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“Baby girl!” was cried back.
And he rounded the corner just as Gen hit a body that was in the opened door, wrapped her arms around it, and swayed it side to side.
“Uh…” Gage prompted.
“Her daughter,” Duncan muttered.
“Ah,” Gage said.
Sully was standing off to the side, still and staring.
Too still.
Duncan would get why in a second.
Gen pulled away but kept her hands on a woman Duncan could not see.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Chloe told me I had to meet this Duncan. And so, here I am, to meet Duncan.”
Gen shifted aside and called to him, “Look, darling, Sasha’s here.”
Gage stopped dead.
Chloe had her father’s coloring and her mother’s style.
Sasha looked like her mother.
Long, blonde, beach hair, supremely ripped jeans, little satin cami, massive slouchy cardigan, tangle of two dozen necklaces, moccasins on her feet, and entirely makeup free, but healthy tan notwithstanding.
At least she had on shoes.
That’d be an additional item of clothing both his sons had to mentally take off.
Which was what they were doing.
“You’re Duncan,” Sasha said, coming forward, hand extended.
He was wrong.
She was taller than her mother. Slimmer. Willowy.
But she had Genny’s blue eyes and bright, big smile.
“Yup.” He put out a hand. “Sasha, really cool to meet you, kid.”
She folded her fingers around his, cupped her other hand on top, and replied, “Right back at cha.”
He let her go and she turned side to side, taking in his sons.
“My boys, Sullivan and Gage.”
“Hi, guys!” she greeted excitedly, going to Sul first, who’d pulled it together to return her greeting and shake her hand. Then to Gage, who shook woodenly and couldn’t stop staring. She then whirled and exclaimed, “God, Momma! Are you making meatballs?”
“Yes, darling,” Gen confirmed.
“Have you had them before?” Sasha asked Duncan, whirling back to do it.
“A long time ago,” Duncan answered. And then, when it looked like this information was a weight she could not bear, he quickly said, “And really lookin’ forward to having them again. My boys having them. And having you at my table. Glad you’re here. Come on in. You want some wine or a beer?”
Gen claimed her to bring her forward as Sasha answered, “Totes beer.”
“I’ll get it,” Gage offered readily, and then hustled off.
“My God, this place is like…it’s like…rad,” Sasha declared, looking around as she moved. “I mean, this might be the coolest pad I’ve ever been in. Seriously.”
“This is saying something, Bowie, since she’s dined with several maharishis and the Dalai Lama in their I’m sure not-so-humble abodes,” Gen called.
“I have not, Mom, stop being a goof,” Sasha chastised. “I mean, not the Dalai Lama.”
“I’ll stop being a goof when you stop doing my head in by not letting me know where you are ninety-nine-point-nine-nine percent of the time,” Genny retorted.
“Whatever,” Sasha muttered, then asked. “Bowie?”
“If you are very lucky and win the heart of Bowie like Chloe did, you might learn the story.”
“It’s totally spiritual,” Sully said.
And he meant that.
Gage handed her an opened beer.
“Thanks so much!” Sasha cried in delight.
“Don’t mention it,” Gage muttered, instead of saying, “I live to serve you.”
“Sul, get Sasha a plate,” Duncan ordered, heading to check the food on the stove. “Gage, look in on the bread.”
Both boys moved.
“Chloe’s won his heart?” Sasha asked her mother.
“Yes,” Genny answered.
“Chloe?” Sasha didn’t hide her shock.
Genny laughed.
Duncan chuckled.
“Who’s Chloe?” Sully, sidling close, muttered to him.
“Genny’s oldest daughter,” Duncan answered.
“There’s another one of her?” Gage was also close and sounding strangled.
Duncan chuckled again.
“So you’ve now met both of them?” Sully asked.
“Yup,” Duncan answered.
“We have a brother too. Two of them, really, since we claim Hale.”
Both his boys jumped because that was from Sasha and she was right there, holding her hair back and bending over the vat of sauce.
She sniffed, closing her eyes and emitting a long, “Ah.”
Duncan heard Gage groan.
He looked to his boots.
He looked back at her when she said, “You guys are in for a treat. Mom’s red sauce is everything.”
And with a sweet smile directed at them, she drifted away.
“Did I just hear a seagull call?” Gage asked.
Duncan felt pain in his middle from trying not to bust a gut laughing.
“And Mom, just a heads up, there’s going to be news coming from that direction. And not from Hale.”
That made Duncan look hard at Sasha, who was now looking at her mother.
So Duncan turned to Genny.
She looked freaked.
“What kind of news?” she asked.
“I should let Matt tell you,” Sasha muttered.
“Oh no, baby girl, you cannot drop that morsel and not carry it through. What?” Genny demanded.
“Okay, so you can’t lose it,” Sasha started.
“Uh-oh,” Sul mumbled.
“Holy shit,” Gage said.
“Just spill,” Genny ordered.
“He’s dropping out of med school,” Sasha declared.
“Uh-oh,” Sul mumbled.
“Holy shit,” Gage said.
Genny’s face was getting red. “He…”
“Gen—” Duncan tried to get in there.
“What?” she shouted.
“Momma—” Sasha began.
But Genny was on the move.
To her purse.
Which undoubtedly was where her phone was.
