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I purse my lips and then giggle. “You’re too young to remember Kane stumbling into the house, drunk at sixteen, trying to act nonchalant. I thought Da was going to kill him. And then there was the time that Keegan got caught trying to have sex with Elizabeth Scooner in his car in the park. The cops called Da on that one. Threatened to charge Keegan with indecent exposure.”
Maggie’s eyes go wide, and then she busts up laughing. “Okay, never mind. We should really buy them presents more often than just holidays.”
“Flowers every single day,” I agree with a nod. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be home until sometime tomorrow morning, but I should be at the pub for my evening shift.”
“Just let me know if you can’t make it, and we’ll figure it out,” Maggie replies with a yawn. “Oh, guess what?”
“What?”
“I have a date tomorrow. A morning date because I work nights.”
“With who?” I sit up in surprise. “Mary Margaret, you have to tell me everything.”
“This guy, Eddie, who works at the gym, asked me out. I thought, what the hell? So, while you’re coming home tomorrow, I’ll be eating waffles and staring at a hot musclehead guy.”
“I want to know everything,” I say and point at her. “Be safe. Call me when you’re done.”
“Yes, mother. Okay, I’d better get back out there. It’s actually pretty quiet tonight, for a summer evening.”
“Have a good night.”
“You, too.” She blows me a kiss and hangs up. I lean against the pillows of the bed. This place is posh. I wouldn’t usually splurge like this, but now that I know I won’t be buying my dream home, I figured I deserved something extra indulgent tonight.
I never realized that a person could mourn for a thing. But I sure had a bad moment this afternoon when I drafted those papers. The owners moved to Phoenix, so I suspect that Hunter will be able to take ownership quickly. The furniture inside is for staging. As soon as papers are signed, we’ll have the company come and empty it out.
Realistically, it can all happen pretty quickly.
I’ll find another house. There’s always another one. Or, I’ll buy a lot when one comes up for sale and build.
There are options.
In the meantime, I have a great home. It’s not like I’m homeless or anything.
I sip my wine, and my phone suddenly rings at my elbow. I look down and smile.
“Hello there.”
“Did you get to your hotel okay?” Hunter asks. His voice is soft in my ear. I can’t help but wonder how it would sound if his lips were pressed directly to my skin, and a rush of pleasure moves through me.
“I did.” I grin and sip my wine. “I’m in my room, wrapped in the robe they provide, with a glass of wine in hand. This turned into a little vacation.”
“Well, that sounds a hell of a lot better than the icy silence in my house tonight.”
“She’s fifteen, Hunter,” I remind him gently. “It’s her civic duty to make your life difficult.”
“She’s good at it.” There’s a smile in his voice now. “I tried to talk to her, but she’s just mad.”
“Give her a day or two. She’ll relax a bit.”
“You sound so sure.”
“I know it’s easy for me to say, given that I don’t have any kids, and she’s not living with me. But I was a fifteen-year-old girl once. After a couple of days, I’d soften a bit.” I sigh and turn onto my side. “You know, if you can’t get away tomorrow, I’ll call one of my brothers to come get me. It’s really not a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal,” he counters. “I’ll be the one to take you home.”
I grin, grateful that he insisted. I want to see him again. I don’t know where this is going or what we’re doing, but I’m enjoying him.
“Okay.”
“What are you going to do with the rest of your evening?” he asks.
“Well, I don’t usually sleep much. But, I don’t have my computer with me, so I’m being forced to relax. Which means I’ll likely find movies on TV and veg out. Maybe I’ll order up some junk food, too.”
“I’ll be right over.”
I laugh, enjoying him. “Maybe, someday, we can have a redo of tonight and veg out together.”
“I suspect I’d have other things in mind to do with you in that hotel room,” he says. “And it wouldn’t include being lazy.”
“Oh? What would it include, Mr. Meyers?”
He sighs. “I’ll be happy to show you. Sooner rather than later. Now, before I say a bunch of stuff that I might regret later, I’ll let you go be lazy. I’m going to hit the punching bag for a while and get some of this pent-up energy out.”
I grin. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. Just text me whenever you’re ready. I’m at the Four Seasons.”
