“This is an intervention,” Bree said and plopped onto a chair. “Gram, get out here.”
Louise was taking her time getting her crutches, Martin hovering next to her.
Zona’s brows pulled together. “What?”
“You’re about to ruin your life again. You can’t see that man,” Bree said.
First her mother and now her daughter. “I’m handling it,” Zona said, her words clipped.
“No, you’re not. You’re getting in deeper,” Bree insisted, her voice rising. “And what happened to your car, Mom? Don’t bother to answer. Gram told me.”
Louise slowly made her way to the table. “I’m sorry, Zona. She’s been out to get your mother ever since she started seeing Alec,” she told Bree.
“What are you thinking, Mom?” Bree demanded. “We need to talk about how you’re ruining your life.”
Martin was edging toward the door. “I should go.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Zona told him. “Lunch is ready, and Bree can dish it up. You three go ahead and eat. I need to go take care of something.”
“Mom! We’re not done,” Bree called after her as Zona marched to the front door.
“Yes, we are!” Zona slammed the door shut behind her and launched herself down the walk. She could see the PT Cruiserlurking at the end of the street. She raised a hand and gave Angela the one-fingered salute. Very unladylike, her mother would say. Well, Zona wasn’t in the mood to be ladylike, and the obscene gesture felt good.
Up Alec’s front walk she went and banged on the front door. He opened it with a smile, but the smile vanished at the sight of the expression on her face.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“Whoa, I guess,” he said, as she marched past him into the house.
“IS SHE GOINGover there?” Bree demanded.
“Let’s eat on the patio,” Louise suggested. Zona had been determined to handle her problem herself, but it couldn’t hurt to have some listening ears on the other side of the fence. She shoved her cell phone in her sweater pocket and started for the back door. “Bring the quiche and the dishes, you two. And the asparagus.”
“Maybe we should eat inside,” Martin suggested, but Louise kept on going.
“I WAS ABOUTto call you,” Alec said.
She got right to it. “Your stepsister keyed my car.”
“What? Here, sit down, let’s talk.”
Zona kept pacing. “I didn’t sign up for this, Alec.”
“Okay, calm down. Go on out by the pool. I’ll make us something to drink.”
Zona was pacing in front of the pool when he joined her, carrying two margaritas. “I guess we could use this,” he said, handing one to her.
She set it on the patio table. “Alec, I can’t do this anymore.”
His brows lowered. “What? Us? Not this again.”
“Yes, this again. The good news is we hadn’t gotten too far into a relationship.”
Only far enough that she’d hoped the third time would be the charm.
He set his drink down and led her to a chair and sat down opposite her. “I’ll pay to have your car refinished.”
“It’s more than the car, and we both know it,” she said miserably.
