“Carly, girlie, I was just talkin’ about you.”
I smiled back. “My ears weren’t burning, so you must not have been cussin’ me out.”
One of the men across from him snorted. He looked to be in his fifties and had a long dark beard with streaks of gray. “Not likely. We’re surprised you aren’t walkin’ on a carpet of water.”
I shook my head, still grinning, and rounded the table to lean over and give Hank a squeeze around the shoulders. I hadn’t seen him for a couple of days, and I’d missed him something fierce.
He reached up and wrapped a hand around my arm and squeezed back.
I kissed his cheek and stood to his side, resting my hand on his shoulder. “You gonna introduce me to your friends?”
“Yeah,” he said, beaming with pride. He started to point to the men one by one, starting to his left and working his way around the table. “This here’s Tommy, Big Joe, David, Houston, and Scout.” Then he reached up and rested his hand over mine. “This is Carly.”
Although a few of them looked a little rough, they all murmured polite greetings. They weren’t as scary as Max had painted them. I’d even seen a few of them at the tavern, although they definitely weren’t regulars.
“It’s nice to meet y’all,” I said. “Are you here to steal all of Hank’s money?”
A few of them laughed out loud, while a couple grimaced.
“Not hardly,” said Houston, a balding man who looked close to Hank’s age. “He’s stealin’ all of ours.”
I squeezed Hank’s shoulder. “Keep it up. We need a new washing machine. I’ve got my eye on one down at Lowe’s in Greeneville, but it costs seven ninety-nine. How much have you won?”
Hank and the men burst out laughing, and the guy with the beard—Big Joe—said, “She’s got you whipped, old man.”
“Hey,” Hank said, grinning broadly. “If the girl wants a washing machine, I aim to give ’er one.”
My heart melted because I knew in my gut he meant it. “If you win big, maybe we can get you a bigger TV so you can see the pores on Ellen’s face when you’re watching her talk show.”
The men laughed and started ribbing Hank, but David, not much older than Hank if at all, said, “Hey, there ain’t nothin’ wrong with Ellen. She’s got a good heart and loves to make people happy.”
There were a few news articles floating around that suggested otherwise, but I didn’t see the need to point that out.
All the men stared at him, then burst out laughing again, except for Hank who gave him a nod. “She brings joy to many.”
That elicited more laughter, and Hank looked so happy in the midst of all the teasing, it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
“I thought you were spending the night at Marco’s,” Hank said.
“I am, but I got off a little early, so I decided to come by to pick up my dirty laundry. Sorry if I crashed your party.”
“Nonsense,” he said with a wave of his hand. “You stay as long as you like.”
“You any good at poker?” Tommy asked.
“And if you aren’t,” Big Joe said, “you got any cash to play?”
Laughing, I pulled away from the table and headed toward my room, calling over my shoulder, “The answer is no to both. I’ll let Hank be the sole representative at your game for the Chalmers household.”
My kitten, Letty, followed me in, and I sat on my bed and pulled her into my lap, petting her and telling her how sorry I was that I’d been gone so long. She purred at my touch, obviously not holding my absence against me, and I asked her what she’d been up to, all the while thinking about Hank and the men at our table. What crimes had they committed? Did I really want to know? Was I being willfully ignorant if I didn’t?
I put Letty down and grabbed my dirty laundry basket. I needed a clean pair of jeans, and Marco had a fairly new washer and dryer I could use while I was waiting for him to come home.
I dragged the basket out of my room, then closed my door behind me.
“This was all I needed,” I said as I picked it up and headed for the door. “I’ll leave you gentlemen to your game.”
David tossed his cards on the table, and Big Joe scooped the chips in the middle toward him. “Looks like you’re my good luck charm, Carly Moore. Maybe you should hang around a big longer.”
“As much as I’d love to stick around and accept my ten percent lucky charm fee, I need to get goin’. Hank,” I said, catching his eye. “I’ll be over in the morning. Probably about nine.” I planned to talk to him before I met Louise Baker, because I was definitely going to meet with her.
He must have caught the seriousness in my tone, because he gave a slight nod. “I’ll have a fresh pot of coffee brewing.”
That made me feel guilty, but only slightly. I lived with him rent-free, but our agreement was that I’d help with the housework and make his meals, which I’d made diabetic friendly, horrified at what he used to eat. But the bottom line was that I was supposed to be taking care of him in exchange for a place to live, not the other way around. However, Marco had pointed out that I might be making him too dependent on me, thus stealing his independence. Hank got along pretty well for a man with one leg, and I needed to give him more space. I’d spent a lot of time at Marco’s over the last week, leaving Hank to manage on his own, and he seemed to be doing pretty well, although I’d come by a few times to make him some meals and put food in the fridge.
I lugged my overflowing basket to the door, but Big Joe hopped up and rushed over to take it from me.
“Let me help you with that.”
I started to protest, but I decided it wasn’t a bad idea to get one of Hank’s friends alone. “Thanks.”
I let him grab the handles, giving Hank a little wave as soon as my hands were free, but he suddenly didn’t look as happy as he had before. Was he worried about me or his friend?
I opened the door and let Big Joe out, then walked around him to the back of my car, using my key fob to open the trunk.
“You can put it in here,” I said, making sure my tone was upbeat. “How do you know Hank?”
“We were both born and raised here,” he grunted as he walked around to the back of my car. “In a town as small as this, you tend to know everything about everybody.”
“So I’ve learned,” I said with a laugh, then decided to take a risk. “Rumor has it you used to work for Hank.”
He set the basket on the ground and looked me over. “And just what do you think you know about Hank’s business?”
There was an edge to his voice that would have scared me if we weren’t right outside Hank’s front door.
“I know he used to be a large marijuana distributor,” I said. “Hank hasn’t hidden it, and I don’t judge. But he doesn’t talk much about anything from his past, even Mary and Barbara.”
His brow lifted, but his face remained blank. “I ain’t the person you should be askin’.”
I was about to ask him who I should talk to, but he finished stowing the basket in my trunk and turned to me. “How do you like livin’ with Hank?”