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“That didn’t go as planned,” Carpenter said.
“Lousy work,” Shane gasped, his ears still ringing. “We’d have stayed to clean up.”
“Well, thank you, Mr. Dean, for being a sloppy-ass killer,” Carpenter said.
“We should deliver that in person,” Shane said.
“We should do that later,” Carpenter said, nudging a dazed Joey toward the bank.
“Yeah,” Shane said, looking back in Casey Dean’s direction. “But we’re definitely gonna do it.”
When Joey hadn’t shown up by live, Agnes began to panic. The rehearsal dinner was at seven, and while Garth could set up the tables and even put out the plates and silver, she had to be down there dressing the place with flowers and favors. Beyond that, catering was not within her grasp. Family cooking she could do; catering a rehearsal dinner for the first family of Keyes? No.
She wiped her hands on her Cranky Agnes apron and stepped over Rhett to open the fridge and looked at the turkey Joey had put in there. Taylor had promised that he’d make Palmer’s favorite meal, turkey and dressing, and Joey had sworn he could handle it. But now it was too late to make the turkey, and Palmer had wanted some special kind of gravy with bourbon in it, and ... She looked at the turkey and thought, I’m screwed.
Rhett bayed, and she heard Taylor say, “Agnes?”
Agnes turned around to see him standing in the doorway again. “Not now.” She turned back to the fridge. There were new potatoes in there. That could be simple. Maybe butter sauce?—
“I want to work this out.”
Rhett growled.
Agnes closed her eyes. “Well, that’s just great. No. Now get your ass out of here. I’m busy.” Pay attention, Agnes. “Where’s Joey?”
“I don’t know,” Agnes said. “Beat it.” Don’t be stupid, Agnes.
She heard him come closer, and Rhett growled again.
“He’s not here?” Taylor said.
“No.”
“Do you want me to cook?”
She turned around. “You quit, you lying, cheating bastard?—”
Agnes, you dumbass, you need him.
“I know,” Taylor said. “That was wrong.”
Agnes ...
Dr. Garvin, I hate him.
Okay, first of all, this isn’t Dr. Garvin, this is you, talking to yourself, obviously, so pull yourself together.
Second, you need help and he owes you big.
Third, you can use this to your advantage, if you’d get your head out of your butt and stop doing the easiest thing, which is anger, but no, you have to wallow in your emotions and hide behind your rage, so go ahead and screw up your life again. Go ahead. Feel free.
I want Dr. Garvin back.
“What’s Joey got in there?” Taylor reached around her and opened the fridge, and Rhett growled again, and Agnes hesitated and then bent to pat the dog.
“It’s okay, Rhett,” she whispered, and the dog looked at her as if to say, Sucker, and then padded back to his place under the table and collapsed into semi-slumber.
“Huh,” Taylor said. “Okay. Sure.” He began to take things out of the fridge. “Get me a tray or a box or something so I can get this stuff down to the kitchen in the barn. Did you do the dessert?”
