It's About Time (Blossom Peak #4)(111)

Dilynne snorts, covering her laughter with her hand. “Uh, no, Mr. Thorne. Me and the law don’t really get along.”

Yeah, neither do the law and my father apparently, I think to myself.

“Shame. Such a noble career. You and Elliot could be a power couple since you’re insistent on not having children.”

“Well, we already are a power couple,” Dilynne says as she leads my dad over to one of the chairs toward the front of the room. “I won Best Restoration at my car show last week, and I took home a six-figure prize when my Porsche 356 was auctioned off.”

Dilynne is being modest. She took home almost $750,000 for the Porsche, making it one of the highest auction prices for a restoration in the history of Motorlux. The bidding war was insane and certainly entertaining to watch, especially because Vinnie was beet red with barely contained fury.

Vinnie Delatorre stayed on his side of the exhibition hall the day following our altercation, but I still watched his every move in case he was bold enough to try something. Fortunately, the lack of interest in his Ro lls-Royce was enough punishment for Dilynne because when she finally got a chance to look at his car, she pointed out several things he missed the mark on that someone with his experience should never have let slide.

I think it was the last sliver of validation she needed to know that Vinnie’s opinion of her and what he did to her all those years ago isn’t worth her energy anymore. And I made sure she forgot all about him the rest of the weekend while we celebrated her success.

My father’s brow lifts. “Six-figures, you say? I don’t suppose you’d be interested in loaning a few bucks to your future father-in-law, now would you?”

I nearly toss my head back with laughter, but luckily I’m able to keep my cool. “What do you need money for, Dad?”

He narrows his eyes at me with a smirk on his lips. “I’m joking, of course, Elliot. Come on, can’t you take a joke?”

“Yes I can since I’m looking at one right now.”

“What?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. But speaking of your future title of father-in-law, that’s part of the reason Dilynne and I wanted to meet with you today.”

He moves his eyes to Dilynne, watching her round the table and return to me on the side near the door, wrapping her arm around my waist as I pull her into me as well. “Is that so?”

“Yes, Henry,” Dilynne interjects. “We’ve finally landed on a wedding date like you asked.”

My dad perks up in his seat. “Well, that’s wonderful. Soon, I hope?”

“Oh, very soon,” I say just as I hear a knock on the conference room door. I release Dilynne and move toward it. “But before we tell you all of the details of our impending nuptials, there are a few more people we wanted to be in on the discussion.”

“ I hope it’s your mother since you know she’s going to have opinions on the matter…” he says, trailing off when I open the door and the people standing there waiting to come in are anybody but my mother. “Greg?”

Greg Turner, my father’s friend and accomplice in this matter, walks into the room like a deer caught in the headlights. “Henry, what the hell is going on? Elliot said he needed to meet with me, but…”

“Don’t worry, Greg. All will be revealed in a moment,” I say. Greg steps further into the room so Kevin Watson, the new District Attorney of Mecklenburg County, can also enter. “Kevin! Great to see you.”

“Likewise, Elliot. Glad to help you out today.”

I reach out to shake his hand. “You have no idea how much I appreciate your help with this matter.”

My father clears his throat. “Kevin? You’re here to learn about Elliot’s wedding?”

Kevin turns to me, a smirk on his face. “Love this even more now.”

“Oh, just wait.” I turn back to the door as I watch the final person step through, Rhonan Hart, deputy sheriff himself. “Rhonan.”

He reaches out to shake my hand as well, and then shuts the door behind him. “Elliot. This ought to be fun, huh?”

Dilynne chuckles behind me. “The fun is just getting started.”

I focus my attention back on my father. “Now, Dad. I’m sure you’re wondering why I would invite Greg, the District Attorney, and a sheriff to the meeting about our wedding.”

He eyes me curiously. “That I am, son.”

“Well, before we get to the details, Dilynne and I wanted to share the cake design that we chose.”

Dilynne retrieves the box from Bites & Bliss bakery from the table behind me and carries it over to where my dad is sitting with Greg right next to him, setting the box in front of them. “Any time I can use Carolina’s baked goods to send a message, I’m going to do it.”

My father eyes her curiously. “What message?”

“Open the box, Dad.”

He glances over at Greg whose paranoia is seeping out of his pores. “Just open it, Henry.”

“Fine,” my dad mutters before lifting the lid and seeing the cake Dilynne had designed for just this moment. “What is this?”

“Those are handcuffs,” Dilynne answers.

He glares at her. “I’m fully aware of what they are.”

“Good. And what do they say?”