The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series) Read Free Page B

definitely Mommy.
    The little one came through the door with two of Blade’s best towels. “Uh-oh,” he muttered, tossing the towels at Blade.
    “We’re busted,” said Andy.
    “You sure are,” the woman said. She pushed her sleeves up and moved closer, and Blade’s thoughts weren’t on Daisy or the towels by his feet. They were on Mommy. She looked and smelled clean, and he was covered in motor oil and sweat. He smelled worse than the dog.
    Daisy burst out of the tub in an escape attempt. Blade snagged her out of mid-air, getting his shirt soaked in the process. “Hey, you’re still wearing my soap, and I have a sink full of dirty dishes in there.”
    “Do you want us to bring the dirty dishes out here?” asked Andy.
    Blade burst out laughing. “I don’t think so, kid.”
    The woman took charge of the dog. She tossed a towel over her shoulder and reached in the tub. “It’s all right, Daisy. She’s shaking. You scared her.”
    “She should be scared. She knocked over my bike and spilled oil all over the damn driveway.”
    “Don’t swear around my kids.”
    Blade looked down into two sets of trusting brown eyes. “Sorry, guys.”
    “Grandma makes us put a quarter in the jar when we say a bad word,” said Jimmy.
    “Tell Grandma I’ll be down with my money after I get cleaned up. Okay?”
    “Okay,” the two kids said in unison, and Jimmy promptly disappeared.
    Still holding the dog down, Blade turned to the woman. “Where do you live?”
    She didn’t answer.
    “At the end of the street,” said Andy.
    It took halfway to forever to get the oil and soap out of that little dog. They changed the water three times. By the time he and the woman finished, they were on a first-name basis, the kids had gone home, and the dog shivered. Poor Daisy. One bath was bad enough, but two in one day had to be downright insulting.
    Maria wrapped the dog in a towel and sopped up some of the water. Blade wrapped the dry towel around the dog and took her from Maria. “Come on, Daisy. Let’s go find the hair dryer.”
    “I can take her home and—”
    “No problem.”
    “She doesn’t like—”
    “Tough. I’m not sending her home wet.”
    Blade set the dog on the bathroom countertop and turned on the hair dryer. Maria stood in the bathroom door, watching. “One more bath today and she’ll turn as white as the cat down the street.”
    “That white cat got her into this mess.” Blade shook his finger at the dog. “No more chasing cats.” She put her paws on his chest and slurped his face. He wiped his face on the damp towel. “Dog kisses. Not my favorite kind.” Blade glanced at Maria. “Now if you want to—”
    “I don’t kiss any men who aren’t named Donatelli.”
    Someone tapped on the door and Maria went to answer. Blade followed her with a clean, nearly dry dog. A boy bigger than the first two and wearing glasses stood at the door. “Grandma said to invite the man to dinner.”
    Blade’s eyebrows shot up. “Is he yours, too?”
    “Yes. This is Robbie.”
    He wanted to ask Maria if she was a glutton for punishment for having three kids, but he kept his mouth closed. He hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in so long his mouth already watered.
    Maria took Daisy from Blade’s arms. “Six o’clock. I hope you like Italian.”
    “Love it.”
    “Thanks for helping with Daisy. The oil would have ruined my mother’s carpets.”
    “No problem. I’ll see you at six.”
    He watched Maria walk down the street with Daisy in her arms. She kept a firm hold on the little mutt, and she looked as good from behind as she did from the front.
    A roll of paper towels mopped up most of the spilled oil on the driveway. Some had soaked into the blacktop. The landlord wouldn’t be happy about this. Blade took the rest of the dishwashing soap and dumped it on the oily spots. The dishes could wait until next month. After he rolled his Harley into the garage and pulled the door down, he hosed down the oil. The