Free Blown To Pieces (PTO Murder Club Mystery Book 2) by Katie Graykowski

goes.
    “Thank God.” I picked up my napkin, which was thankfully ring-free, and set it in my lap. “I didn’t want to offend you by using the wrong fork. Now that I think about it, do we need forks for soup?”
    “No, but I was trying to impress you.” Ben sat at the head of the table. “Now I see that it’s just fork intimidation.”
    “Fork intimidation. That’s the perfect name.” Monica sorted out the plates and bowls. She nodded to the giant bowl between us. “Would you like for me to serve?”
    “No, thank you.” Ben lifted the top off of the huge bowl in the middle of the table. Steam wafted up from something that looked like potato soup. Thank God. I’d hate to have been brought here on false pretenses. “I had Mrs. Hailer, my housekeeper, put it in the soup tureen.” He picked up a sterling-silver ladle.
    Crap, he might be bi; the soup tureen wasn’t a gravy boat, and I didn’t see any napkin rings, but the ladle didn’t bode well. If he had tons of throw pillows on his bed, I was in some serious trouble.
    “You have a housekeeper?” Monica didn’t sound surprised; more like she was trying out dinner conversation—it was somewhat polite, so I was immediately on the defensive. “Does she look like Alice from The Brady Bunch ?”
    “No, she’s...um...” He looked around for prying ears while he scooped soup into bowls. Not finding any prying ears, he whispered, “She’s very old school. I think she used to be a nun who taught Catholic school. Honestly, she scares the heck out of me.”
    “How does a nun become a housekeeper?” Did nuns retire, and if so, wouldn’t they still be nuns?
    “A fallen nun. How interesting.” Monica was all ears.
    “What’s a fallen nun?” Landon eyed the bread basket. He really was a man after my own heart. I picked it up, served myself one deliciously warm roll, and passed it to him.
    “It’s a nun who left the order...” Monica helped Landon put his napkin in his lap. “I mean, stopped being a nun. If you stop being a nun, you have to leave the order. You can’t retire like Grandpa—you have to stop all the way.”
    “A fallen nun...I bet she gets along with your Aunt Astrid.” I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall when Ben and Astrid were in the same room.
    “Ms. Astrid gave me a pretty crystal.” Max watched Ben closely as he placed the bowl of soup in front of my son. “It’s supposed to help with bullies.”
    Maternal alarm bells went off in my brain.
    “Bullies?” My spoon stopped midway to my mouth. Someone was bullying my baby? I could give a lioness a serious run for her money when it comes to being a vicious mom.
    Max grinned. “Not anymore.”
    “That’s right. Now Cougar and Couper Jester leave him alone.” Landon nodded as a watermelon-slice grin spread across his face.
    “Do I want to know what happened?” I did, badly, but prying mom never got me very far.
    “He punched Cougar in the face and kneed Couper where it counts.” Landon was so proud of his best friend.
    “Oh my God. Are you okay?” My baby had been in a gang fight at the age of ten.
    “Don’t freak. I’m fine. They started it and I finished it.” Max was so matter-of-fact, but there was pride there too.
    “When?” My voice was helium-high and squeaky. Tomorrow, bright and early, I was taking that school by storm. There was no way Principal Dean was avoiding me as usual. If I had to crawl through his office window and sidestep his assistant, that’s the kind of mom-zilla I am.
    “I don’t know. Last month...I guess.” Max sipped his soup like it had been just another day in the life of Max Ridges.
    “Good job.” Monica threw up a long-distance fist bump. “Never start a fight, but never back down.”
    “That’s terrible advice.” I thought about it for a second. “No, it’s not. She’s right...only, try not to make a habit of it. Violence isn’t good unless you’re defending yourself or someone else. If you’d been