Page 127 of Havoc's Fox

Emmalyn stared him down.

“You ready to have that conversation yet?” Barron asked as he chewed.

“Nothing to converse about,” she said flatly.

Analise handed Barron his coffee, then topped off her own and Havoc’s. “You want more chocolate milk?” she asked Emmalyn.

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll get it for you. In the meantime, you could try to be nice.”

“I am always nice,” Emmalyn said. “People just don’t like it when I tell the truth.”

“Saying there’s nothing to talk about is not the truth,” Barron said as he quickly finished off all three of his chosen pastries and donuts.

Harley wandered over and peeked into the donut box.

“What are you looking for, little girl?” Barron asked.

“I don’t want a whole one, but I want some more,” Harley said.

“You want to split one?” Barron asked.

“Can we?”

“We can. Pick whatever you want and we’ll break it in half,” Barron said as Harley climbed up in his lap.

Harley chose a blueberry donut and Barron broke it in half for them as she sat comfortably on his lap enjoying her half.

“What do you have there?” he asked, lifting his chin in the direction of the color and fabric samples.

“If you must know, I’m helping plan their wedding,” Emmalyn said.

“At 6:30 in the morning,” Havoc said.

“It’s 7:00 now,” both Barron and Emmalyn said at the same time, before glaring at each other for having the same thought.

Analise and Havoc chuckled.

“And talking about building her house. She’s ready to move home, I think,” Havoc said.

“Really?” Barron asked. “Had enough of the excitement of the city. Never thought you’d move home to the humdrum boredom of living in the sticks.”

“Just because some of the city is exciting, doesn’t mean it’s all good. Besides, I’m missing home. I miss that feeling that comes from being surrounded by familiarity, and family. And don’t go thinking you know what I want,” Emmalyn said.

“Emmalyn, I don’t think you know what you want,” Barron said.

Harley, sitting on Barron’s lap, kept Emmalyn from hurling a few choice insults at Barron, and from the grin on his face, he knew it. So instead, she refocused on the wedding. “What about the cake?” she asked tightly.

“Coconut flavored white cake with pineapple layers,” Analise said without hesitation.

“Lord, yes!” Havoc agreed. “And I think we need a couple between now and then to test them out.”

“Making notes,” Emmalyn said. “Bridesmaid dresses?”

“I guess the blues. In the same shades as the hydrangeas — light to periwinkle and then to a medium shade.”

“I want the lighter of the shades that you pick for mine, if that’s okay. My date is wearing a navy blue suit, so it’ll compliment well.”