Page 29 of The Sunny Side (Rojo 2nd Generation: Rojo Police Department #3)

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” Brawley growled as he reached out to grab the back of the man’s shirt.

Somehow, he sensed that Brawley wasn’t going to take this lightly and stepped aside as he announced, “Introducing Little Bear and the woman who doesn’t know quite what she’s stepping into but is too polite to run away.”

The crowd in the room went wild, whistling and clapping, with many of the women shouting things like, “Run, sweetheart!” and “Get out while you can!.”

“That was a dick move, Clementine,” Brawley said angrily as the man grinned at us.

“Nah, son, that’s what you call ripping off the bandaid. Now everyone knows who she is and will want to make up for the fact that her first encounter with us was with an asshole like me. You can thank me later.”

A woman walked up next to the man Brawley had called Clementine and frowned at him before she asked me, “Was he eating pancakes?”

“He was finishing a short stack that was swimming in butter and syrup,” Brawley tattled as he gave the man a menacing grin.

“Pfft. He’s full of shit and always has been,” the man hedged.

“I can smell the syrup on your breath, sweetheart. Don’t even try to lie.”

Brawley giggled like a kid before he said, “And then he tried to convince Rebel to lie to you, her own mother, and say that he didn’t cheat on his diet.”

The man gasped before he whispered, “You fucking narc!”

He gave his wife a smile that would probably have convinced anyone else he was innocent, but she just glared at him before she said, “I hope you savored those because that’s the only sweet thing you’ll be eating for a while.”

“My work here is done,” Brawley said before he burst out laughing and started walking again.

Since he was still holding my hand, I didn’t have any choice but to follow him.

He stopped at a nearby table where his sister Posie was sitting with an older couple and said, “Mom, Dad, this is Clancy. Clancy, these are my parents, Autumn and Bear Dumont.”

I looked from his mother to his father and then gasped when I said, “Mr. Bear! It’s so good to see you again.”

The man I’d met at the hardware store stood up and extended his hand across the table before he asked, “Did you finish it?”

“I did, and I couldn’t have done any of it without your help and expertise!”

“Is this the girl from the store?” the woman asked as Brawley pulled out a chair for me. When the man nodded, she said, “He told me about your idea, and it sounded gorgeous.”

“I’ve got a video of the finished room if you’d like to see it.”

“Have a seat, honey. I’ve been waiting patiently to meet you. We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Brawley’s mom said with a genuine smile.

I swallowed hard before I asked, “We do?”

“Of course. No one knows my baby boy as well as I do, so I need to tell you all of his likes and dislikes. They could really be considered rules to live by in order to make him happy.”

“Mom . . .” Brawley’s voice sounded like a warning, but his father didn’t seem to want to wade into the fray as he stared at his plate. “Don’t start.”

“What?” Mrs. Dumont asked as she reached out and cupped Brawley’s face with her hands. Suddenly, she squeezed his cheeks and shook his head back and forth as she said, “Who’s Mama's cute little bear? You are! Yes, you are!”

Mr. Dumont started coughing at the same time Posie got up and quickly made her way across the room.

Since his mom was still holding his cheeks, it was difficult to understand Brawley, but I made out, “What in the hell are you doing?”

“I love my little bear! Yes, I do!”

Mr. Dumont was coughing almost uncontrollably now, and Brawley put his hands on his mom’s wrists and tried to jerk his head away, but she had a pretty good grip, so he wasn’t able to move back before he pleaded, “Dad! Help me!”

His father suddenly snorted and leaned forward to rest his head on his bent arms as his entire body shook with laughter. Mrs. Dumont released Brawley and shoved her husband’s shoulder before she said, “You’re supposed to have my back!”

“That was ridiculous,” Brawley said as he rubbed his cheeks. “Well, Clancy knows you’re certifiable now.”

“I am not! I’m just a loving mother who wants to make sure her baby boy is taken care of.” She smiled at me but it didn’t quite reach her eyes as she asked, “Are you that woman? Can you make him laugh more often than you make him crazy?”

“You act like making all of us crazy isn’t your full-time job!” Brawley argued. “The only reason dad is laughing right now is because you finally targeted someone else and gave him a reprieve.”

“I . . . uh . . . I’ll try to . . . definitely . . . You know, we’re just getting to know each other, but . . . I’m sure that . . . ”

“Good grief, Autumn. Give the girl a break,” an older man said as he sat down beside me. He stuck his hand out and said, “I’m Desmond, and I’m here to protect you.”

“Clancy, this is one of my grandfathers. We call him Brains.”

“Brains?”

“I’m the smart one in the family,” the man said. He motioned toward Mr. Dumont before he said, “This one mostly grunts to communicate, and you’ve seen that his mother is hopelessly unhinged.”

“Where’s Bossy?” Brawley asked as he looked around. “Other than Dad, he’s the only one that can pull Mom off the crazy train.”

“Your dad’s not even trying,” Desmond said as Mr. Dumont raised his head and wiped the tears off his cheeks. He glared at Brawley’s father before he said, “I can’t believe you let her traumatize this young woman.”

“Mawmaw would be proud, don’t you think?” Mr. Dumont asked.

Desmond laughed before he said, “She would.”

“Mawmaw was Bossy’s mom, my great grandmother,” Brawley explained. “She was a pistol and apparently gave Brains and Dad shit every time she saw them.”

“Are you going to be nice, Autumn?”

Mrs. Dumont rolled her eyes and said, “I guess.”

“Brawley, to answer your question, your grandfather ran into an acquaintance out front, so he’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“An acquaintance?” Mrs. Dumont asked.

“Again with the gardening,” Desmond said, his eye roll almost as dramatic as Mrs. Dumont’s from earlier. “I swear, sometimes it’s like Mawmaw’s spirit comes over him, and he gets a wild hair to do the things she loved. You should watch out, Bear. Someday, Autumn’s going to start . . .”

“She already has,” Mr. Dumont interrupted. “I caught her cursing at the squash bugs in the garden this morning when I went outside to drink my coffee.”

“Mawmaw had a huge garden on her property in Louisiana, and Bossy has apparently decided he’s going to grow all of their produce now, just like she did,” Brawley explained. “Mom and Dad always had a garden, but in the last few years, it’s gotten bigger and bigger.”

“Don’t get your dad all riled up,” Mrs. Dumont warned.

“Or what? You’ll embarrass me in front of my girlfriend?”

“You’ve gotta admit, that was good,” Mrs. Dumont cackled. “The look on your face was priceless, Clancy.”

“I was worried you’d hate me after . . .” I started before she interrupted me.

“Call me Autumn, and you know Bear, of course. He doesn’t answer to Mr. Dumont.”

“As if he’d answer anyway,” Desmond muttered.

“He’s a man of few words,” Brawley explained.

“So are you most of the time,” I teased.

“I don’t hate you, sweetheart, although I will admit that I didn’t have the nicest things to say about you for some time. I understand it was your mother’s doing, though.”

“Stepmother,” I corrected.

“That’s actually the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you call her,” Brawley mused.

“She’s a raging . . . Nope! I’m just not . . . Nope!”

“Oh, honey, please do,” Autumn urged with a mischievous grin. “I’ll tell you mine if you’ll tell me yours.”

“They’re bonding,” Brains said in a stage whisper. “Should we be afraid?”

Dad laughed before he said, “We don’t have to be, but Brawley should.”