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Secretly, I agreed with her, but if that was what he wanted, there wasn’t anything either of us could do. Val had hoped it would be a phase, but I knew better. Will was determined, and when he decided on something, he went through with it—which he did. I was proud of him even though he skirted too close to the danger line for my peace of mind.
When dark gray clouds gathered above, my thoughts flew to Maddie and her determination to keep the project on track. Did she account for bad weather when she drew a timeline for a project? Or would she stubbornly work through the rain? Somehow, I felt I already knew the answer.
“They weren’t kidding about that storm warning,” I said.
“Storm warning?” Will asked.
Lori nodded. “They announced it this morning. I wonder if it’ll have an impact on the whole terracing business.”
“I’ll check with Maddie when I get home,” I assured her. Lori cocked a brow and failed to disguise a knowing smile.
“So, what other plans do you have today, Landon?”
She didn’t say “besides checking on Maddie” out loud, but I picked up the gist of her question.
“I’m meeting Craig and his wife before dinner.” Craig was one of our oldest childhood friends.
“So you’re free after dinner? Maybe I should take you out,” Lori teased.
“Ah, you didn’t get enough big-brother teasing from me?” I volleyed back smoothly, fighting a smile.
She narrowed her eyes, looking at me with mock menace. “So that’s how you’re gonna play it?”
I held up a hand. “This is fair game. I only use underhanded tactics for people who don’t share our blood.”
“So you keep saying,” she muttered.
“I can help with that,” Will offered. “What were you teasing her about? I fall into the older brother category.”
“Buddy, you’re the third oldest in the family,” Lori said. “That in no way qualifies you to be in the older category. Or the youngest. You’re in the wishy-washy middle with me.”
That was true. Jace was the youngest, followed by Hailey. Then came Lori and Will. But I knew why Will felt part of the older gang. When Val and I were at the pub, he’d often cooked dinner for Lori, Hailey, and Jace, and helped them with homework.
I’d missed bantering with my siblings after moving away.
“Val and Landon are twins. Technically, I’m the second oldest,” Will said.
Lori wrinkled her nose, directing us all toward Milo, who had skipped two booths ahead. “Technicalities don’t work for me, just like your badge doesn’t.”
“You seem to find it useful when you ask me to come up with bogus rules for Milo. Remember the time you made me tell him I could arrest him for eating too many sweets?”
“It’s so easy to pawn that off on you, though. He is a big believer in badges. And I’m a big believer in chocolate fudge.” She smiled, pointing to a booth. “I’ll treat all of us.”
“You don’t have to—” Will and I began, but she cut us off.
“My treat. No negotiating. As a thank-you to both of you for coming here today.”
Half an hour later, the downpour began. We’d managed to take cover under a tarp just in time. We waited and then waited some more, but it showed no sign of stopping. I’d texted Maddie once, but she hadn’t replied. I was growing restless with worry. Was she out in the rain?
When it became clear the downpour would continue, I bid Lori, Will, and Milo goodbye and hailed a cab. I texted Maddie again, but she didn’t answer. The rain was so thick you could barely see anything out the window. The traffic was a nightmare. It took me hours to reach the house.
When I stepped out of the cab, it seemed to me that only Maddie’s car was parked here. I stepped through the front gate and scanned the grounds. The rain soaked me in seconds. I had to use my palm as protection over my eyes to keep the rain from stabbing my eyeballs. The entire yard seemed covered in some sort of plastic tarp. Only the wooden trail was uncovered. I didn’t see Maddie, and my shoulders felt lighter. But as I finished scanning the front yard, movement on the far left caught my attention.
I groaned. There she was, her hands maneuvering the end of the tarp. And she was... arguing with herself? I couldn’t tell, but she was talking and shaking her head, and there was no one around. I headed straight toward her.
“What are you doing out here?” I tapped her shoulder, but she still startled, whirling around.
“I need to secure the cover with spikes,” she explained.
