Hungry Heart: Konigsburg, Texas, Book 8

by Meg Benjamin

“Why not now?” Trust Gray. Of course he’d dive into fixing whatever was broken.

  “I’ve got a barbecue competition on the Fourth. I have to concentrate on that right now.”

  Gray folded his arms across his chest. “Will your insurance cover this?”

  Harris shrugged, feeling mortally tired all of a sudden. “Probably not. I didn’t have flood coverage.”

  Gray’s frown deepened. “What will you do?”

  Harris shrugged again. “Don’t know. I’ll figure it out later.”

  “Harris…” Gray began, then stopped.

  Harris shook his head. “I’ll work it out. Thanks for coming out to check, Gray. I appreciate it.”

  Gray looked as if he might say something else, then shrugged. “Good luck with the barbecue contest.”

  “Yeah. Come on by and have a sandwich.” Harris managed to dredge up a smile.

  “I might do that.” Gray gave him an anemic smile of his own. “I just might.”

  Andy took a quick survey of Chico’s backyard. He’d texted her to drop by the house when she got off work, but he hadn’t told her why. Now that she was here, she found she still didn’t have a clue. There were a lot of people milling around, several of them very large. There were also a lot of barbecue smokers, maybe a dozen or so, all of them lined up in a row along the driveway. But none of them seemed to be in use so far as she could tell.

  She made another discreet survey, trying to find Chico in the group. Judging from the look and build of a lot of these people, they were probably related to him somehow. She swallowed, wondering if she was really ready for this.

  She’d spent most of the day in a sort of daze, some of it because she’d gotten less than four hours of sleep the night before but most of it because she was getting married again. She hadn’t been expecting it in any way, shape or form. But as soon as it was on the table, she realized it was exactly the right thing to do. Marry Chico. Spend the rest of her life with him. It made perfect sense.

  Of course, just because it made perfect sense, that didn’t mean everything was going to be smooth sailing. She’d have to tell Eddie and Lorraine, and Eddie would be a pain in the ass because Eddie was always a pain in the ass. She grimaced. Lorraine would probably be happier about it if Andy had a ring, but she’d be damned if she’d let that be a factor in what she and Chico did.

  She finally located him in a corner of the yard, talking to a group of men. She took a deep breath. No reason to be nervous about this. She loved him, after all. And these people were his family.

  Chico glanced her way and smiled. Amazing how his smile transformed him from terrifying to moderately disconcerting. Today he wore a black T-shirt and jeans with a leather vest and aviator sunglasses, probably one of his bouncer outfits. His dark hair shone in the sunshine, pulled back with a leather shoelace. If he was going to work at the Faro later, she might have to go home by herself. She didn’t think she could keep her eyes open for another musical performance.

  One of the men smiled at her and she recognized Chico’s mechanic brother Al who’d fixed her car. Then the person next to Chico turned her way, and Andy realized it was a woman. A large woman. In fact, a very large woman. Andy put her height at six feet, easily. Her shoulders were broad and squarish, her arms long, her hands the size of catcher’s mitts.

  His mother. Had to be. She was almost as terrifying as her son, although for different reasons. Andy’s heart gave a mighty thump, but she managed to push her mouth into something resembling a smile.

  Chico reached for her hand, pulling her next to him. “Mama, this is Andy. Andy, my mom.”

  Andy stared up into deep-set dark eyes below beetling black brows. Mrs. Burnside must have been one frightening mom to cross. Then her frown relaxed, her lips spreading into a grin that was remarkably similar to her son’s. “Glad to meet you, Andy.”

  “Likewise.” Andy let her own cautious smile grow a little wider.

  “Don’t feel like you have to keep everybody straight this afternoon. These big bruisers are all related to us somehow,” Mrs. Burnside explained. “Chico’s dad is down in McAllen until the Fourth. He’ll be sorry to have missed all of this.” She smiled as she surveyed the moderate chaos of her son’s backyard.

  Andy turned back to Chico again. “What’s with all the smokers?”

  He shrugged. “The King’s only got one functioning smoker, plus the portable one that isn’t really big enough for much. His other two were totaled in the flood. And the one that’s left is going to take some work to get it cleaned up and functioning. I had everybody bring their smokers over so we could see if any of them could do in a pinch.”

