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“I won’t let her out of my sight, Kyle,” Whitney said softly, smiling at Katie, who was pulling on the necklace Whitney was wearing.
“If you’re sure—” I hesitated.
“Please, supervise my husband,” Meg pleaded.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go.” I laughed, grabbing a couple more beers and heading outside.
Adam and Robert were standing next to the overpriced stainless-steel grill that Adam had never figured out how to use properly. Considering how intelligent Adam was and how easy it was to grill food, it continued to surprise me how he ended up burning the meat every time he used the thing.
“You’re using way too much lighter fluid on those coals. Do you want those expensive rib eyes to taste like chemicals?” I shoved my friend to the side and dumped more coals into the bottom of the grill. “Do you have some paper I can use to light these?”
“Yeah, Robert, can you get that newspaper from the table? Will that work?” Adam asked.
“Perfect.” I bent over and arranged the coals, so it was easier for them to light, and when Robert handed me the paper, I balled it up and shoved it beneath them. After a few minutes, the coals had caught fire and started smoldering nicely.
“I don’t understand what’s so hard about that?” I joked, closing the cover of the grill and handing out the beers I brought outside with me.
“Go ahead and take my dude card, because I suck.” Adam laughed.
The rest of the party came outside. I noticed that Whitney was walking with Katie, her little hand in hers. Katie looked up at Whitney with something like adoration.
Skylar and Meg sat at the patio table while Lena and Whitney supervised the kids on the new wooden swing set and climbing structure Adam had just installed.
“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be putting up the monkey bars? You’ve got at least a year before you have to worry about that,” Jeremy stated.
“You sound like Meg,” Adam retorted with a shrug. “But you know me; I don’t wait around. I saw it online, so I ordered it. Took me all weekend to put it up too, but I think it looks great.”
“Is it safe?” I asked with some concern. Adam wasn’t the best at building things. Or grilling, obviously. I watched Katie scramble up the ramp, Whitney carefully watching her the whole time.
“Of course, it’s safe. Don’t be an ass,” Adam scoffed, though his eyebrows knitted together as if he wasn’t so sure.
“It’s fine. Clayton from the hardware store came by and checked it over. Says you did a great job too, babe,” Meg interjected, always coming to her husband’s defense. It had been that way all through middle and high school too. But then there were those years where they tried to pretend the other didn’t exist, even though they weren’t really fooling any of us.
I glanced up at Whitney at the same time she looked my way.
“Your sister really has a way with kids, Meg,” Rob said as Katie squealed with delight. Whitney pushed her on the swing, sending her a little higher—but not so high that I would have a heart attack watching them.
“Yeah, she is. I hope one day she has some of her own.” Meg smiled indulgently at her sister. I started imagining Whitney as a mother and watching her, I could almost see her as one that a child would be lucky to have. I was close to sliding down a dangerous slope when Jeremy and Adam started talking about the new development being built on the outskirts of town that they were hired to litigate, and I could focus on something else.
“It’s been a nightmare. Some out of town buyer snatched up all that land out by the lake. I had no idea Mr. Johnson was even trying to sell. Next thing I know, some woman named Kyla Reed is calling the office asking if Robert will handle the paperwork around the sale. Plans on building a bunch of condos and even some shops. Once old Marla Delacroix found out, she was none too happy, let me tell you. Says it will take away business from the downtown area.” Adam leaned over to check on the coals, smoke billowing into his face.
“Why did she want you to handle it, Rob?” I asked. Robert Jenkins’ face was shuttered, per usual, but he seemed stiffer than usual.
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it, Robbie” Jeremy added with a smirk.
“Do you know her?” Skylar asked with a frown.
Rob looked at Skylar, and it seemed as if something unspoken passed between them, though I couldn’t be sure. “I passed it on to Adam. He was better able to help her with what she wanted. My experience with real estate is limited.”
I noticed he never answered Skylar’s question, and she did too. Her frown deepened, but for once she didn’t pry, shocking the hell out of me.
