“Yeah, she’s a slammer. Doors. Cabinets. Pots and pans.”
Hayden’s phone buzzes on the nightstand. Before he can even reach for it, it buzzes again. Then again. After picking it up and reading the screen, Hayden drops back to his pillow.
“Bad news?” I ask, because he doesn’t look happy. Instead of answering, he hands me his phone so I can read the text messages.
COLLEEN
Why are you staying at that woman’s house?
COLLEEN
Hayden William Reilly, you better answer me.
COLLEEN
Why would you stay with that woman when you have a lovely room here?
As I’m reading, another text arrives.
AARON
Mom just called and told me to drive by the Gamble house and see if your car’s really in the driveway because she can’t believe you would actually do this to her. I take it this means I’m the favorite son again.
Laughing, I hand the phone back to him. “I think your brother’s enjoying this.”
I take advantage of Hayden being distracted by his family to snatch up some clean clothes and head for the bathroom. I don’t usually get dressed for the day in the bathroom, but we haven’t had a man in the house since my dad died. Also, stripping out of my pajamas and getting dressed in my bedroom while Hayden’s in there feels far too intimate. He may have seen me naked once, but we’re not making it a habit.
Once I’m wearing my armor of jeans and a blue T-shirt, which is about as festive as I get for the Fourth of July, I go back down the hall to my room. It isn’t until I’ve stepped through the door I realize Hayden could be getting dressed, but he’s still in bed.
He’s sitting up against the headboard now, though, with his phone in his hand and Penny on his lap. “I didn’t have a logical excuse ready to give my mother as to why we wouldn’t stay in the very nice guest suite I specifically made so I could stay there when I’m in town.”
That woman.
That house.
There’s a very logical excuse for me being nervous about staying at Colleen’s house, though. She doesn’t like us, and her son marrying me didn’t magically change that. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her I was fixing a few things around the house for my mother-in-law so it was easier to stay here, and then I got a text from Aaron letting me know Mom told him to tell me she’s no longer speaking to me.”
“I’m sorry.” If I’d just sucked it up and agreed to stay at Colleen’s for the weekend, I’d have the only mother throwing a temper tantrum.
He waves away my apology. “It’s not that serious. If she was upset enough to actually impact our relationship, she wouldn’t have dragged Aaron into it. Is she mad? Yes. Will she get over it? Also yes.”
“Considering our mothers are kind of known for holding grudges, I doubt that, but I’ll take your word for it. So what’s the plan for today?”
He grins, giving his face a boyish charm that weakens my knees. “Fourth of July in Sumac Falls! Ice cream. Family. Popcorn. Lots of booths to explore.”
“I do like ice cream, popcorn and exploring booths,” I say, and he chuckles to let me know the omission wasn’t lost on him. “You didn’t mention the fireworks.”
“About them,” he says. “Like most dogs, Penny isn’t a fan. And being away from home… Even in Boston, we hang out and watch movies together. You’re a dog person. You know how that is. So I’ll be here with Penny, and if you want to go with Gin, you have a valid reason for having a little time away from me.”
I don’t confess I don’t actually want time away from him. I just wish our time together didn’t involve lies, anxiety and fraud. Or my mother. “We can play it by ear.”
“We’ll enjoy the daylight activities, though, won’t we, Penny?” She lifts her head and licks the back of his hand once.
“Maybe you’ll run into some old friends.”
“I only had two really good friends in school and, like me, they got the hell out of Sumac Falls. Unlike me, they didn’t come back. Their families moved away, too.”