  “Hey, man, my baby’s better than a pinch,” another large man said, grinning. “She’s a class act.”

  “That piece of tin?” someone else cut in. “Hell, you might as well use a pellet burner.”

  “Don’t you be dissing my pellet burner,” another voice called from the back. “It’s one fine machine.”

  Chico rolled his eyes. “We’re just waiting on the King.” He turned a gimlet gaze on the group of male relatives spread out across his backyard. “And whatever he decides, you’ll keep quiet about it, understood? The man lost two smokers last night.”

  The men nodded somberly. Judging from their expressions, losing smokers was close to losing your girlfriend. Maybe worse, from their point of view.

  Mrs. Burnside gave her a dry smile, shrugging. “Let’s leave them to this…I don’t want to call it nonsense because the man lost part of his business. But let’s say it isn’t as serious as they might think.” She put a massive hand on Andy’s shoulder, guiding her gently toward the back door.

  Andy took a deep breath and blew it out. A nice long conversation with her fiancé’s mother. Who might not realize he was her fiancé yet. Groovy.

  She let Mrs. Burnside lead her into the house, cool and shadowed in the late afternoon sunshine. “You want something to drink? I think Chico’s got some tea in the refrigerator.” She raised an eyebrow in Andy’s direction.

  Andy had actually made that tea herself, but she didn’t think bringing that up would be a good plan right then. “That would be great.”

  She watched as Mrs. Burnside lifted the glasses down easily from one of the higher shelves, then filled them with ice. “He owns this place, you know,” she said as she poured the tea. “Bought it a few years ago. He’s got a good head for business—always has been smart about money.”

  Andy nodded, not sure what to say about that. Mrs. Burnside pulled out a chair at the kitchen table, nodding for her to grab the one opposite. After a moment, she did.

  “So.” Mrs. Burnside smiled at her, sipping her tea. “I knew your grandma. Good woman. Great teacher. She’ll be missed.”

  Andy nodded. “Yes, ma’am. She is.”

  “Call me Blanca. You didn’t live here yourself when you were young, though, did you?”

  “No. We lived in Round Rock for a while. Then Buda. But we visited here all the time. And we moved here when I was in high school. I saw Chico play a few times.”

  “Did you?” Blanca’s smile broadened. “He was quite a football player. Had some college scouts after him—he could have gone to Angelo State on scholarship. Went into the service instead.” She sighed. “I’ve got nothing against the service, you understand. Support the troops and all. But I still wish he’d gone to college when he had the chance.”

  Andy sipped her tea, uncertain how to respond. If she said he should have gone, she’d sound like she was criticizing him. If she said he should have done what he wanted, she’d sound like she was criticizing his mother. No win here.

  Blanca smiled again, as if she understood the problem. “You went to college, though, didn’t you? Had to, to do the job you do.”

  Andy nodded. “I liked school.”

  Blanca’s smile faded a little. “He’s always been sort of footloose. Chico, that is. Moved around the world with the army. Scared me to death for a while, going off to war
s. Then he did that stupid wrestling thing.” She shook her head, grimacing. “Made a lot of money, though. And he quit before he got hurt, so that’s something.”

  “Yes.” Andy took a quick sip of tea. She had no idea where this conversation was heading. Maybe she should just hang on.

  “He came back here after that, but I wouldn’t say he settled down. His brothers and sisters—all married, all with kids. And there’s Chico, working in a bar.” She shook her head. “He owns it. Part of it, anyway. But still.”

  Andy blinked. Chico owned the Faro? Somehow that didn’t surprise her as much as it should have.

  “I wanted him to settle down with a family. Just like mothers always do, I guess. Started to think he never would. But then he got together with you.” She gave Andy a slow smile. “I’ve been hearing about you two for a month or so. Wondered how long it would take him to bring you over. I knew he would sooner or later.”

  Technically, of course, he hadn’t brought her anywhere. They were still at his place. But apparently that was a minor detail.

  Blanca raised an eyebrow, looking more and more like her son. “Your family okay with this—the two of you?”

