“Me too. That’s why I’m selling it.”
“Cole, are you sure?” I don’t understandmuch about his business, but I know that a shipping business is important.
“Yes, it’s time to put this businessbehind us.”
“But…” I trail off. I know him, and hewouldn’t let anyone get the best of him on anything. That’s when it hits me:there is finally something in Cole’s life he’s afraid of losing that he’ll doanything to protect. A weak link in his once unbreakable chain… me.
“The threats you’ve been getting; theyaren’t against you, are they?”
Cole glances briefly at me and then backat the road. His jaw tenses, and he wrings his hands around the steering wheel,turning his knuckles white.
“They are more against me than anythingever could be.” His voice is low, and hoarse.
“Oh.” I’m right, Mezzo, or whoever isbehind this is directing the threats at me. My stomach does a somersault,turning into knots. I wonder what kind of threats they are. I take a deepbreath, stuffing the feeling deep down and locking it up. If I don’t thinkabout it, I can’t worry about it. Before I can ask him exactly what he means bythat, my phone rings.
“Who is it?” Cole asks.
“My mom. I’ll talk to her later.”
“It’s okay, you can take it.” Way to getoff telling me what’s really going on, Mr. Hot Ferrari.
“Hey Mom.”
“Oh good, you answered. We have a problemwith the wedding. The preacher from my church, Pastor Rodney, he can’tofficiate the wedding next weekend. One of the church board members died, andhe’s officiating his funeral. Apparently,heis more important. Whatdoes it matter? He’s dead?”
“A week and a half seems an awfully longtime to wait to have a funeral.”
“That’s just it. The funeral is tomorrow,but he’s being buried somewhere in Washington the next weekend and they wantthe Pastor there for the graveside service.”
“Oh, well…we can find someone else. Wecould ask a friend to officiate since it’s a ring ceremony.”
“No!” she shouts into the phone. “I wantthis to be authentic.”
“What’s wrong?” Cole gives me a curiouslook.
“Her Pastor can’t perform the ringceremony.”
“Let me talk to her.”
I give him a funny look.
“Just give me the phone, baby.”
“Hey mom, Cole wants to talk to you.”Before I hear what my mother says, Cole takes the phone from me.
“Luann, what seems to be the problem?”
Oh jeez, Cole’s laying on the charm.
“Let me take care of it…I have theperfect person…no he’s legit…not a problem…no worries…you take care.” He winksat me, handing back my phone.
“You’re going to take care of thepreacher?”
“Yeah, I know a guy.”
“You know a preacher?”
“Cookie.”
