Family Counsel (The Samuel Collins Series Book 2) by Debra Trueman Page A

guy
your name?”
    “No, I don’t think so, but I’m so flustered that I really don’t
know.”
    “You weren’t going to give him any money, were you?”  She
looked at me without answering, definitely looking guilty. “Seriously?!”  I
looked up to the heavens, or at least to the trees.  Mrs. Howard and I had been
through a lot together, and I hoped that she had learned something from
passed mistakes.  
    “I guess I’m just a silly old lady,” she said sheepishly.
    “All right.  Well . . . can you drive or are you too freaked
out?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
    “I’m too freaked out.”
    I opened the passenger door to my Suburban.  “Okay.  Get in and
we’ll go to La Taza, then I’ll drop you back off at your car.”
    We thanked Chad, got Mrs. Howard into the Suburban and headed
off to La Taza for a mocha fraspa with whipped cream on top.  Maddie had turned
me on to La Taza just before she got pregnant with Morgan. Her daily frozen
coffee drink was something she allowed herself to splurge on after she hit it
rich, and I had quickly developed an addiction to the drink.  The owner and
employees of my new coffee house were warm and friendly, making their patrons
feel right at home in the cozy living room atmosphere, complete with books,
games and puzzles.  On any given day, you could walk in to find two women of
Mrs. Howard’s vintage working on a giant puzzle, and artsy intellectuals
sitting at the counter with their laptops.
    We ordered our drinks, then Mrs. Howard and I sat at a table
and slurped them down, while Oliver and Max stood by watching the puzzle ladies
do their thing. When we got back to the bank, I gave Mrs. Howard a pep talk.
    “Okay, you’ve got to get back on the horse now.”
    “I don’t know how to thank you, Sam.  I love you like a son.”
It was something she said often, but she always made it sound like she just
thought of it.
    “Now, don’t go getting sentimental on me, Mrs. Howard. Come
here, let’s have a hug.”  I bent down and gave her a bear hug. “Now get your
ass home and try not to hit anything on the way.”  I got a toothy grin in
response. “I’ll follow you.”
    When I got back in the car I noticed my kid had something in
his mouth.
    “What are you eating?” I asked Max. He looked guilty and didn’t
answer. “What’s in your mouth?”  No response. “Open your mouth,” I instructed. 
It was a chewed up puzzle piece.
    Maddie met us outside with a Tupperware container of homemade
chocolate chip cookies in one hand, and Morgan in the other. After my solo
weekend with the kids, there had been some sort of shift in my relationship
with Morgan, and as soon as she saw me, she reached her arms out for me to take
her from her mom.  I was secretly thrilled that at times she liked me more than
Maddie, and I’m certain that had I been the mom, I would have been insanely
jealous. Maddie was nothing of the sort.  She seemed perfectly content that
Morgan was becoming a daddy’s girl, at least part of the time, and more than
willing to pass her on. I made a stupid noise that before I became a parent
would have completely irked me, and got a big smile from my little girl.
    Our family of five crossed the street together to assault the
new people with some good old-fashioned neighborhood hospitality. Feeling
mighty hypocritical, but knowing who butters my bread, I put a smile on my face
and acted like I was enjoying myself.
    Curiously, Kitty Travis looked aptly like something the cat
dragged in – disheveled, was the word that came to mind; definitely not a good
first impression, and reason number one why it’s not a good idea to drop in on
a new neighbor.  I was ready to leave the cookies and make our escape, but
Kitty and Maddie would have no such thing. In fact, it was apparent that they
were going to become fast friends.
    We walked among boxes and ended up in the kitchen, where we met
Kitty’s other half, Jake Travis, who was holding a kid