“I don’t, no. But I loved their son and I can’t call the cops on them, not unless I have no other choice. Now let’s do this because I have a party to throw.”

Ezra kept at her side, relieved she hadn’t tried to send him away.

She unlocked and they started to come inside but Ezra shook his head. “Outside and any more of that type of talk from you, ma’am, and this will end.”

“I don’t take orders.”

Ezra curled his lip. “I don’t care what you take. I’m telling you that if you push me, I will call the police and have you escorted away. Now, state your business.”

The woman looked to Tuesday. “You’re going to let him talk to me that way?”

“You just screamed that I was a whore through the doors of my place of business. So I don’t think you have any room to point fingers. I already explained to you why I’m going back to Easton. You never even liked the idea of me and Eric changing our names to Eastwood to start with.”

“Before I wasn’t sure what to think, but now I see why you’re doing this.” The man looked over to Ezra, with his lip curled.

“You think I’m opening up an art gallery and using my maiden name because of him?” Tuesday gestured to Ezra. “And even if I was, why would you care? Five years have passed since he died. Every time you contact me it’s to be cruel. Your son called me several interesting racial epithets at Eric’s memorial. You never liked me. You barely tolerated your son while he was alive.

“You don’t have to like me. But my days of giving you slack because you lost your child are over. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. Which means you’re being crazy, violent random people on a public street. What name I use or don’t use isn’t your business.”

“You used Eric just like you’re using him. Look at you!” The man waved a hand at her. “You should be ashamed of yourself for that outfit.”

“Maybe I should adopt it and make it feel bad for being bronze instead of cream, like you did. How’d that work out for your nonwhite kids, Tina? How’s Sam?”

“He never should have married you. When you got cold feet before the wedding I told him to run and run fast. That you’d be the end of him. I hate that it was true.”

The words hit Tuesday like a slap and she flinched. Ezra shifted to stand between them. Ezra addressed the husband because clearly the wife was beyond reason. “Take your wife and leave. We’re done here. You’ve come all the way down here to ruin her evening. Well done. I’m sure your son would have been proud. I, on, the other hand, don’t have any feelings for you at all other than loathing and a barely leashed urge to punch you in the face and throw your wife in the car and send you both crawling away.”

While Ezra had been waiting for the wife to lose her shit, it was the man who actually leaped at Tuesday.

Ezra didn’t want to fistfight in the middle of the sidewalk outside Tuesday’s place of business, but he had absolutely no plans to let any more harm come to Tuesday at the hands, or mouths, of these people.

He caught the man by the shoulders and shoved him back hard enough that he connected with the car at his back.

Ezra wanted to hurt this man so much his hands shook. The hinted pleasure at the bloodlust he could indulge by bloodying the guy’s nose pooled at the base of his brain. Urging.

Through clenched teeth Ezra snarled. “I said no.”

Behind him, he knew she was upset. The waves of her emotion beat at him. He needed to protect her. Now that the man had actually tried to touch her, things were different.

He fisted and unfisted his hands.

“Just go!” Tuesday urged from behind Ezra. “Can’t you see this is about to turn violent? You said what you wanted to say. Get the hell away from here now.”

“Charlie Heywood, you back away from my baby right now or you and I are going to have a problem.”

Greg and Diana Easton came hurrying over.

“They were just leaving,” Ezra told Greg.

Up until that moment, Ezra had figured it would be Di who’d jump out there with threats of violence, but it was Greg who continued to speak. “They best. Because I have wanted to slap Tina Heywood’s face for years now and I have an excuse. Her husband is a fool, but she’s a nasty harridan. I will slap a woman who is trying to harm my child. Believe it, Charlie. And then I will slap you into next week.”

Ezra didn’t turn around. She’d seen and heard enough and he wanted her away from the Heywoods immediately.

“Beauty, why don’t you go inside with your mom? I know Natalie was asking about her just a few minutes ago and if I’m right, Paddy is having to hold her back to keep her from coming out here to throw down to protect her best friend. Your father and I have this handled.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I need something to eat. We drove straight here and I’m starving,” Ezra heard Di say as she opened the door at their back. He heard Paddy speaking soothingly to Natalie and it made Ezra smile knowing her friend was in there having to be held back.

“Hey now, there a problem here?” Sharon and Michael Hurley came down the sidewalk toward them.

“These people were just leaving,” Greg answered.

“She’s shaming my son’s memory and for what?” Tina gestured at Ezra. “For that?”

“It’s not your business. You’re not part of her life anymore. It’s for the best because you spent a decade making her miserable as she tried to make you like her. We’re all done with you. You’ve made my daughter upset for the last time.”