Page 23 of It's a Wonderful Knife

“You don’t have to worry.”

“I don’t know, you and pie share a special bond.” Lips twitching, he picked up his fork and stabbed some salad. “I’d hate to come between you two.”

“Now, don’t you pick on me, Max.” I grinned.

He smiled, his cheek bulging as he chewed his salad.

Unlike him, I started with the crispy chicken. Then I moved on to the potatoes and gravy and then the biscuits. It was a lively group, even if Santiago and his girlfriend seemed subdued. The rest of the group chattered happily, and it seemed like this crew would be a good mix of people. The Rainy Dale folks and the other guests were all melding well, and even Dakota and Ezra were having a friendly conversation. I decided maybe I’d exaggerated the tension I’d felt on the farm earlier.

I was enjoying a big slice of pecan pie, with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, when there was a loud commotion from the direction of the kitchen. Everyone stopped talking and just listened to the raised voices. When the voices got louder, Mona pressed her napkin to her mouth and rose, moving toward the kitchen area.

I set my fork down and met Max’s uneasy gaze. “Wonder what that’s about,” I said softly.

“Somebody isn’t happy,” Max said.

The sound of breaking glass had me on my feet and striding toward the kitchen. It wasn’t in my nature to just sit back. Max followed me, and we entered the kitchen to find Elle holding a butcher knife. On the floor, a scared-looking Jax sat, surrounded by broken glass.

I had no idea what was happening, but my first priority was to get Elle to put down the knife. “Now, Elle, I think it might be a good idea if you gave me that knife before someone gets hurt.” I kept my voice even as I moved toward her.

“Careful, Royce,” Max muttered.

Elle looked furious. Her cheeks were beet red and her eyes glittering with anger. “That rat bastard kissed Chloe,” she screeched.

Jax held out his hand. “Elle, it was just a little peck.”

Madison, the girl in charge of housekeeping, and supposedly Jax’s current girlfriend, stood behind Elle, looking bewildered. “What in the heck are you doing, Jax? Why would you kiss Chloe?”

Chloe stood looking petrified, her cheeks pink. “Mama, it didn’t mean anything. Put the knife down. You’re not really going to hurt Jax.”

“She’s right, Elle, come on. This isn’t like you.” Mona’s voice wobbled as she spoke.

Whether they thought Elle would use the knife or not, I needed to get the weapon away from her. I moved closer to her, and she flicked her frantic gaze to me. “Elle, I understand why you’re upset, but you’re just going to get yourself in trouble if you use that knife.”

“She just turned eighteen! He’s in his thirties,” Elle wailed. “What in the world is he thinking?”

“He overstepped for sure,” I said quietly. “But this is no way to handle the situation. Come on, Elle, give me the knife.”

“I want him fired, Mona. I mean it.” Elle started crying. “He’s nothing but trouble, and you know that as well as I do.”

“I’ll deal with Jax, Elle, don’t you worry about that.” Mona spoke softly as she stepped toward Elle. “Put the knife down, love.”

Leo appeared in the doorway, his long hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Mona, be careful.” He moved forward and took hold of Mona’s shoulders, pulling her back against him. He then turned his irritable gaze on Elle. “What are you doing, Elle? Put that knife down. You’re not going to stab anyone, and you know it.”

“He kissed Chloe,” Elle said, but for whatever reason, she did lower the knife.

“You didwhat?” Leo glowered at Jax.

Elle gave a hiccup of a sob. “He put his hands all over her. Howdarehe.” She started crying harder. “Who does he think he is?”

“Yeah, how dare he is right,” hissed Madison, glaring at her boyfriend.

“Now, honey,” Jax mumbled, giving Madison a nervous look. “It… it’s not what it looks like.”

“Of course it is,” Madison snapped.

I walked over to Elle, and I took the knife from her limp fingers. “Everything is okay, Elle.” I put my arm around her. “Calm down. Chloe is okay.”

“She’s my little girl.” Elle’s shoulders shook as she sobbed into my chest.