Page 39 of Tav
“Those are mommy’s happy noises! That’s the sound she was making last night when Tav was giving her a back rub,” Cove loudly announces to everyone before chewing on another mouthful of pancake, oblivious to the fact that her mother is choking on her pancakes and I’ve spat my coffee all over the table in front of me.
“Is that right, brother?” Marx’s voice says before his laughter rumbles out of him.
“Yeah, I, ah, had a bit of a sore back,” Pixie says with a blush rising on her cheeks. I wrap my arm around her and pull her intomy side, kissing her on the temple as she tries to hide her face, before she gets over it and remembers she’s my Pixie, sitting bolt upright and flipping everyone the bird.
The door swings open, bouncing off the wall. All our heads snap toward the doorway, alert and ready for anything. Until Pops comes wandering through the door chatting to … Officer Martin. What the fuck?
“As you can see,Officer, it’s time for breakfast. Is there anything I can get you? Pancakes, waffles,” Pops lowers his voice, “A bullet?”
“A what now?” Officer Dickwad’s head snaps towards Pops who is smiling maniacally at him.
“A coffee, officer. What did you think I said?” Pops answers, looking about as innocent as Dayz when she does that stare-y eyed thing.
“Yes, fine. Coffee would be great.” His beady eyes look around the room as if noticing us all for the first time. He’s full of confidence and I have no clue what the hell Pops is playing at.
“Marx, I’m sure you don’t mind that I invited Officer Martin in for breakfast. With the weather getting colder I thought I would give him a nice reprieve from sitting in his car watching us,” Pops says with a smirk on his face, “You know, this could be a great time for us to get to know each other.”
Marx raises a brow at Pops and then must buy into Pops’s nutso plan because he nods his head. “Well, DRMC, let’s welcome Officer Martin to breakfast.”
Pixie whispers to Cove and Elio, who stand, taking their plates into the kitchen. Sage and Niko flank them and Jovie as they head in to Mama Debs.
“Take a seat, son! They ain’t gonna bite!” Pops chuckles, placing his hand on Officer Dickwad’s shoulder and shoving him into a seat at the table. He shuffles into the kitchen and gets busy making a coffee while the rest of us stare at our guest.
“Here you are, sir. I guessed how you’d take it.” Pops says on his way out of the kitchen, before plopping a coffee cup down next to Officer Dickwad, a little of it sloshing over the side.
Dickwad takes a sip, grimaces, and places it down, jerking slightly when his gaze raises and he’s met with my sister staring at him across the table.
“Hi.”
“You’re the security woman.”
“Maybe.”
He narrows his eyes for a moment, as if wondering whether or not he should double down. From the few interactions we’ve had with him, I know that he’s not going to let my sister have the last word or look cleverer than him.
“You’re Tuesday Tombs. Owner of Tombs Security, with your brothers, August, Jules, and Tav,”
Chewy smiles her most disarming smile. As a child, our mom worked hard using facial expression flashcards, books, and movies to help her learn how to interact with people socially. For the most part, Chewy is happy with how she is, but when she wants to, she masks her autism. I remember a time when Chewy started middle school and us boys being creeped out by her non-Chewy behavior. So much so that Mom had to sit us down and explain that the things that come naturally to us - interacting, reading non-verbal signs, fitting in - were things that Chewy had to learn by rote. It takes a lot out of her to mask all the time, which is why as she got older she just stopped trying to come across as “normal”. Although when she wants to, she can tap into her prior training and become the most charming person you’ll ever meet. Throw in the fact she’s small with the same tanned skin as the rest of us, giant whisky-colored eyes, and pretty, well, it means that chubby, balding pink men like Officer Martin will be eating out of her hand in no time. Well played Pops. Well played.
“Oh OK, you got me! Wow, you are fantastic at research,” she beams across the table at him, clapping her hands in front of her before leaning forward and resting her chin in her hand. “What else ya got?”
He takes another sip of his coffee before leaning back in his chair with a smug look on his face.
“I know your pops is a Vietnam vet, highly decorated.”
“Officer Martin, have you been looking into us?” Chewy says all flirty-like and then caps it off with a little giggle.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Fox and Nitro both mouthing “What the fuck?” to each other. A laugh bubbles up, so I bring Pixie’s hand to my lips, dropping a kiss on the soft skin to hide my smirk.
“I had to run background checks when all that business with your grandfather went down,” he answers, taking a long pull of his coffee and then placing it down on the table with a thump, Pops taking a keen interest in his movements.
“Oh, of course, Officer. I’m so glad we have men like you helping keep Rose Grove safe. I bet Sergeant Davies loves having you on the team,” she beams up at him, and I know the moment she sees his face darken slightly after the mention of Davies. It’s clear the sergeant is a thorn in this man’s side. “So, did you grow up around these parts? Is that why you take such an interest in keeping all the residents safe?
Chewy starts running her finger along the tabletop, veering close to where Officer Dickwad’s hand sits. She looks at him through her lashes and he leers back at her. Looking around the room, I can see my brothers are all dumbstruck by what’s happening in front of them. Not the least that Chewy is behaving like a club girl, all flirty and interested, but that Pops invited the cop that’s been watching us to breakfast.
Dickwad stares at my sister before his eyes drift down her body, stopping for far too long on her boobs. I mustn’t have beenthe only person who noticed because Rhodie lets out a growl over my shoulder. Chewy turns to look behind her, her friendly flirty smile dropping back to the usual impassive face we’re used to. She rolls her eyes before giving Rhodie a wink and plastering the smile back on her face, then turning back to Dickwad.
She tips her head to the side. “Officer Martin?”