Chapter 12
ZINA
“Hello?” I let myself in through the front door of Lacey and Bodie’s house.
“We’re back here on the porch,” Lacey called.
“Want to tell me why you’ve got a hearse parked in your driveway?” I helped myself to a cup of coffee before heading out to the four-season porch. “And why aren’t you in bed?”
Kirby stood as I stepped out onto the porch. “Good afternoon, Ms. Zina.”
“Hey, Kirby. Is that your new set of wheels out front?” Kirby was eccentric, but relatively harmless. His ancestors had made a fortune on oil back in the day, so he’d never had to hold down a job.
“Sure is.” He beamed and glanced to Lacey. “I was just talking to Mayor Cherish here about starting up my own business.”
I lifted a brow and glanced to Lacey. Her eyes had taken on that shiny glazed look—the one I knew all too well. I’d seen it the day before when Alex committed us to moving up the date of the wedding, which meant Kirby was up to something.
“Is that right?” I took a seat on one of the cushioned chairs and ran my hand over Shotgun’s head. Lacey and Bodie had rescued the gorgeous pittie last year after they’d found her abandoned by the Phillips House. “Are you putting in a new funeral home?”
“No, ma’am. I’m startin’ a limo business.” He nodded as he resumed his perch on the edge of his seat. “Weddings need limos, don’t they?”
Lacey turned the shiny eyes on me. “I was trying to explain to Kirby that a limo business typically offers limos, not hearses, as a mode of transportation.”
“The hearse is just the first step.” His mouth screwed into a frown. “I plan on expanding my fleet.”
“Where did you get a hearse?” I asked.
“That auto auction they have once a month over in Cramden. I’ve got my eye on a school bus that’s coming up next month.” He reached for his mug.
I met Lacey’s gaze, trying to sort out how I was supposed to respond. Usually my bestie handled off-the-wall requests with a combination of humor and grace. That wasn’t a skill I possessed.
“So a hearse and a school bus?” I asked.
“That’s right. I figure that will give me a good start. I’m prepared to offer y’all a steep discount for becoming your preferred transportation vendor.” He eyed us over the rim of his mug.
“That’s certainly a generous offer.” Lacey gave him a gracious smile, but the way she gripped the arm of her chair showed she was anything but relaxed. “But the wedding parties we have coming to town seem to prefer a more traditional mode of transportation like a classic white stretch limo.”
Kirby’s face fell. My chest tightened. How could Lacey handle a job where she was constantly having to turn people down?
“You know, I’ve seen some interesting new trends,” I offered.
“Like what?” Lacey shot me a look of annoyance.
“Like party buses or pickup truck limos. Maybe keep your eyes peeled for something like that at one of your auctions.” I shrugged at Lacey. “You wanted me to check out all those wedding websites.”
Kirby stood, his jaw set. “Got it. So if I can come back with something trendy or something more classic, you’ll let me work with y’all?”
“We’ll consider it.” Lacey set down her mug. “Zina, can you walk him out?”
“Sure.” I led Kirby to the front door.
“Thanks for seeing me this afternoon. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” He nodded at me as he propped his cowboy hat on top of his silver mane. “I’ll be in touch.”
I watched him climb into the rusty hearse before I shut the door.
“What in the world was that?” Lacey’s voice came from behind me.
“What was what? Did you see how crushed he looked?” I turned. “Does Bodie know you’re entertaining old men on the porch?”
“No. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“At least sit down and put your feet up. Doctor’s orders.” I put my hands on Lacey’s shoulders and turned her back toward the porch.
“Tell me how the meeting with the contractor went this morning.” Lacey sat down and propped her feet up on the wicker coffee table.
“Fine. Alex seems to think he’ll be able to pull it together. He’s looking for a place to stay by the Phillips House though. Says he wants to be closer in case there’s a penguin emergency.”
“Of course. Tell him to take one of the bedrooms upstairs. I should have offered earlier.”
“You want him to move in?” I didn’t like the sound of that. Having to work on the wedding and share warehouse space with him was one thing, but if he were living at the Phillips House, I’d be exposed to his damn dimple all the time. And I was having a hard enough time resisting already.
“It’s fine. We have a few smaller events booked but no one’s renting out the bedrooms until after the Munyon wedding. Do you want to tell him or should I?”
“Why don’t you?” I might need to start limiting my interactions with the penguin handler. I couldn’t afford to get attached, not to someone who wasn’t going to be around for the long haul.
“Will do.” Lacey grabbed a thick binder from the table next to her. “Now, I need to go over the details for the wedding so you know what to expect.”
“Let me get a refill first.” I reached for my mug. If I was going to have to take over as wedding planner, I needed to be fully caffeinated.
“Oh, you might want to make a fresh pot. Bodie won’t let me drink anything but decaf.”
“You gave me decaf coffee?” I asked. No wonder I hadn’t felt that kick of caffeine.
I moved into the kitchen to make an extra-strong pot.
If I was going to have to take on the binder along with avoiding Alex and managing the dog rescue, I was going to have to have all of my wits about me . . . every last one.