  Andy shrugged. “So far. They don’t know we’re getting married. We just decided that last night.”

  Blanca stared at her for a long moment. Andy’s heart dropped. Oh shit. She didn’t know.

  Then her lips spread in a broad grin. “Bingo.”

  Andy closed her eyes and took a breath. “I’m sorry. Chico should have been the one to tell you.”

  She shrugged. “It’s all right. I figured he was going to. You just beat him to it by a few minutes. So when is this going to happen?”

  “I don’t know.” Andy tried for a smile. “It’s all sort of new right now.”

  Blanca sighed. “And he hasn’t given you a ring yet, has he? He will. He just needs to remember it.”

  “He’s got a lot going on right now.”

  She nodded. “That’s when he’s happiest. He likes doing three different things at once. Hates being bored. And he’s real good at organizing.”

  The kitchen door opened and Chico strolled in with the King. “Okay, that’s settled. We’re going to clean up the King’s smoker for his business and use Placido’s Texas hibachi for the cook-off.”

  The King looked a little dazed. Andy figured he was having a typical reaction to Chico’s organization of his life. “Should work. Thanks.”

  “I’ll talk to Clemencia tonight, see if she’s got some space you can use for now. You just need a place to work in the morning, right?”

  “Mostly.” The King shrugged. “Once I get set up with a smoker I can do the meat on that. I just need a place to apply the rub—and freezer and refrigerator space.”

  “I checked with Coleman’s Processing out on Highway 16. They’ll rent you a meat locker. The rates sounded reasonable.”

  The King got that slightly pole-axed look again. “Thanks.”

  Chico shrugged. “No problem. I figured you’d be needing it.”

  “You had time to get a ring in all this wheeling and dealing?” Blanca’s voice cut through the conversation like a machete.

  Chico glanced at Andy. She considered crawling under the table. The corners of his mouth inched up. “Not yet. That’s tomorrow.”

  “You talk to me about that.” Blanca pushed herself to her feet. “I’m going to go make dinner for your cousins. You come by the house tomorrow. Don’t make me come find you.”

  Chico’s grin broadened. “No, ma’am.”

  Blanca nodded regally at the King. “Glad everything worked out. You need something, you call me. We’ve got enough relatives to take care of just about anything. Got to make sure you’re ready for the Fourth.”

  The King blew out a breath. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Blanca smiled once more at Andy, then swept majestically through the kitchen door.

  The King went back to looking dazed. “That’s quite a lady.”

  Chico nodded, still grinning. “She is. She definitely is.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The meeting with Blanca Burnside had made one thing clear to Andy—she couldn’t put off telling Eddie and Lorraine any longer. Not if she didn’t want them hearing about her engagement from somebody else. “You want to come to dinner tomorrow night?” she asked Chico. “I’ll invite my brother and his wife so you can meet them.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve got a band in the beer garden. I can come over for a few minutes while they’re between sets, but I’ll have to go back.”

  Andy sighed. “That’s fine. Come for dessert. I’ll try to have Eddie in hand by then.”

  Chico’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t have to do this, you know. Or we don’t have to do this now. We can wait until after the cook-off.”

  “No, I want to get it over with. That way it won’t be hanging over us at the cook-off.” She grimaced. “That sounds terrible, and I don’t feel terrible about it. It won’t really be so bad. But I do owe it to Eddie and Lorraine to tell them before they hear about it from somebody else.” Knowing Lorraine, something like that would lead to endless snide comments about people who didn’t care enough about their relatives to keep them informed.

  Chico shrugged. “Okay. We can talk to them tonight and then do the real dinner after the Fourth when we have more time.”

  Andy gave him a smile that she hoped looked confident.

  She called Lorraine the next morning. Maybe she and Eddie would be busy that evening. That way they couldn’t say she hadn’t tried.

  But luck wasn’t with her. “Oh, that sounds like fun,” Lorraine said happily. “I’ll bring dessert this time.”

  “Great,” Andy mumbled with patent insincerity.

