The Inn at Dead Man's Point Read Free Page A

you’re going to live with an old lady and a little kid?” He grinned. “On the other hand, the kid’s mother isn’t bad looking.”
    “If that hot shot sometimes boyfriend of hers moves in, I’m throwing them all out. I never could stand Brian Baxter. Thinks he’s hot stuff because his parents are rich.”
    Blade laughed so hard he almost fell off the roof. Sometimes Al forgot that Blade had inherited millions. The guy still drove his Harley, changed the oil in his cars, and helped out on family projects like this one. And he changed diapers. He may be rich, but he didn’t act rich. Neither did Nick, who was married to Cara Andrews, one of the richest women in the world. He changed diapers, too.
    Al was the youngest and the only one of his siblings who was still single. All the others had at least two kids, including Angelo, with his six-week-old twins. Nick and Cara had three kids now, and Blade had six, including the four Maria had by her first husband. Seventeen kids in the family, and Ma was pushing him to get married and give her more grandbabies. Her lap wasn’t big enough to hold the ones she had.
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    Brian dropped the box on the floor. “He’s a what ?”
    “An architect,” said Jenna. “He designs houses for Max and Company .”
    “He’s related to Nick Donatelli?”
    “Apparently.”
    “Damn! I thought he was just another dumb wop.”
    Jenna crossed her arms and stared at Brian. “How does being related to someone make him smart or stupid?” When Brian didn’t answer, she went on. “Are you smart because your parents have money? Or stupid because you mooch off them instead of doing something productive with your life?”
    “Who cares? I’m moving in with you.”
    “No, you’re not.”
    “I’m going home to pack.”
    “Leave my boxes before you go running off, and don’t think you can move into the inn, because you can’t.” Nobody wanted him here, including Jenna.
    Katie tugged at her father’s slacks. “Daddy, look at the kitty cat.”
    “Yeah, she’s cute,” he said without looking. “My old man has been trying to arrange a meeting with Nick, but the guy never returns his calls.”
    “Imagine that,” Jenna said to herself. Bruce Baxter was a big blowhard with a pot belly who smoked green cigars and spent his days talking to his stock broker and playing golf. She avoided him whenever possible. Louise Baxter was a tiny woman with a big mouth. No one could get a word in unless they shouted over top of her, so the noise level in their house was unbelievable.
    Brian snapped his fingers. “I know what I’ll do. I’ll go get a case of cold beer. Be right back.”
    “Unload my boxes first.”
    “Yeah, sure.” He ran outside, tossed the boxes out of his SUV, and took off.
    The men climbed off the roof and cleaned up the mess around the front of the inn, tossing the debris into the backs of two pickups. By the time Brian returned, they were back at work on the roof.
    Brian pulled up and called, “Hey, guys, I brought some cold beer.”
    “No, thanks.” Al came down off the roof and passed a roll of black roofing felt up to the porch roof. “Better get those boxes inside. It’s supposed to rain tonight.”
    Brian brought the beer inside and filled the refrigerator with it. He left Jenna’s boxes sitting in the dirt, so she started carrying them in herself. Apparently, beer was more important to Brian than his daughter’s clothes and toys.
    By two, Jenna had her boxes stacked inside the front door and a room upstairs cleaned for Katie to sleep in. She put her down for a nap. Katie didn’t always sleep at naptime, but if she didn’t rest, she was fussy by dinnertime.
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    On the roof, tempers flared. What had started out to be a pleasant family work party had turned into drudgery, because Brian was nagging at Nick to have dinner with him and his parents. They wanted Cara there, too, of course. She was the one with the money.
    “I said no,” said Nick, but that