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Harriet began to giggle and grabbed her brother’s hand. Again, she whispered behind her hand into his ear. Again, it was so loud everyone could hear. “Auntie’s boyfriend.”
The kids ran down the hall and disappeared, leaving Wyatt with Katherine. She indicated he should follow her, so he doffed his boots and hung up his coat before following her to the family room at the back of the house.
The décor was tasteful, understated, and classy.
“This is real nice,” he said, walking up to the windows that overlooked the lake. In the distance, he saw Pottahawk Island, and beyond that, the shores that touched his family’s home base.
“It’s certainly different from living in town, but I do love it out here. And the view is one of the reasons we bought.” She paused. “Can I get you anything?”
“No. I’m good.” Wyatt turned around. “Are Adam and Violet here?”
“Adam is out of town on business, and Violet is with Regan. You didn’t know that?”
“No. I wasn’t sure what Regan was up to. She just said she had errands and asked that I meet her here.”
“Hmm.”
Wyatt generally had a good read on people, and he got the feeling Katherine Thorne wasn’t a fan. It annoyed him a bit—he wasn’t used to people not liking him. Never mind that most
people he met went out of their way to meet him, A) because of his celebrity status or B) because they wanted something from him. Thing was? Not too many folks that crossed his path didn’t like him.
The front door flew open just then, and Violet and Regan stomped in like a herd of buffalo. They carried bags and boxes and a heck of a lot of snow on their feet. Their laughter was contagious, and he smiled as he watched them navigate the boots already at the door, the things in their arms, and each other.
Violet Thorne was a blast from the past, and he smiled when she caught sight of him. Her vibrant red hair was more colorful than he remembered, helped in part by streaks of black and blue, and her smile was as open and warm as he remembered.
He helped the girls bring in their bags. They’d obviously been to the grocery store, and just as they gathered in the large, bright kitchen, Frank and the twins joined them.
Regan’s father had aged well. He looked like he was in shape, had a full head of hair, and a hearty laugh that put everyone at ease. He used to help coach football, and Wyatt had vivid memories of the loud, exuberant man yelling at the defense from the sidelines.
“Sir,” Wyatt said, offering his hand. The man slapped him on the shoulder and shook his hand vigorously.
“It’s Frank. Sir makes me feel ancient.” He stood back, a wide grin on his face. “Nice to see you, son. It’s been a lot of years.” He winked. “Can I get you a beer?”
Wyatt smiled. Okay. This might be a win after all.
Turned out some of the bags contained Chinese takeout from a new place, Yin’s, and they sat down right away, not wanting the food to get cold. The kids ate their way through an impressive amount of rice and chicken balls before repeatedly attempting to steal everyone’s fortune cookies.
“No,” Violet said for the fourth time. “We each get our own fortune.” She gathered them in her hand, and everyone took a turn retrieving their own. The twins tore into theirs right away. They wolfed down the sugary cookies and didn’t seem interested in their fortunes.
After all that.
“What does yours say?” Regan poked him as she broke open her cookie. “Oh. Mine’s good.” She leaned against him, and he peered into her hands. “A fortune for the lucky means a big win in your future.” She made a face. Guess I should buy a lottery ticket.”
“That would be a first,” Violet said. She looked at Hudson. “She’s cheap as hell, you know.”
“Really?” He chuckled.
“You see the car she drives?” Violet made a face. “I rest my case.”
Regan reached for his and snagged it before he had a chance to see what it said.
“Regan,” Katherine said. “That was rude.”
She shrugged and obviously didn’t care. Neither did Wyatt. Watching her smile and be relaxed and happy, well, he would have given up a hundred million fortunes.
Her laughter slowly faded, and she crumpled up the paper before he could grab it back. “What does it say?”
“Just a bunch of numbers,” she said. “You got a bum fortune.”
