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“Oh, shit,” I gasped, looking at my phone. “I told Flynn we’d be at the dining hall fifteen minutes ago.”
“Can we come back tomorrow?”
“To the farmhouse?”
Stella nodded.
“Of course we can. In fact, maybe I’ll ask Rip to come along so we can see what it would take to modernize it.”
Stella’s head spun in my direction. “Modernize it?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her face. “Just to make it livable.”
“Livable is fine. Modernize, over my dead body.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Stella covered her face with her hands.
“It’s just an expression,” I murmured, so glad I’d driven the old pickup, so I could stop and pull her into my arms.
“I said something so similar to my aunt.”
“Stella, don’t go there. Both are common expressions.”
She wiped away a new set of tears. “Flynn is waiting for us.”
“We can skip tonight, if you’d rather.”
“No. I’m actually starving.”
“Uh-oh. Look out. I hope there’s enough for everyone else.”
“Shut up,” she said under her breath. All I cared about was that she was smiling.
28
Stella
“Stella!” shouted Flynn the minute I walked in the door of the dining hall. “I have something for you back at the house. It came yesterday, and I completely forgot to bring it to you.”
“What is it?”
Flynn shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“An envelope? A package?”
“A box.”
My eyes met Buck’s. “Would you mind?” I mouthed.
He shook his head. “We’re gonna run over there now.” He made a sweeping motion with his arm. “Looks like you’ve got plenty of help.”
Cope, Ali, and Irish were all in the kitchen, as were Buck’s brothers. Near Porter, stood the woman who’d given me the creeps every time I saw her. She raised her hand in a wave, but she wasn’t looking at me. Her eyes were riveted to Buck.
“Ready?” he asked without even looking in her direction. Something that did not go unnoticed by her.
“What’s Porter’s girlfriend’s name?” I asked as we walked back over to the truck.
“Beth.”
“The two of you used to be together?”
