“Hey guys, thanks for coming,” he said. “You too, Shelby, Chris.” He glanced at Josh and Savannah, and a small flicker of hope rose in his chest that they were my kids and we were related.
“Miguel,” Uncle Joey said, placing his hand on Miguel’s shoulder. “I’d like to introduce you to your cousins. This is Josh, and this is Savannah.”
They all said hello, then Savannah asked him to autograph her program, which he did with a sweet smile. Then he asked them both where they went to school. Before I knew it, they were talking together like old friends.
Josh and Miguel had the whole soccer thing going for them, and Savannah mostly drooled. She couldn’t believe her luck to have a famous cousin. Soon the talk changed to getting together sometime soon. If the weather held, maybe even have a barbeque on the deck. Before I knew it, we’d agreed to go over to Uncle Joey’s house for dinner sometime in the next week or so. Then we said our goodbyes and left.
On the drive home, I put up my shields, needing some privacy for a change. Plus, I didn’t want to hear another word about how hot Miguel was from Savannah’s mind. And she thought the cousin part was pretty awesome, especially since she’d figured out that they weren’t blood cousins.
Good grief! What had just happened?
Uncle Joey told me many times that I was like family to him. Now it looked like it was actually coming true. I could hardly believe that my kids had met him. Now they thought we were related. Of course, it was great for them to meet Miguel, but they had no idea who Uncle Joey really was.
Someday, I knew they’d find out, and my stomach churned with anxiety. I might even have to tell them my secret. I hoped when that day came they’d be ready. But until then, I’d just have to make the best of it, since there was no going back now.
We got home, but it wasn’t until after the kids had gone to bed that I could talk to Chris about the whole thing. “Can you believe it? What are we going to do?”
“Shelby,” he said, taking me by the shoulders. “It’s all right. We’ll work this out just like everything else.”
“But I think they know… or at least Josh knows that we’re not really related. Will they ever trust me again if they find out the truth? Because I’m sure it will happen at some point. How do you keep Joe ‘The Knife’ Manetto a secret?”
“You know what? I think you need to stop thinking about this so hard. It is what it is, and we’ll figure out the rest as it comes.” He thought that if I couldn’t drop it, I might need an anti-anxiety pill. But those always put me to sleep, and he had something else in mind.
“Hmm… well, I guess that would definitely take my mind off things. Oh… that reminds me. We figured out the case!” I explained about Jake Harper’s development plans, and how he’d wanted the bakery property. “He even had the gall to finger Thrasher Development and Uncle Joey. But I put a stop to that.”
“How?”
“I got him to confess… well, he didn’t really do that, but he tried to run, which is just like a confession. And I saved Dimples’ life.” I explained how that happened and watched Chris’ eyes get big. I listened to his thoughts, but he was shuttering them pretty well.
“When we got back to the station, Ethan was there with Johnson.”
“Oh yeah… how did that go?”
“It went well, but there’s something you should know. I think Ethan is working with the district attorney’s office to spy on your firm. He’s after Uncle Joey, so maybe you’d better fire him.”
Chris shook his head and smiled. “How do you do it? I can hardly keep up with you.”
“You’re not upset?”
He sighed. “No. After our talk the other day, I checked into his background. I think he might be in some kind of trouble, and I’d like to help him out.”
At my widened eyes, he chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all under control. Besides, I have you. We’ll figure this out together. Now… is there anything else you need to tell me?”
“Um… I guess not.”
He thought hallelujah, and pulled me close, then kissed me soundly. After that, I forgot all about my worries. He was right. Maybe things had changed in our lives, but wasn’t that what life was all about? As long as I had Chris and my family by my side, I could manage the rest just fine.
And hey… weren’t there lots of advantages to having a mob-boss for an Uncle?
You bet!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As the author of the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series, Colleen is often asked if Shelby Nichols is her alter-ego. “Definitely,” she says. “Shelby is the epitome of everything I wish I dared to be.” Known for her laugh since she was a kid, Colleen has always tried to find the humor in every situation and continues to enjoy writing about Shelby’s adventures. “I love getting Shelby into trouble… I just don’t always know how to get her out of it!” Colleen lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family. Besides writing, she loves a good book, biking, hiking, and playing board and card games with family and friends. She loves to connect with readers, and admits that fans of the series keep her writing.
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Colleen Helme, Hidden Deception: A Shelby Nichols Adventure
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