Page 57 of Porter's Angel
She grimaced. “Yeah, I met him.” Every family had a black sheep.
Cole had grown unnaturally still beside her. “You have, huh?” He didn’t sound like a fan.
She tried to change the subject. Liv had mentioned another name. “Where’s Nash?”
“He’s uh… uh… with West.”
“Nash is in Nashville too?” she asked Porter, but his eyes were on Cole. He arched a brow at his brother.
Cole stepped back and quickly excused himself. “Oh, I need to, uh… it was nice to meet you, Angel. I’ve got to go… ambush someone.”
Wow. They really took this water fight seriously. She found herself chuckling as he rushed off. He’d definitely used the excuse not to talk about Nash around Liv. Cadence had found her ex, for sure.
Before she could ask Porter any more questions, a scream sounded somewhere at the back of the parade. She noticed a firetruck making its way toward them. A waterfall descended from the hose over the crowd. A group ran into the street to cool down from the punishing temperatures by hopping under the glistening shower.
Cadence finally understood the magnitude of this fight. The whole town was about to get into it. No way would they be able to do this in the middle of a drought, though she supposed it was possible that they’d borrowed their water heavily from the Southern Run River. Mostly teenagers ran out into the direct line of the fire hose, though a few adults decided to venture under the spray as well, taking the hands of their children. They danced and laughed under the sparkling water, as easily as dancing out in the rain… under one raincloud.
Cadence was charmed.
Kiddie pools rested in the back of pickups to the side of them. They were full of water. Across the street, tarps were getting pulled off of water balloons and other hidden water stashes.
Slades and friends were in for it now.
Porter was outmanned.
Or was he? Cole came up behind one of the men who guarded his water balloon supplies. He carried a bucket of water and dumped it all over his writhing foe. “Cole!” the man shouted out with a laugh, but was too late to catch Cole as he dashed away.
To the side of them, a man who looked like the spitting image of Cole pulled out a hose. That must be the oldest Slade brother. Lily had been very proud of him. He’d be the one who’d just been married in January. Lily had fond hopes of him bringing her another grandchild. A beautiful redhead laughed giddily beside him, and Cadence realized she’d seen those two at church, too. They worked together like Bonnie and Clyde and had somehow hijacked the city’s water supply. In the next instant, they were spraying the men standing guard next to their kiddy pools.
“Take that, Walter! Mike!” the redhead called out.
Mike and Walter, as they were called, dove forward, not doing bad for themselves with their water cannons, but they didn’t stand a chance against a hose.
And of course, everyone had to have their revenge. Funches faced off the young married couple with a super soaker. “Pumpkin patches!” He shouted it out like a war cry. It brought out an army. Children appeared in the trees, chucking down water balloons at the hapless fighters below.
Porter laughed beside Cadence.
Liv unzipped a backpack of water balloon swollen to the size of hefty grenades for her youngest boys, handing off a water cannon to Charlie. Grey marched through the crowd in his ugly rabbit costume, looking like a furry demon belonging to a Pokémon game. Everyone let him through. Sky had joined him and they were pelting anyone standing in their way with balloons that looked like Easter eggs. And then Grey sliced forward with the stealth of the Navy SEAL that he was and tugged down a tailgate. The water held in place there by a tarp spilled out in a wave on whoever had the misfortune to be standing there. That happened to be a tough-looking man with his arms crossed. The spilled water turned his dark glowers into shocked rage. Judging by the badge, he could very well be law enforcement.
“Ooh, they got Morningstar!” Porter said with a wince. “We’d better get out of here before he tries to arrest me again. Poor Grey. He’s a goner.” He snickered when Morningstar made a beeline for his former brother-in-law. “Those two had it out for each other in high school.”
And now it looked like Morningstar had plenty of reason to continue that rivalry.
What a way to be introduced to Porter’s family. Screams followed their movements. Poor Lily was probably at the picnic tables near the barbecue trying to repair all the damage that her children were wreaking on the neighbors with her mouthwatering desserts.
A death cry, half laugh came from behind them in the direction that Cole had run. Porter turned to Cadence. “That would be the pastor,” he explained. Porter grabbed her hand. “Quick. Jump into the stream of water from the firetruck. No one can get their revenge on us if we’re already wet.”
Solid plan!
Ridiculous plan!
But there was some logic to his madness. Glancing down at her new clothes, she decided that they were perfect for this. Porter had thought of every detail, hadn’t he? Squeezing his hand, she ran for the cascade of water coming at them, laughing as the firemen cheerfully soaked her.
The neighbors danced and ran past her through the water like they stood in the mosh pit at a rock concert.
She’d never thought it was possible to have this kind of fun in a small town.
Chapter Nineteen