“Yeah, I’m sure everything is pretty different out here on the East Coast,” Chip said. Then he frowned and leaned in closer. “You should keep your wits about you. This neighborhood isn’t as safe as it looks.”
“What do you mean?”
“New people moving in and out all the time. It’s transient now,” he said, waving his hand scornfully. “Not like it used to be.”
She refrained from pointing out thatshewas one of those transient new people.
“Well, everyone has made us feel very welcome,” she said stiffly. He had a Get Off My Lawn vibe that she found off putting.
“So how did the whole Instagram thing take off?” she asked, trying to bring the conversation back to a lighter subject.
Trey dipped another celery stick into a bowl of hummus. “Aspen worked in social media marketing before we got married. She wanted to keep working, and I wanted her to stay home and focus on our family.”
Kiersten shifted in her seat.I’ll bet you did.
“Daddy, will you cut my hot dog for me?”
“Mommy will be back in a minute,” Trey said, glancing at his daughter.
Women’s work, apparently.Kiersten crumpled her hands into fists. What if she choked?
“I can do it.” She reached over and cut the hot dogs into safe bite-size pieces.
“Thanks,” he said, munching on a celery stick. “Anyway, after Aspen quit working, she asked me if she could post a few videos, talking about homeschooling and baking with Grammy’s recipes.”
Kiersten’s eyebrows rose, and she forced her face back into a more neutral expression. Aspen had to ask her husband forpermissionto post videos?
“I said sure, go ahead. I didn’t think it would lead to anything,” Trey added.
“And he was wrong about that,” his father said with a look Kiersten couldn’t read. There was an undercurrent here, a tone she couldn’t identify.
“Yeah. I was wrong,” Trey admitted, an edge to his voice. “I had no idea it would be come this hugething. Our timing was perfect. The whole trad wife movement started trending just as we began adopting Grammy’s lifestyle and recipes. So basically, we got lucky.”
“Or you have a really smart wife who understands how social media works,” Kiersten said, pushing her plate away.
“It’s not like she’s the primary breadwinner or anything.” Trey’s words had a defensive tinge. “There’s not actually a whole lot of money in being an influencer at our level. The money comes when you parlay your followers into something else, like a TV deal. We get a lot of free stuff, but the property-development and real estate company where I work with my dad and grandfather are still our primary source of income.”
“Until this HGTV deal goes through,” his father said. “That’s the big payoff. Then your wife will bring home the bacon.”
Trey narrowed his eyes. “I’m the one negotiating that deal.”
Chip clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I know you are, son. And you’re doing a helluva job. And when the deal goes through, we’ve got big plans for that money, don’t we?”
“We do,” his son said. “Lots of changes coming when that money hits our account.”
“What kinds of changes?” Kiersten asked.
A secretive look crossed his face. “We can’t discuss details yet.”
“By the way,” Chip interrupted, abruptly changing the subject, “this morning Aspen told me you found some old diaries in your basement?”
“I did.” Kiersten wiped her mouth on a lace napkin that seemed far too nice to actually use. “They belonged to a woman who lived here on Beaverbrook Lane in 1965, but I don’t know her full name. And I was wondering if your parents would be willing to take a look and see if they can figure out who they belong to.”
“I’m sure they’d be happy to help,” Chip said.
“Great. I would have asked sooner, but I know your mother is recovering from cataract surgery.”
He nodded. “She had both eyes done last week. But she’s feeling much better now. Why don’t you come over tomorrow after lunch and they can take a look?”
