Page 21 of It's a Wonderful Knife

Max scraped his chair loudly in an attempt to get closer to the table. He seemed distracted, so I decided to do the introductions.

“Great to meet you. I’m Royce, and this is Max.” I smiled.

“Nice to meet you.” Joe nodded.

“I wanted to go to Six Flags Over Texas, but Granddad didn’t want to,” Joey grumbled.

Looking embarrassed, Joe said, “I thought this would give us more bonding time. It’s impossible to talk at a noisy amusement park.”

“Talking is overrated,” Joey muttered.

Joe laughed gruffly. “I guess I should have listened to him. I don’t think he’s enjoying this experience at all so far.”

I studied Joey, wondering why he seemed so disconnected. “Lots of kids would love to have a grandfather who took them on a nice trip like this.”

Joey gave me a surly look. “Most kids didn’t just have both their parents die.”

Shock rolled through me, and I gave Joe a glance. “God, I’m so sorry.”

Sighing, Joe grimaced. “Joey is my daughter’s son. She and Joey’s dad died in a car accident a few months back. Joey lives with me now, isn’t that right, Joey?”

“Joe Jr.,” growled Joey. “How many times do I have to tell you how much I hate that name?”

Joe’s cheeks were pink. “Sorry, kid. It’s hard to break old habits.”

Max was watching Joey with an irritable expression, and I worried he’d say something. I put my hand on his thigh, and he glanced at me. “Looks like Elle made her famous fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits tonight.”

Max blinked at me. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Oh, I know that,” I fibbed.

He shot another annoyed glance toward Joey. “But the kid is rude as hell.”

I laughed uneasily. “None of our business.”

“I’m just sayin’.”

The blonde woman and her boyfriend came stomping into the dining room. The woman looked ready to murder someone. Her mouth was a straight line and her eyes cold and hard. She sat down in the nearest chair, and he sat beside her looking chastened.

“I’m not going to put up with this behavior, Santiago. I just won’t,” she hissed. He said something to her under his breath, and she glanced at the group. “I couldn’t care less what these people think of me. I’m at the end of my rope with you.”

After a few minutes, the red-haired woman also entered the dining hall, her expression troubled. She took the seat across from Max and me, next to Joey. The kid gave her an annoyed glance and went back to staring glumly at his empty plate.

The red-haired woman met my gaze. “Hi, I’m Gianna Bates.” She held out her red-tipped hand. “I’m a yoga instructor in LA.”

I shook her hand. “Sheriff Royce Callum.”

“Oh, a sheriff.” She tittered. “How exciting.”

“I’m Maxwell,” Max volunteered.

Gianna’s gaze was admiring as she studied him. “Howdy, Maxwell.” She snapped her fingers. “You’re the doctor who used to work in LA, right?”

“I am.”

“Mona mentioned that. For some reason, that fact stuck in my head. Probably because I’m from LA too.” She sighed, staring at Max. “Doctors are so sexy.”

Frowning, Max said, “Not sure about that.”