Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

meeting between the boys was every bit as important as the meeting of his mother and Jada. He wanted it to go well.

He needed it to go well.

“Charlie loves anime. And Mateo, you love comics.”

“That’s not exactly the same thing, Uncle Pete.”

Mateo gave him a deadpan stare.

“Well, no. But Charlie’s favorite show is My Hero Academia. And I know for a fact that you like that show too, and you’ve used it as inspiration for your own comics.”

He turned to Charlie. “Mateo likes to draw his own comic books. They’re really good! Mateo, why don’t you show him?”

He knew he was working too hard, and he could tell by the expression of horror on Mateo’s face that the kid didn’t appreciate being put on the spot. Pete opened his mouth to say something else and the doorbell sounded.

“Oh, thank God,” he huffed under his breath. “Excuse me.”

He hurried to the door and whipped it open.

Ike and Sidney smiled at him.

Okay, Sidney smiled. Ike just looked annoyed, which was normal.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispered and waved them inside.

He ushered them into the living room, where the awkward silence greeted him like a dear invited guest.

“Ike and Sidney, you know Jada and Charlie, of course. But this is my mother, Julieta Vega, and my nephew, Mateo.”

Ike waved. “Good to meet you, ma’am.”

Sidney gave Jada a friendly hug and then shook Julieta’s hand, and Pete was instantly glad of the warmth she brought with her. Small talk seemed to be a specialty of hers, and it didn’t take long before she had his mother laughing at some comment she’d made.

Pete marveled as he watched her. To him, Sid and Ike were total opposites. A true odd couple. In fact, he often wondered what the heck she was doing with his weird partner in the first place.

But what did he know? They said opposites attract, didn’t they?

“Well, something smells delicious, Pete,” Jada said.

“Yes! Dinner is ready, so if you guys want to move to the kitchen.”

“Finally. I’m starving.” Mateo grumbled.

Pete shot him a look.

Julieta led them all to the kitchen, and Jada took Pete’s arm, pulling him to the side.

“Take a breath, Pete.”

“Huh?”

“It’s going to be fine. The boys. Your mom. It’s all going to be okay. So take a breath and calm down.”

“Are my nerves that obvious?”

“I feel like you’re going to explode at any minute.”

Pete laughed out loud.

“Okay, I get it. I know something that might help though.”

“What’s that?”

He leaned in and kissed her lips, his tongue gently teasing hers.

“I wanted to do that when I first opened the door, but we had an audience then.”

Jada smiled and touched his face.

Then he took her hand and led her to the kitchen with the others.

Earlier, when he was cooking, he’d watched as Mateo helped his mother put the removable leaf into the center of the round kitchen table, instantly enlarging it. Then he’d helped Mateo bring the extra chairs up from the basement. The furniture wasn’t fancy, but it was homey and comfortable and real.

Just like the meal he’d prepared.

Everyone took their seats and Pete noticed that Isaac looked extremely uncomfortable — shoulders hunched, elbows in close to his sides like he didn’t want to risk touching anyone.

“Mateo.”

When his nephew looked up at him, Pete used his hand to motion for him to scoot his chair a little to the left.

“What?”

Pete shot him a don’t-argue-just-do-what-I’m-telling-you glare, and gestured again.

Mateo glanced to his right and looked Isaac over.

“Ohh. You’re the weird partner Uncle Pete is always fussing about, aren’t you?”

Everything inside of Pete stopped — heart, blood, breath — done.

Heat radiated from his shoulders to his ears, and he knew that he had to be red as a tomato.

I’m gonna freaking kill that kid!

The thought floated through his mind just as Ike looked from Mateo to Pete, and back to Mateo again.

Mortified.

Pete was completely mortified.

“Yeah, that would be me,” Ike said, nodding at Mateo.

Mateo scooted his chair to the left.

Ike scooted his chair to the right, closer to Sidney. Then he looked back at Mateo and grinned.

“Thanks for the extra room.”

“Sure.”

Pete exhaled and turned to the food on the stove.

“So why don’t you like to be touched?” Mateo asked.

Pete swiveled back around.

“Mateo!”

“What?”

The kid looked genuinely innocent and curious, and Pete wanted to throttle him.

“It’s all right, Pete.” Isaac quietly cleared his throat and looked at Mateo. “Um, the simplest explanation is that… well, I um…”

“He has a condition that makes him super sensitive to physical touch. It’s really rare.”

Sidney jumped to Isaac’s rescue with an explanation that sounded more like a medical condition than psychic one, and Pete watched his partner heave a silent sigh of relief.

Mateo studied Ike for a moment longer, looking him over once more as if trying to spot the condition for himself.

“Cool.”

Pete shook his head and went back to his task.

“Is it true you live next door to Jada and Charlie?”

“That is true. We live right next door to each other.” Isaac nodded, and Pete glanced over, wondering why Mateo was questioning Ike so much.

“That’s actually how I met your uncle, Mateo,” Jada chimed in. “At Ike and Sidney’s house warming party a few months ago.”

Mateo nodded, staring at her stone faced. “So it’s their fault.”

Quiet descended over the table, and Pete turned to see everyone looking uncomfortable.

“That was a joke,” Mateo mumbled. He looked down at the table with a jeez-lighten-up glint to his eyes.

Isaac laughed and shot Mateo a look of appreciation that told Pete he liked the kid’s dark humor. Relief ran through Pete, and he carried food to the table.

He placed large platters and serving dishes of the meat, rice, beans, and tostones in the center of the table.

“We don’t stand on ceremony around here. Please help yourselves. All I ask is that you try some of everything.” He looked up at Ike. “I’m talking to you, Ike.”

“Have you met me? You should know by now that I like to eat. I’ll try anything.”

Pete filled everyone’s glasses with fresh lemonade before he finally