  She spent the day at the office trying to straighten out all the various problems that had arisen because of the flood. Her water samplers were busy in the field, checking for possible contamination of wells and some water systems that had their pumping stations in the back country. By mid-afternoon it was clear she wouldn’t have time to cook. She’d have to buy dinner someplace on the way home. As long as it wasn’t barbecue.

  She arrived home thirty minutes before Eddie and Lorraine were due to show up, just enough time to warm up the spaghetti and meatballs she’d picked up in Marble Falls. They wouldn’t be world class, but with a loaf of frozen garlic bread, they’d probably be enough. She poured herself a glass of iced tea and sat down to wait.

  True to her word, Lorraine brought a strawberry pie. Parts of it were definitely homemade, and the whole thing was at least home assembled. Andy figured she was in no position to criticize.

  Lorraine saw the box from the Italian restaurant on the kitchen table. “Oh, I’ve been wanting to try that place. Is it any good?”

  Andy shrugged. “You can see for yourself tonight. I grabbed some spaghetti there on the way home.”

  Eddie looked grumpy. “Didn’t know you could do that—go to a restaurant and get your dinner for home.”

  “You can at that restaurant,” she said firmly. “I didn’t get away from the office until late. The flood has us working around the clock.”

  “I’m sure the food’s just fine.” Lorraine herded Eddie into the dining room. “I can’t wait to try it.”

  The spaghetti and meatballs did qualify as fine, although Andy might not go so far as to say good. But gourmet dining hadn’t been the reason she’d asked her brother over anyway. She took a deep breath. “I hoped Chico could join us for dinner, but he had to get the band set up at the Faro tonight. He’ll come over for dessert.”

  Eddie glowered again. “Why’d they have the bouncer set up the band?”

  “He’s not just the bouncer. He books all the musical acts too.”

  Eddie still wasn’t smiling. “Just seems kind of strange is all.”

  Andy took another breath. “We’re getting married,” she blurted. She’d meant to work her way up to her announcement. But all of a sudden she wanted it out in the
open.

  Eddie and Lorraine both stared at her blankly. Eddie’s hand gathered into a fist next to his dinner plate.

  “Well, that’s…wonderful.” Lorraine’s smile seemed a little strained. “When is this happening?”

  “We haven’t set a date yet. Soon.” Andy twirled a couple of strands of spaghetti on her fork. She’d lost all her appetite, but eating gave her something to do.

  “You told Lew about this yet?” Eddie’s mouth was a thin line.

  Andy felt a quick burst of irritation. “Why would I tell Lew anything about my getting married? We’re divorced. He doesn’t have any say in this.”

  “He’s going to be here for the Fourth,” Eddie said darkly. “Be a good thing if you told him before he got here.”

  Andy placed her fork carefully on her plate. No point in damaging her grandma’s good china. “I guess you didn’t hear me, Eddie,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m not telling Lew anything. We’re divorced.”

  “Goddamn it, you owe him an explanation.” Eddie slammed his napkin onto the table.

  Lorraine glared at him. “Eddie Wells. That’s no way to talk, and you know it.”

  Eddie’s ears turned bright pink as he glared back. “Well, she does, Lorraine. She owes the man that much.”

  “I don’t owe Lew Burke the time of day,” Andy snapped. “So what is this really about, Eddie? You’ve been a snot about Chico since I started seeing him. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were prejudiced against him because he’s Latino. Is that it?”

  Lorraine’s disapproving stare turned in her direction. “Eddie’s not like that, Andy. He wouldn’t…”

  Eddie’s whole face was pink now. “He’s a bouncer, for Christ’s sake,” he shouted. “You’re going from a successful businessman to a bouncer. How is that a step up?”

  Andy clasped her hands in her lap, trying to get her temper back under control. She could tell them Chico was a lot more than a bouncer, but that seemed like saying Eddie was right to think he was one step up from being a derelict. She blew out a long breath. And besides, what Chico did for a living was none of their business. “I love Chico. I’m going to marry him. I’m not asking your approval, I’m giving you information. And part of that information is that you don’t know him at all. He’s coming here tonight to meet you, to give you a chance to get to know each other better. I expect you to treat him politely. If you do or say anything unpleasant, I’ll ask you to leave. Is that clear?”