3 A Brewski for the Old Man Read Online Free PDF

all that poop and stuff.”
    “What did they get so bent out of shape about?” Marley asked. Her face held a look of utter amazement. “I got it all cleaned up.”
    “And I may be wrong, seeing how religion and I are barely on a first-name basis, but a Baptist minister would probably frown on his future wife telling the ladies at bible class last week that it was like trying to herd cats, getting them to do anything.”
    Marley stopped smiling and sat up. “Who told you that? Was it David?”
    “Lauren Sales. She was the only one who thought it was funny.”
    “Well, those women just wanted to drink coffee and gossip. There was work to be done.”
    “Maybe you should take a course in people management.”
    “If I do, I know who’s going with me,” she said, wagging a finger at me. “I heard you and Miguel going at it last week.”
    “He can’t fire a supplier, that’s my job. He just takes on too much.”
    “You two have been friends for a long time, haven’t you?”
    said Lacey. “Does it show?”
    “Yes.” The frown was back. “I’ve never had that kind of friend.”
    “Lucky you,” Marley told her. “Who needs a friend who tells you you’re bossy?”
    “Well, you are. She is!” I said to Lacey. “But if Marley was running for president I’d go out and vote for the first time in my life. She’s right more times than she’s wrong and her heart encompasses the whole world. Oh, don’t let it go to your head, Hemming, you’re still the bossiest person on the planet.”
    The phone rang and I reached over and picked it up, saying, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun Boarding House.” I sat up. “Hi, Rena.” The laughter drained from Lacey’s face.
    I got to my feet and left the room, closing the door behind me.

C H A P T E R 7
    Rena was saying, “Ray John just called. I’m sorry but he doesn’t want Lacey staying with you. It’s nothing against you, Sherri; it’s just that she needs her routine. He’s afraid her schoolwork will suffer and…” She searched for words. I could guess just how upset Ray John would be at having his plaything removed, and from what Lacey had told me whatever he wanted, he pretty well got. Rena was desperately in love with him and would do anything to keep him.
    “It’s all right with me,” Rena told me, “but he really wants us to be together. As a family.”
    “Look, it’s late, leave Lacey here for tonight and we’ll talk about it tomorrow when she’s in school. One night can’t hurt, can it?”
    “No,” she hesitated and then said, “no,” again, sounding relieved. “I’m sure he won’t mind that. He won’t be home until after seven tomorrow morning and Lacey leaves for school at seven-thirty. He’d hardly see her. That will be fine.”
    Her words gave me a sick feeling. Just how far was she willing to go to keep this man? How much was she willing to give up for love?
    Clay called at six-thirty in the morning. I groaned hello. “You okay?” Clay asked.
    “Sure. You?”
    “Almost. I never knew how much Kevin drank. Now I know why there were ten bottles of vodka in his locker. Was he always this way or is it because Ann left him? Last night he didn’t come back to the boat. Graham went looking for him about one and dragged him back. He was on one of the other boats, dead drunk and in the bed of a Scandinavian blonde.” I grunted in response, not caring a whole lot about Kevin’s sex life.
    “We finally got permission to sail and he’s in the bag. Anyway, we’ve already sailed.”
    “Rah, rah,” I said and dropped the phone onto the cradle, sympathizing with Kevin and wishing I hadn’t finished the second bottle of wine Marley had opened.
    Mornings are definitely not my time of day but I was a responsible adult now so I stumbled through a shower and out to the kitchen. I opened the polished aluminum sliding doors hiding the toaster and knocked over the orange juice. Then I poured water all over the counter trying to fill the water