Page 22 of Night Hawk
Peggy ran her gaze over Toni. “Toni is obviously not one of the guys.”
“Tea would be nice.” Toni settled onto the soft cushion. She’d never had chamomile tea in her life but had heard it helped with sleep, and she could use help to still her mind tonight.
“Get her a cup, would you, son?” Peggy flicked her hand in the air as if swatting at a mosquito but didn’t take her gaze off Toni. “We heard a lot about you and your father from Clay. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Toni said, realizing this was the second time someone had mentioned Clay talking about her.
She watched him go to his very contemporary kitchen and lift down a mug for her tea. How much had he told his family about her? And why had he even mentioned her? Did he share all of his investigations, or was she an exception?
Interestingly, she wanted to be the exception. To be important enough to him to share with the people closest to him.
“He was torn up for months.” Peggy dropped onto the plush sofa next to Toni. “Never seen him so upset.”
“Mom.” Clay poured tea from a contemporary gray teapot into the mug.
Why did he even have a teapot when his dad claimed they didn’t like it? Perhaps his mother brought it with her, or maybe he kept one just for her. From what Toni was learning about his love for his family, she could see him going out of his way to have a pot for his mother to use when she visited.
“Erik mentioned you ran into a snake,” Peggy said. “And that you had a bad experience with one as a child.”
“That’s personal, Mom.” Clay handed Toni a mug of steaming tea and eyed his mother as he rested on the arm of a leather chair.
Toni cupped the hot mug in her chilled hands and smiled at the older woman who Toni already liked. Sure she was a bit nosey, but she seemed free to express her emotions, and Toni could feel the woman’s legitimate concern. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago, and I didn’t know until tonight that it still had a hold on me.”
She recounted the incident, not surprised when her voice started to waver. She took a sip of the tea, liking the apple flavor with a hint of honey sweetness. “This is good.”
A wide smile danced across Peggy’s face, and Toni saw Sierra in the smile.
“A girl after my own heart.” Peggy leaned closer. “You can’t imagine what it’s like to be surrounded by so many guys for your entire life. Poor Sierra has taken the brunt of my need for girl talk. But now I have Harper and Jenna. True, they’re not yet officially members of the family yet, but Aiden and Harper have finally set the date. May fifteenth. She’s an Olympic skier, so they have to work around her competition and training schedule.”
“Congratulations. That must be so exciting for you.” Toni tried to sound cheerful when she’d never been one to get excited about weddings. Could be because she never had a mother to talk to about them and didn’t have many girlfriends. And no way her dad would have a conversation about such a girly thing, plus her grandmothers were both gone, as was her one aunt.
Peggy nodded enthusiastically. “Brendan and Jenna are getting married in March, and Brendan has already petitioned to adopt Karlie. She’s Jenna’s four-year-old daughter. Jenna’s husband died.”
“Now, Peg,” Russ said. “Toni doesn’t need to hear the entire family genealogy in one sitting. She’s had a long day.”
“And here I was planning to talk about Sierra’s baby next.” Peggy grinned at her husband.
Toni honestly liked hearing about the family. It took her mind off her own situation. Plus, she loved learning more about Clay and how he’d grown up. From seeing his parents, she understood why he was such a well-adjusted guy.
“In fact.” Russ stood. “Now that you know Clay is fine, we should be getting out of their hair.”
She looked up at her husband. “But I’ve barely had a chance to talk to Toni.”
“I’m sure you’ll see her again.” He took Peggy’s hand and lifted her to her feet.
She glanced between Clay and Toni, mining for information, but Toni had no idea what she was searching for. Her gaze fixed on Clay. “Don’t miss Sunday dinner, and please bring Toni.”
“We’ll be staying at the beach house. It’s closer to tonight’s crime scene. And before you say anything, all the guys will be staying with us. That is, if it’s okay with you that we use the place.”
“Of course it is,” Russ said. “I always love being there in the winter. Like the beach a whole lot more when it’s raining and the wind is blowing the waves in.”
“But you’ll all come back for dinner.” Peggy issued the statement in a tone Toni wouldn’t dare to argue with. Peggy kissed him on the cheek and drew him close for a hug. “Be careful. And keep Toni safe.”
“Always.” He pulled back.
Peggy came over to Toni and squeezed her shoulder. Oddly, Toni wished for a hug of her own, even though she wasn’t much of a hugger.
“I’m so glad to have met you.” Peggy gave Toni another one of what seemed to be her very frequent smiles. “Please let me know if there’s anything you might want for dinner on Sunday, and I’ll be glad to make it for you.”
