“Yep. Let’s let them fight it out.”
“Ten bucks on Mom.”
“You,” Rena poked her cousin in the chest. “Teaching that innocent boy to bet. What is wrong with you?”
She heard Colin ask, “Who is she calling innocent, Dad?”
“I have no idea, Son.”
The door shut.
Del had the grace to wince. “So, ah, you heard about the pool?”
“Heardabout it? My stylists, my nonexistent boyfriend, and half of Seattle has apparently heard about it!”
“Don’t be such a drama queen.” Del tried to shrug her off, but Rena got right up in Del’s face. It wasn’t often they argued. Rarely, in fact. But when Rena got mad, she got Caroline Jackson crazy. “Um, I’m pregnant, you know.”
“Which is why I’m not killing you right now!”
When Rena poked her again, Del apologized. “Okay, I’m sorry. Who knew you’d be so testy? Come on, Cuz. You know the guys bet on everything from darts to how many times Johnny says ‘I love you’ every time he talks to Lara on the phone. It’s harmless.”
“Not to me.” Rena felt tears come to her eyes. “Axel bet on us.”
“No, he didn’t.”
Her eyes widened. “Don’t you dare lie to me, you blond bee-yatch.” As big an insult as Rena could come up with for her cousin.
Del cringed. “Okay, just stop. If you’re going to cuss me out, do it.Bee-yatchis so high school. And for the record, I never took a bet from Axel.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, I did not. I know for a fact because I have the board in my back seat.”
Rena pulled out the whiteboard before Del, in her unwieldy pregnant state, tried to bend over to do it. “See! Ha. There it is. Heller. He bet we’d…have sex and he’d ruin the relationship before Valentine’s Day.” Well, that didn’t sound promising. Heck, he should have bet he’d ruin things, minus the sex, for January 14th because she was dumping his ass today! Winner winner!
“Read the notes.” Del pointed at the board.
“What?”
“See the asterisk?” Del took the board out of Rena’s hand and flipped it over. “That’s a bet Mateo made. The Heller notation means it came from Heller Paint and Auto. Hence the Heller PA on the front.” She flipped the board again and pointed to the PA after Heller’s name. Del frowned. “Who told you Heller bet, anyway?”
Knowing he hadn’t bet on their relationship eased the disappointment and tension she’d been carrying since she’d found out. “I got an anonymous tip.”
“Seriously?” Del looked intrigued. She put a hand to her lower back. “Let’s go in and talk about this new mystery.”
Rena trudged next to her. “Sorry for blowing up at you.”
“Sorry the best thing you can think to call me is bee-yatch. Damn, girl. I taught you better than that.”
Rena flushed. “Ass.”
“There you go.”
They entered, ignoring the fact the front curtain swayed and Colin and Mike perched innocently on the couch, pretending to be engrossed in Mike’s phone.
“Gimme a break,” Del drawled. “You two aresonot fooling anyone.”
Colin scowled. “See, Dad? I told you to let me go back to my room as soon as they walked to the door.”
