Page 89 of Family Affair

“No.”

“Alrighty then. I think it’ll do you good to stay away from Dan’s brothers for the time being.”

“Why?” Coco frowned.

“Hon, any man who uses his fists to work off his frustrations is a red flag to me. Dan’s hick brother knew he was at the police station. And he still allowed that fight to happen. That tells me he’s a physically violent man. You need to be careful.”

“The hick brother?” Coco couldn't help but ask.

“Yeah, Cade, that dogfaced brother. He needs to go back to where he came from. Everything was hunky-dory until he showed up. Suddenly, everybody is acting like they’re extras in a Dawn of Mankind documentary and the police are involved.”

Coco blinked. “I’ve come to realize that they’ve always been a little out there. Now that I got to know Dan better, it started showing.”

Stella didn’t look convinced.

A decisive knock sounded at the door, breaking up Coco’s thought processes.

“Who can that possibly be?” Lucy rose to answer the door.

But Coco already knew. Heart beating like a drum in her chest, shefelthim before her mother opened the door to reveal his tall, well-put together form with sturdy shoulders.

“Oh,” Lucy said with a puzzled frown. “You must be one of Dan’s brothers. Which one are you?”

“I’m Cade, ma’am.”

“Nice to meet you, Cade. I’m Lucy, Coco’s mother. Come in.” Lucy stepped aside, and Cade walked in.

“A pleasure. I won’t stay long,” Cade said to Lucy, his manners and his modulated voice contradicting Stella’s view of him as a hick. “Hi, Coco.”

His eyes found hers across the expanse of the open living area and held, the brown tinted with a reddish cast from the subdued lighting. The soft glow also illuminated a large bruise on his jaw, no doubt the result of his confrontation with Dan at the police headquarters.

Stella made a sound and crossed her long legs conspicuously - not in flirtation, but in extreme annoyance. Her lips thinned as she went to toy with her wine glass.

“Hi, Cade,” Coco said calmly, when on the inside she was anything but. She hadn’t thought she’d see him again. She hadn’t wanted to.

She had been lying to herself.

“I see you’re free to roam around,” she fought to break their eye contact. “That’s good. I’m glad they let you go.”

“I’ve got a good lawyer.”

“I thought your lawyer was locked up right with you.”

“I opted for a lawyer that doesn’t belong to my family,” he chuckled, and something happened to her eyes to make them water. His voice, his throaty chuckle…

Coco hastily turned to her friend. “This is Stella. Have you guys met before? At Dan’s party, maybe?”

“Stella.”

“Cade.”

Plain and simple. Neither was impressed with the other.

Coco moved to the counter to put a pot of coffee on.

“Hon, why are you making coffee?” Stella was giving her a puzzled look.

“Cade doesn’t like tea,” she quickly explained, and Stella’s look turned speculative.