LITMIR.BIZ

      4

      “WHAT IS THAT?” Max asked, relieved his voice hadn’t cracked.

      “An iguana,” the short blonde said, her artfully made-up face scowling at Max’s abruptness. “Who wants to know?”

      “Okay, Candy, don’t go getting your knickers in a twist.” Mona stepped between him and the other woman. Not that Max had any intention of getting closer. Especially not as long as the overgrown lizard’s tongue kept swiping the air. “This here is Maxwell Bennett, Lily’s nephew.”

      “Well, I’ll be damned.” Candy looked him up and down. “You came all the way out here yourself, did you? Figured you’d send some fancy lawyer to take care of things all neat and tidy.”

      God, Max wished he had. “Nice to meet you, Candy. Now about this thing…” He gestured to the iguana, then took a hasty step back when it moved. “Tell me it isn’t some sort of pet.”

      Candy narrowed her gaze. “She’s a she, not an it, and I already explained her name is Tami.”

      Mona sighed loudly. “You haven’t met Estelle yet, Max.” She inclined her head toward the other woman with short silver hair, much more conservative in her blue shirtwaist dress next to Candy’s tight jeans. “Estelle?”

      She was smiling at Herbert and paying them no attention.

      Mona looked from Herbert to the silver-haired woman, and she planted both hands on her hips and started tapping one foot. “Estelle?” Her tone was sharper this time.

      “Hmm?” Estelle turned an absent gaze toward them.

      “I am trying to introduce you to Mr. Bennett.” Mona’s hands remained on her hips, and with her fiery blue eyes she issued Herbert a brief warning before forcing a smile for Max.

      He checked out the position of the iguana before stepping forward to offer his hand, and caught Abby’s smirk out of the corner of his eye. She’d been so quiet he’d almost forgotten about her. She was obviously aware of his discomfort and enjoying it far too much.

      Trying to ignore her, he smiled at Estelle. “Pleased to meet you. How long have you been, uh…” to his annoyance, he stumbled for a suitable word “…working here?”

      A shriek coming from Abby startled them all, drawing their attention. Even Mona stopped scowling at Estelle and frowned at Abby. “What in the hell has gotten into you?”

      But Abby’s anger was clearly reserved for Max alone. She marched up to him, stopping only inches away, then tilted her head back and glared. “That is my grandmother you are speaking to,” she said through gritted teeth. “She does not work here.”

      “Oh, get off your high horse, Abigail.” Mona huffed. “You saying she’s too good to work here?”

      Abby blinked, but she kept her attention on Max. “I’m just saying she doesn’t. And she has no business staying here.”

      The tension in the room raised the temperature by ten degrees. And Max had no intention of fanning the flames. He looked away from Abby and stared at the iguana. It stared back. “I’ll tell you who has no business here. It’s that disgusting tongue-wielding reptile.”

      Candy gasped. “Disgusting? Tami is not disgusting. She’s my new pet.” Her face softened as she looked at the creature. “Aren’t you, sugar baby?”

      “You think you’re keeping her here?”

      “Why not?” Candy’s overly plucked eyebrows arched in challenge. “Where do you usually keep a pet?”

      “One like that?” Max snorted. “In a zoo.”

      “Over my dead body.” The blonde folded her arms across her chest, the movement giving the iguana’s leash more slack, and the animal took two steps toward Max.

      Hell, it was his dead body he was worried about. He backed up, and stepped on Abby’s foot.

      “Ouch!” She gave him a light jab to the ribs.

      He grunted, more in surprise than anything else. “For crying out loud, I didn’t do that on purpose.” When their eyes met, she tried to signal something he didn’t understand.

      “I don’t get it,” Candy said. “What’s it to you if I keep Tami here? None of you girls mind, do you?”

      Mona shook her head. “She’s gotta be better than that tarantula you had last year.”

      “Or that monkey who kept hiding our garters,” Rosie added.

      “He was a mean-spirited little thing.”

      Were they putting him on? Max looked at Herbert who had sat down, pretty much ignoring everything, and picked candies out of a blue glass dish.

      “What about you?” Candy turned to Estelle. “You helped me pick Tami out so I assume you vote she stays.”

      “Uh, excuse me.” Abby cleared her throat. “Gramms is coming home with me.”

      At this point, Max didn’t give a damn what anyone did. Maybe it was time to cut his losses. He was a minute away from telling Herbert to take him back to the airstrip. These people were all nuts. He eyed the iguana who stood between him and the door.

      And then he caught the look on Estelle’s face. Of course he didn’t know her, so perhaps he was wrong, but she looked awfully close to tears. He glanced at Abby. Fear clouded her eyes.

      Oh, hell, it was probably his imagination. He didn’t know her either. Nor was this domestic dispute his problem. His gaze reluctantly shifted to Abby again. He hated seeing her beautiful brown eyes so panicked.

      “What’s wrong with your grandmother staying here a while?” he asked, knowing he would regret it.

      Disappointment spread across Abby’s face. “She has a perfectly fine home she shares with me. Not that it’s any of your business.”

      “What I’d like to know,” Candy cut in, “is why keeping Tami is such a big hairy deal.”

      “Because I don’t like reptiles,” Max said, his patience gone.

      “What difference does that make? You’re not living—” Candy stopped, her gaze narrowing in suspicion. “You’re not moving in here.”

      Max reacted with a short bark of laughter. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He shook his head. He was still packed. If he had half a brain he’d head back to the plane right now. But then he briefly caught a glimpse of Abby’s shiny brown hair.

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