Lynch's Rule (Ruthless Sinners MC 9)

When I arrived, there was a car with a black SUV parked next to it. The SUV’s windows were tinted, so it was quite difficult to see inside. With my line of work, I’d seen many just like it. I often worked with very wealthy people who had their own security detail, so I simply assumed the same held true for Ms. Rosewood.

I gathered my things and headed inside. As soon as I walked in, I spotted two slightly older but very attractive women waiting in the foyer. One of them had a young girl in her lap who looked to be seven or eight, and she was the first to notice me walking in their direction.

She whispered something to her mother, and then they all immediately stood. The mother quickly asked, “Are you Raelyn Thomas?”

“Yes, ma’am, I am.” I extended my hand. “You must be Ms. Rosewood.”

“Oh, please call me Rebecca.” She smiled as she shook my hand, then turned to her friend and the young girl. “This is Frankie… and my daughter, Catherine.”

“It’s so nice to meet you all.” I motioned a hand towards my office and told them, “Why don’t you all come in and tell me about the event you’re planning?”

Rebecca nodded, and the three of them followed me inside. As soon as we were seated, Rebecca announced, “I would like to have an anniversary party for my parents. They’ll be married thirty-five years next month, and—”

“Nana doesn’t like parties,” Catherine interrupted.

“Yes, she does,” Rebecca argued. “She loves parties.”

“Then, why doesn’t she go to any?”

“I don’t know. I guess there haven’t been any for her to go to.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Clayton had a big party a few weeks ago, and she didn’t go.” Catherine’s freckled nose crinkled with disapproval as she added, “She said that Mrs. Clayton was a nosy body, and Mr. Clayton was—”

“It doesn’t matter what Nana said about the Claytons, Cat. That was their party, and it was perfectly fine if she didn’t want to go.”

“She didn’t want to go to the church party either. She said—”

“That’s enough. You’ve made your point, but I still say your grandmother loves parties, and we’re going to have one for their anniversary. So, drop it.” Cat shrugged, and Rebecca turned her attention back to me. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s perfectly fine.” I couldn’t help but giggle. “Your daughter is adorable.”

“Thank you, but as you can see, she’s quite a handful at times.” Rebecca gave Cat a wink, then drew the focus back to the party. “Anyway, I would really like to do something special to celebrate my parents’ big day. I tried to plan it myself, but with work and everything else my fiancé and I have going on, we just haven’t had the time.”

“It’s a common problem, and I’d be more than happy to help.” I took out my notepad as I asked, “When would you like to have the party?”

“Well, I’m not really sure.” Her eyes skirted over to her friend, then explained, “Like I mentioned earlier, there’s been a lot going on, especially with my fiancé and, um, his work. So, I’m not positive of when exactly we’d be able to have it.”

Even though I found it a little odd that she was planning a party without an actual date in mind, I replied, “That’s fine. We can sort that out later. Do you have a venue in mind?”

“Yes, I thought we could do it at my fiancé’s house. He lives by a lake, and his house is just beautiful. There’s plenty of room, and the kitchen is set up for whatever we might need.”

“That sounds perfect. Do you want the party to be inside or out?”

“I think either would work.” She thought for a moment, then turned to Frankie and asked, “What do you think?

“I think either would be great.” Frankie glanced over at me as she suggested, “Maybe Rae could come to see the house and let you know what she thinks?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea.” Rebecca turned back to me as she asked, “Would you be willing to do that?”

“I’d be glad to. Maybe then we’ll get a better idea of what kind of food and drinks would be most appropriate.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Okay, so we’ll just need to plan a day for me to come out and take a look around.” I opened my calendar. “Is there a particular day that works better for you?”

“I know it’s really short notice, but what about now?” She glanced over at her friend. When she nodded, Rebecca turned back to me and said, “We don’t have a lot going on, and my fiancé is busy with, uh, work and whatnot.”

“Well...”

Frankie gave me a hopeful smile as she added, “It’s only about twenty minutes from here.”

I really needed to get another event on the books, so I smiled and said, “Okay, that sounds fine.”