best feeling in the world bullying a bully. He looked stunned when I popped him right back, straight on the nose, on the same spot he’d just clobbered me. I don’t care if it hurts to laugh, you should have seen him scurrying away. I doubt he’ll be taking any more swings at me.”
“So you’re all right,” I said as I filled a plastic freezer bag with ice and handed it to him.
“Never better, if you want to know the truth.” He traded the bag for the washcloth—which I directed him to drop into the hamper for soiled garments—and gingerly applied the ice to the bridge of his nose.
“What’s this going to do to your settlement negotiations?” Maddy asked.
“Who cares? I don’t need the money any worse than he does, and I’ll be dipped in asphalt if I’m going to be the first one to cave in. I’ve done it in the past, but that doesn’t mean I ever have to do it again.”
“What started the fight?” I asked.
“Guess. My dear brother demanded yet again that I give him three-quarters of the estate and quit stalling, or he said he’d whip my tail. When I said no, he hit me. That’s when I hit him back. It was a two-punch fight, but at least this time I had one of the swings. That feels better,” he said as he shifted the ice on the bridge of his nose.
I studied him carefully and then said, “Don’t be surprised if you get a pair of black eyes out of it.”
“Totally worth it,” he said. “Do you mind if I use your office? I’d like to sit down so I can get a better grip on this ice bag.”
“Sure, just try not to bleed on anything. I’d hate to get a health code violation for it.”
“Got it,” he said, his words a little softened by the effect of the blow to his nose. “I’ll be fine to work this evening. I just want to rest a little.”
“The rest is a good idea,” I said, “but you need to take tonight off. We’ve got it covered, now that Josh is back at work.”
“I’m not so sure he’ll be staying,” Greg said.
“What do you mean?”
“His dad wasn’t all that pleased with him when I saw him,” Greg said. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a little time to rest up.”
I peeked through the door and saw that Kevin was gone, while his son was busy cleaning all of the tables, though they’d been spotless when we’d left them an hour ago.
“Where’s your dad?” I asked as I walked out to join Josh.
“He had to go,” Josh said. “Sorry I was late,” he added. “I lost track of time.”
“No problem. Is everything okay?”
He shrugged. “As good as they’re ever going to be. I don’t want to talk about it, if that’s okay with you.”
“Trust me, it’s fine,” I said.
I started back toward the kitchen when Josh asked me, “Is Greg all right?”
“You know what? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy.”
Josh stared hard at me. “He got socked in the nose—you know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t think that’s why he’s so happy,” I said. “But if you want to know what’s going on with him, you’re going to have to ask him yourself.”
Josh dropped his rag on the table he’d been cleaning and headed back to the kitchen. I hadn’t meant for him to ask immediately, but everything was set out front, so we were ready to reopen for our dinner customers.
I grabbed the rag and then flipped the sign to OPEN just as Greg walked out of the kitchen area.
“If you don’t need me, I think I’ll take off,” he said. The ice pack was gone, and his nose had stopped bleeding.
“That’s not a bad idea. You might want to take some Excedrin when you get back to your place.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” he said. “Maddy already fixed me up with some.”
“Would you like one of us to drive you home?”
He shook his head, and I saw him wince from the motion. Clearly, the elation he’d felt at fighting back had been replaced by the reality of a hard punch in the snout. “I’m good,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”
“If
“So you’re all right,” I said as I filled a plastic freezer bag with ice and handed it to him.
“Never better, if you want to know the truth.” He traded the bag for the washcloth—which I directed him to drop into the hamper for soiled garments—and gingerly applied the ice to the bridge of his nose.
“What’s this going to do to your settlement negotiations?” Maddy asked.
“Who cares? I don’t need the money any worse than he does, and I’ll be dipped in asphalt if I’m going to be the first one to cave in. I’ve done it in the past, but that doesn’t mean I ever have to do it again.”
“What started the fight?” I asked.
“Guess. My dear brother demanded yet again that I give him three-quarters of the estate and quit stalling, or he said he’d whip my tail. When I said no, he hit me. That’s when I hit him back. It was a two-punch fight, but at least this time I had one of the swings. That feels better,” he said as he shifted the ice on the bridge of his nose.
I studied him carefully and then said, “Don’t be surprised if you get a pair of black eyes out of it.”
“Totally worth it,” he said. “Do you mind if I use your office? I’d like to sit down so I can get a better grip on this ice bag.”
“Sure, just try not to bleed on anything. I’d hate to get a health code violation for it.”
“Got it,” he said, his words a little softened by the effect of the blow to his nose. “I’ll be fine to work this evening. I just want to rest a little.”
“The rest is a good idea,” I said, “but you need to take tonight off. We’ve got it covered, now that Josh is back at work.”
“I’m not so sure he’ll be staying,” Greg said.
“What do you mean?”
“His dad wasn’t all that pleased with him when I saw him,” Greg said. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a little time to rest up.”
I peeked through the door and saw that Kevin was gone, while his son was busy cleaning all of the tables, though they’d been spotless when we’d left them an hour ago.
“Where’s your dad?” I asked as I walked out to join Josh.
“He had to go,” Josh said. “Sorry I was late,” he added. “I lost track of time.”
“No problem. Is everything okay?”
He shrugged. “As good as they’re ever going to be. I don’t want to talk about it, if that’s okay with you.”
“Trust me, it’s fine,” I said.
I started back toward the kitchen when Josh asked me, “Is Greg all right?”
“You know what? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy.”
Josh stared hard at me. “He got socked in the nose—you know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t think that’s why he’s so happy,” I said. “But if you want to know what’s going on with him, you’re going to have to ask him yourself.”
Josh dropped his rag on the table he’d been cleaning and headed back to the kitchen. I hadn’t meant for him to ask immediately, but everything was set out front, so we were ready to reopen for our dinner customers.
I grabbed the rag and then flipped the sign to OPEN just as Greg walked out of the kitchen area.
“If you don’t need me, I think I’ll take off,” he said. The ice pack was gone, and his nose had stopped bleeding.
“That’s not a bad idea. You might want to take some Excedrin when you get back to your place.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” he said. “Maddy already fixed me up with some.”
“Would you like one of us to drive you home?”
He shook his head, and I saw him wince from the motion. Clearly, the elation he’d felt at fighting back had been replaced by the reality of a hard punch in the snout. “I’m good,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”
“If
Similar Books
