“What about at your dad’s house?” Megan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on. “How about then?”
Cami rolled her eyes. “Then he’s just, like, acting way more cool than me. I don’t want to bug him, Mom.”
“And you don’t have to.” She kissed her temple. “Adam’s choices are Adam’s choices. Don’t worry about him, okay? You are supremely cool.”
“Oh my gosh, Mom, that’s like the least cool thing you can say.” She shook her head. “Oh! Deirdre is here. I didn’t know she was related to Toni.” Cami waved at a girl who looked like she was around the same age. “Mom, can I—?”
“Go. It’s fine.”
Cami patted Megan’s arm. “I’m sure your friends are around too.”
“Keep your phone on!”
“I will.”
The last of her parental responsibilities appeared on the edge of the crowd in a group of around half a dozen teenage boys, all sporting variations of the same haircut and the same shirt.
Ah, the teenage years. Megan would like to say that she hadn’t been as conformist as her son, but she’d probably been more so.
“Hey, Atlanta,” a deep voice boomed behind her.
Megan turned and squinted into the sun as Nico walked toward her. “Hey yourself.” She ignored the feeling of Sugar doing cartwheels in her belly. “So were you a follower or a leader in high school?”
“Oh man.” He cracked a smile. “That was a while ago. Leader hopefully?”
“Did your hair always fit the latest style? Did you have a cool car?”
Nico scratched his beard. “I don’t think I remember how my hair was done. My sister cut it, but she was pretty good, you know? I think it was just… normal. And I was working and bought my own clothes by the end of high school, so I imagine I bought whatever I thought looked cool but was still cheap because I really liked saving money.”
“And your car?”
“My dad’s old work truck, so not much has changed.” His half smile turned into a regular grin. “How about you? Cheerleader?”
“Oh no, I was not athletic enough for that. I went to a real big high school and the cheer team was competitive. It went to national meets and stuff like that.”
“Way more than pom-poms?”
“So much. I was on the softball team though.” She mimed throwing a ball. “Center field. I was fast.”
“And had a good arm too, no doubt.” Nico watched the boys in their group near the barbecue trailer. “It was a different time. I don’t envy the kids now. I think everything in life has gotten a lot more competitive. I don’t think I would have gotten into Central Coast State with my grades if I had to apply now. I didn’t have any extracurricular activities.”
“Nothing?”
He shook his head. “I worked. Came home from school and went out to the fields. It wasn’t bad. My dad paid me fair, and I liked the money. I was kind of bored in high school.”
“So you worked and were really busy. Didn’t care much about your clothes or what you drove… You were the cool guy.” She smiled. “The mature, cool guy who was so over it all.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think—”
“Oh, but that’s part of the mystique.” Megan put a hand on his arm. “You can’t know you’re the cool guy. Or even care. The minute you care about being the cool guy, you’re automatically not the cool guy anymore.”
Nico chuckled. “Well then, I was very cool.”
“The coolest.”
“So cool.” He glanced at her. “This is a ridiculous conversation.”
“Not as ridiculous as the underhanded machinations of the mother of the bride yesterday.” Megan nearly growled remembering it. “I do not like when people try to manipulate me.”
“Uh-oh. So the Harrington wedding compromise wasn’t as straightforward as you’d planned?”
“She tried to pull a fast one, but I caught her.” She looked up to see Nico watching her intently. “I politely but firmly held my ground for Miss Ashley, and everyone was fine. And we sold a shedload of wine.”
“My favorite thing I’ve heard today.” He held out his hand. “Well done, Ms. Alston-Carpenter.”
Megan took his hand, but instead of shaking it as she’d expected, Nico lifted it to his lips and pressed a fast kiss to her knuckles before he tucked her arm under his.
“I know just the thing that will relax you after a harrowing wedding with Judy Harrington.”
Yes, relax me, you sexy man!
Oh Sugar, you are walking into dangerous territory.
“Do I need relaxing?” Megan asked.
“Everyone needs some relaxing.” His voice was low and a little hoarse. “And I know just the thing.”
Before her imagination and her libido could go too wild, Nico and she pushed through a crowd of gathered men to reveal a scene that had Megan immediately rolling her eyes.
“Horseshoes?”
Nico bent down and put his distractingly perfect lips close enough to Megan’s ear to make her shiver. “Just this once?”
“Fine.” He really needed to step back before Sugar lost control of her company manners. “But you owe me.”
“I’m fine with you putting it on my tab.” Nico stepped back and bent down to pick up a set of horseshoes with both hands, raising them over his head as the men around him quieted down. “Gentlemen!” he shouted. “I have my team—who has the guts to challenge us?”
A roar of good-natured challenges arose as Megan was pushed forward. Nico stood in the middle of the crowd, negotiating bets and making jokes.
Oh yeah. He was definitely the cool guy.
Nico was counting the money from the bets he’d won on horseshoes while Megan sat at a picnic table across from Frank, Toni’s older brother.
“So you’re ridiculous at horseshoes,” Frank said. “Even better than my sister, and she’s really good.”
“Beginner’s luck.”
Nico raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you’re calling it now?”
And a good helping of telekinesis. “I’m telling you, I haven’t played in years.” Megan took a long drink of the cold cider Frank had poured for her. “It’s fun though. I won’t play too often. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, if Nico managed to convince you this week, I have no doubt he’ll wrestle you into playing again.”
And now she was picturing a mud-wrestling scenario with a half-naked Nico Dusi.
Not helpful, Sugar!
“So did Drew fill you in on what’s happening with the case so far?” Megan asked. “I talked with him a few days ago.”
Frank and Nico exchanged a grim look. “He’s updated us some,” Nico said. “We know about the blood they found, but it sounds like they still don’t know where it all came from. There’s no trace of the vines in the truck. And it was stolen, so the paper trail for that stops there.”
She saw a man waving Nico over to a table where a group of older people were sitting.