A Bloody Kingdom (Ruthless People 4)

I tried my best not to laugh, biting inside my cheek when I saw the look on Ethan’s face. He apparently had gotten used to everyone being respectful toward him.

“I’m not short!” he snapped at her.

“To me you are.” She held her head high. “So I’d rather be picky than a shorty.”

Well, son? What’s your comeback? I waited, glancing between them. Ethan just stood there, not sure what to say, and so again she stuck her tongue out at him and focused on me smiling from ear to ear.

“Can I get cream bundt?”

“All that cream is going to make you fat,” Ethan shouted so loudly even Coraline, who stood at the far end of the table, turned her head toward him.

“So what?” she said to him, her hand outstretched for the cake.

“Huh?” he questioned, confused.

“So what if I get fat? I have cake.” She shrugged and happily walked off.

That did it, I laughed outright; I couldn’t help it. Not only did she seem so proud of herself, but Ethan was so thoroughly confused and upset his ears were turning red.

“She’s a weirdo!” he yelled up at me.

“But she’s a weirdo with cake…” Wyatt finally spoke up and I was dying at that point. Oh God. Ethan scowled at his brother but Wyatt didn’t seem to mind, stepping on his tiptoes to hand the next person their piece.

For the rest of the afternoon, Ethan stewed in rage, every once in a while shooting glares at the girl sitting with her family by the windows.

“What was up with all the laughing?” Mel came over as I pulled my gloves off.

“Ethan lost a fight to a girl about cake.” Wyatt ratted him out in a flash, causing Ethan to take one of the towels and throw it right at his head. “What? It’s true!”

“Which girl?” Dona frowned, peeking around the corner of the table.

Ethan ignored her. “You are a blabber mouth, I don’t tell Mom everything about you!”

“I don’t have any secrets!” he said proudly.

Ethan’s eyebrow rose just like Mel’s did when she went in for the kill. “Really? Is that why you can’t say a word around Giu—”

Wyatt rushed him and put his hand over his mouth, then looked over his shoulder at us, smiling brightly.

“Wyatt. Ethan. Is this how we behave in public?” Mel questioned them. Wyatt let go of his brother’s mouth, both of them standing straighter.

“Sorry,” they both grumbled.

“You guys go play with your cousins or, Ethan, you can go offer that girl another piece of cake,” I teased him.

“Why would I do that?” He grabbed his siblings’ arms, pulling them toward my mother’s table. She sat with a bunch of the older women, all of them playing cards and drinking iced tea I was sure was spiked.

“Who’s the girl?” Melody eyes narrowed, looking over every girl in the center.

“Why, are you jealous?” I pitied the girl either of our sons ever dared to bring home. “Sorry, but you’ll have to get Wyatt to spill the beans.”

“Fine, I will, but later. I need to go into work for a little bit.”

Work, huh? She never lied to me, but she wasn’t being forthcoming.

“Governor work or boss work?” I asked, wiping my hand.

“Two birds one stone.”