly. “Sorry, touched the raw patties.”
“That’s fine.” Her dad shook Marc’s hand and patted him on the shoulder with his other hand. “Good to see you again.”
They both nodded and a slight hesitation interrupted the conversation.
“It’s weird being back here like this, right?”
