Blue couldn’t take it any longer. “A word of warning, Mrs. Garrison. Dean seems like a nice guy on the surface, but the brutal truth is, there’s not a player in the NFL who isn’t half animal. He just hides it better than most of them.”

“Do you really think you can scare me?” Nita sneered. “I grew up on the streets, sweetie.”

“I’m merely pointing out the reality of the situation. You’ve upset him, and that’s not good.”

“This is my town. He can’t do a thing to me.”

“That’s what you think.” Blue stepped past Dean, who’d crouched down to pet the ancient black Lab. “Football players are a law unto themselves. I know you’re used to having the local police force in your back pocket—and that was a nasty trick you pulled last week—but the minute Dean starts signing autographs and flashing a fistful of game day tickets, those cops won’t remember your name.”

Blue had to hand it to the old bat. Instead of backing off, she smirked at Dean. “You think that’ll work, do you?”

Dean shrugged and rose. “I like cops, so I might stop at the station for a visit. But, frankly, I’m more interested in what my lawyer says about this little boycott of yours.”

“Lawyers.” She spat out the word, then started in on Blue again, which was beyond unfair, since Blue was trying to mediate. “Are you ready to apologize for the way you spoke to me last week?”

“Are you ready to apologize to Riley?”

“For telling the truth? I don’t believe in coddling children. People like you want to solve every little problem for them so they never learn how to take care of themselves.”

“That particular child just lost her mother,” Dean said with deceptive mildness.

“Since when has life been fair?” Her mean eyes narrowed, further crinkling her blue frosted eye shadow. “It’s better they understand how things are when they’re young. When I was her age, I spent my nights sleeping on the fire escape to get away from my stepfather.” She bumped the table with her hip, and the coffee mug rolled to the floor, followed by a stack of junk mail. Nita made a vague gesture toward the mess. “Nobody in this town is willing to do housework anymore. Now all the black girls go off to college.”

Dean rubbed his ear. “That damned Abe Lincoln.”

Blue reined in a smile.

Nita looked him up and down. “You’re a real wise guy, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The practiced way she took him in suggested she’d assessed more than her fair share of good-looking men. At the same time, there was nothing coquettish in her manner. “Do you dance?”

“I don’t think we’re getting on well enough for that.”