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Curt shrugged and reached for her. “Yeah, but when I made it I didn’t know a sexy DEA agent who knew her way around a toolbox would be living next door. Now that I do, I changed the plan.” He moved in, ready to kiss her.
“Change is good.” She crossed the empty space between them. “I’m glad you moved next door.” Her last words were smothered against his lips.
Me, too. Her kiss made answering her verbally impossible. So he used his lips to show her instead.
Chapter Fourteen
While not as opulent and grandiose as the Gilded Age mansion along Bellevue Avenue, his cousin’s home was more or less exactly what she’d expected. Located on Ocean Drive, the home sat on a piece of land jutting into the ocean. Sprawling green lawns spread out in all directions around the front of the home, providing a buffer between the house and the street. She could see at least three chimneys and various decks as Curt passed through the gates and down the driveway. They’d left all the vehicle’s windows down, and the sound of crashing waves entertained them along the way, getting louder the farther they drove.
“Are you sure it’s only family today?” She checked out the eight other cars parked around them, three with license plates from as far as Virginia. She recognized all the makes and models, even if she couldn’t afford most of them. Two, though, didn’t belong in the group with the others. The dark-colored pickup trucks, both with Virginia plates, stood out among the Mercedes and Porsches parked around them.
“Positive. Trent would’ve told me otherwise.” Curt got out, then came around to open her door. “It doesn’t look like my parents are here yet.”
He’d never told her his parents would be here, too. She would’ve remembered a detail like that. “Your parents are coming?”
He closed the door Reese had left open when she climbed out. Eager for some exploration, she went off to check out the flowers near the garage. “I thought I told you.” He sounded genuinely uncertain.
“Nope.”
“Mom texted me Wednesday and said they’d be here.”
She’d prepared herself to meet his cousins and uncle Mark. Meeting the guy’s parents fell into a league all its own. Her boyfriend senior year of college had been the last one to introduce her to his parents. None of her relationships since then had even approached the level of seriousness that required an introduction to parents.
“Taylor, don’t worry, they’ll love you.” Curt kissed her cheek and smiled. “Ready to go, short stuff?” he called out, before she answered or voiced her sudden apprehension.
An older woman with light brown hair and dark eyes answered the door. She didn’t resemble any of the Sherbrookes Taylor had seen in pictures. However, dressed in tan-colored shorts and a floral print top, she didn’t appear to be a staff member either. Curt confirmed her theory by hugging the woman.
“I was so glad when Trent said you were coming. I don’t think I’ve seen you since New Year’s,” the woman said. She looked Taylor’s way, a genuine smile spread across her face. “Trent mentioned you were bringing friends.” The woman extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. My stepson said you live next door to Curt.”
Taylor matched the new pieces of information with what she already knew about the Sherbrooke family. If this was Trent’s stepmother, then she was Mark Sherbrooke’s wife. “Yes, along with my mother and niece. That’s how we met.” She wondered what other details Curt had shared with his cousin.
“Abby, this is my girlfriend, Taylor, and her niece, Reese.” Curt finally got a word in. “Taylor, Abby is my uncle Mark’s wife. Did Trent put you on door duty? Do you need me to set him straight for you? I’ll go do it right now.”
“He’d never do that and you know it. I was on my way upstairs when the doorbell rang. Everyone is outside. I’ll be back down soon.” Abby walked away, leaving the three of them in the foyer.
“This place is ginormous.” Reese’s voice sounded extra loud in the silence. She turned in a small circle, her head tipped back as she gazed up at the two-story ceiling.
Well, she’s n
ot wrong.
While the house Curt owned was large, it would fit into this one with room to spare. “Let’s keep that comment to yourself.” Taylor wished she’d gone over the type of comments Reese should try to refrain from blurting out.
“Don’t worry about it. Both of you just have fun today.”
He led them down a few hallways and finally stopped at a set of glass doors. On the other side, several people sat relaxing on the patio furniture, and she could see a few more guests on the sand. She put her hand over his before he pushed open the door.
“How about a quick run through of who’s who out there.”
“You met Trent already. The woman sitting next to him is his wife, Addie.”
She’d guessed as much, but didn’t interrupt him.
“The guy walking up from the beach with the baby on his shoulders is Trent’s brother-in-law as well as my cousin Allison’s boyfriend, Rock. The baby is Trent’s son, Kendrick. Allison’s not on the deck, so she must be down on the beach.”
At least five people sat on the beach, and two of them were women. They both faced the water, making it impossible to see their faces and identify them.
“I’m guessing you recognize my cousin Jake.”
