Page 151 of It's About Time
I shake my head. “Nothing. But speaking of your future title of father-in-law, that’s part of the reason Dilynne and I wanted to meet with you today.”
He moves his eyes to Dilynne, watching her round the table and return to me on the side near the door, wrapping her arm around my waist as I pull her into me as well. “Is that so?”
“Yes, Henry,” Dilynne interjects. “We’ve finally landed on a wedding date like you asked.”
My dad perks up in his seat. “Well, that’s wonderful. Soon, I hope?”
“Oh, very soon,” I say just as I hear a knock on the conference room door. I release Dilynne and move toward it. “But before we tell you all of the details of our impending nuptials, there are a few more people we wanted to be in on the discussion.”
“I hope it’s your mother since you know she’s going to have opinions on the matter…” he says, trailing off when I open the door and the people standing there waiting to come in are anybody but my mother. “Greg?”
Greg Turner, my father’s friend and accomplice in this matter, walks into the room like a deer caught in the headlights. “Henry, what the hell is going on? Elliot said he needed to meet with me, but…”
“Don’t worry, Greg. All will be revealed in a moment,” I say. Greg steps further into the room so Kevin Watson, the new District Attorney of Mecklenburg County, can also enter. “Kevin! Great to see you.”
“Likewise, Elliot. Glad to help you out today.”
I reach out to shake his hand. “You have no idea how much I appreciate your help with this matter.”
My father clears his throat. “Kevin? You’re here to learn about Elliot’s wedding?”
Kevin turns to me, a smirk on his face. “Love this even more now.”
“Oh, just wait.” I turn back to the door as I watch the final person step through, Rhonan Hart, deputy sheriff himself. “Rhonan.”
He reaches out to shake my hand as well, and then shuts the door behind him. “Elliot. This ought to be fun, huh?”
Dilynne chuckles behind me. “The fun is just getting started.”
I focus my attention back on my father. “Now, Dad. I’m sure you’re wondering why I would invite Greg, the District Attorney, and a sheriff to the meeting about our wedding.”
He eyes me curiously. “That I am, son.”
“Well, before we get to the details, Dilynne and I wanted to share the cake design that we chose.”
Dilynne retrieves the box from Bites & Bliss bakery from the table behind me and carries it over to where my dad is sitting with Greg rightnext to him, setting the box in front of them. “Any time I can use Carolina’s baked goods to send a message, I’m going to do it.”
My father eyes her curiously. “What message?”
“Open the box, Dad.”
He glances over at Greg whose paranoia is seeping out of his pores. “Just open it, Henry.”
“Fine,” my dad mutters before lifting the lid and seeing the cake Dilynne had designed for just this moment. “What is this?”
“Those are handcuffs,” Dilynne answers.
He glares at her. “I’m fully aware of what they are.”
“Good. And what do they say?”
Greg leans over to read the writing along the metal cuff. “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”
“I thought maybe, ‘Don’t drop the soap if you still want to poop’ would have been better, but I didn’t want the implication to get lost,” Dilynne chimes in.
My father clenches his jaw. “What the fuck is going on here, Elliot?” He pushes his chair back as he stands. “I demand to know what you’re up to!”
“Be careful, Dad. Your demands don’t mean much to me anymore since your ability to tell the truth and earn my respect is completely gone.”
