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“Yeah, I ran into town to have coffee with Scooter Tomkins yesterday. It’s listed with Nadine, and she told Scooter how much he wants for it.” Nadine was Scooter’s sister and the owner of Rankins Realty, the largest of the two real estate agencies in the valley.
“Huh.”
“I know. I’m surprised, too. Supposed to start on his house right about now. Wasn’t too happy about having him for a neighbor, but Scooter said some highfalutin couple already checked the property out. And I generally subscribe to the better-the-devil-you-know philosophy.”
“Me, too, Mick,” Tag agreed. “Me, too.”
* * *
PORCUPINE RELOCATION COMPLETE, Tag finally pulled into his own driveway. He was looking forward to heating up the leftovers that Emily had given him, putting his feet up and watching the last couple of innings of the ball game. As soon as he saw his cousin Janie’s SUV parked out front, though, he remembered he’d made another commitment.
Inside his house, he found Janie’s son Gareth watching the game. A basketball, the teen’s constant companion, sat on the sofa next to him like an important guest.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. I had to relocate that problem porcupine for Coach P.”
Gareth laughed. “No problem. I just got here, like, five minutes ago. Where did you take it?”
“About ten miles up toward Glacier City. I’m hoping it won’t be motivated enough to come back upstream no matter how tasty Mick’s saplings are. You want some dinner before we shoot? Emily sent me home with enough lasagna for a week.”
“Sure. Only a couple innings left in the game and it’s tied.”
A basketball scholarship was taking Gareth all the way to the University of Oregon. Tag liked to think he deserved a tiny piece of the credit for developing the kid’s skills. He’d put a ball in Gareth’s hands almost as soon as he could walk and then taken the brunt of Janie’s ire when the toddler dropped it and face-planted right over it. Instead of crying, Gareth had immediately stood and patted the ball, giving credence to Tag’s claim that Gareth was dribbling at nine months old.
Janie’s first husband had died when Gareth and his younger brother, Reagan, were in middle school and she’d been pregnant with twins. For two years, until she married her current husband, Aidan, she’d been a single mom. Tag and Bering had done their best to pick up the slack.
Basketball was Tag’s sport, too, and he loved that it had become his and Gareth’s thing. He wondered how much longer he could fool the kid into believing Tag was still the better player.
“Did you hear back about that camp?”
“Yep, I’m in.”
“Awesome.”
“Coach said the best thing I can do now is have a ball in my hand every day between now and next season.”
“He’s right about that.”
“I need to work on my outside shooting. Which reminds me, did you hear we’re having a basketball tournament on Saturday at Iris’s party?”
Tag’s three youngest siblings were triplets, of which Iris was one. Hazel and Seth were the other two. The party was at Bering and Emily’s. Years ago, Tag and Bering had installed a regulation-sized basketball half-court. Games and tournaments were a regular and eagerly anticipated part of their lives.
Tag grinned. “That should be fun. Edible prize from the Donut Den?”
“Yeah, but Mom said we can’t be on the same team anymore.”
Tag scowled. “Who made her boss?”
“Emily. She put Mom in charge of the teams and the bracket.”
“Well, in that case, we’re screwed.” As a former corporate executive for one of the largest oil and mineral extraction companies in the country, Emily’s charm and organizational skills, combined with the sheer force of her will, left no room for argument.
Gareth chuckled his agreement. “Yeah, but the party will be epic.”
CHAPTER FOUR
FRIDAY, THE LAST day of Ally’s first week on the job, and she’d only been in her office a few minutes when Flynn popped his head in.
“Hey, you got a second?”
“For you? Always.”
He came in and took a seat. “A couple of things. First—don’t forget we have a party to go to tomorrow.”
