Page 54 of Hollywood

Couldn’t really blame my dad for being disappointed in those results.

The hot water ran cold. I got out and dressed in a pair of black sweats and a threadbare gray T-shirt. I wondered how Hollywood was doing with Ruby this evening? I’d call and check in after dinner.

The simmering smells of beef, tomato, and chili spices made my mouth water before I reached the dining room. Chastity and the kids sat with bowls in front of them. Even her four-year-old, Lanie, was downing what I knew to be well-spiced chili. My sister was still a Texan at heart, and she cooked like one.

“Smells great, Chas.”

“Of course it does. I made it.” She waved toward the kitchen. “Help yourself. There’s plenty.”

“Thanks.”

I went to the cupboard and pulled down a bowl, and my sister followed me in. “Can you believe Dylan alreadydowned a bowl and wants another? Kid is going to eat me out of house and home.”

“Just wait until he’s fifteen,” I said. “I became a black hole of hunger.”

“I remember,” she said. “I could never have any snacks because you’d always eaten them all! It was so annoying.”

I picked up the ladle left in the pot and filled my bowl with Texas chili. My sister had done it up right with beef chuck cut into cubes, ancho chilis, serrano peppers, and not a single bean in sight. Hell yeah.

Chastity held out the bowl in her hands and I refilled it, too.

She turned to go, but hesitated. “You and Dad were sitting in the driveway for a while.”

“You noticed that, huh?”

“Yeah. I opened the door. I was going to give you a hard time, but your conversation looked pretty intense.”

My muscles tightened, and I stared down at my chili to avoid her eyes. “Yeah.”

Dad wasn’t the only one I’d be letting down by moving to Riverton. I hadn’t really thought about Chastity and the kids. I should have, though.

“Hold that thought,” she said. “Stay put. I want to talk, but I don’t think the kids need to hear.”

She took the full bowl of chili back to the dining room. When she returned, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out two cans of Blue Moon, the fruity beer she liked.

She set one on the counter by me and popped open the second. “Okay, talk.”

I shook my head. “There’s not much to say.”

I filled my mouth with chili, and hot damn, the spices lit up my tongue. I hummed in appreciation and shoveled another bite in. The fact that it delayed this conversation waseven better. I set my bowl down and opened the beer, chugging down half of it.

“Okay, enough stalling,” Chastity said. “Let’s hear it.”

Damn. I shoveled in one more bite before I could no longer avoid the topic at hand.

“I decided to go back to Redemption Road,” I mumbled.

“Good! You never should have left.”

That caught me off guard. “But you needed me here.”

“No.” She frowned. “I’m a grown woman, and I made my mess. It wasn’t your job to clean it up.”

I swallowed hard. “I thought I helped.”

“You did!” She stepped forward, squeezing my arm. “Obviously, you did. Luke backed way off. I still don’t know what you did to scare him away. I should probably ask, but I’m a little afraid…”

“Nothing illegal.”