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"Did you quit all that since you got married?" Astrid asked.
"Hardly," Charlie said. "She's leaving in two months to go to Europe."
"It's a trip of a lifetime," Savannah said, looking a little apologetic. "Charlie's amazing for letting me go. One of my old jumping buddies planned it, and he called and gave me the itinerary—asked if I wanted to go with them. There's four of us." She smiled and let out a contented sigh. "There are sooo many good, legal, amazing places to jump in Europe. I've been to England and France, but he's got us going all over the place—Spain, Germany, Greece, and Norway."
"I've never been out of the country," I said.
"Oh, I love traveling. Though, it's maybe not as glamorous as it looks on internet videos. We travel cheap. I've been on trips with Gavin before, and we stay anywhere and sleep on couches. I'm a low-maintenance companion, and he knows that. I'm the only female going."
Charlie got several looks at that statement, and Savannah leaned over and hugged him. "Charlie knows where he stands with me," she said. She looked at the side of his face with an adoring expression and touched his cheek. "This man has nothing to worry about." She was so certain and convinced that we all believed her.
"In other good news," Max said, hearing Savannah and making an announcement of his own. "We're keeping the house." A few scattered claps and whoops of excitement happened. "We'll have a schedule posted online, so we know who's staying when. Do not forget to check the calendar if you're going to try to plan a trip here. Astrid wanted me to make sure you all knew that you needed to check the calendar." He gestured to my dad. "Mr. Paul is going to be here full-time, so call him if you need anything when you come stay. His number is on the fridge."
A few more people responded with sounds of excitement and my dad smiled and gave a humble nod. The giant dining room table was filling up by the second, and I tried to blend into the background.
"Paul's going to have plenty to do around here, so when you come, leave everything like you found it. Astrid and Danny wanted to keep the house in the family, so they sold it to me and my boys at a very fair price. And family is family, so you're all welcome here any time. We have plenty of room so justcheck the calendarif you want to use it. Oh, and I might build another structure, an office in the woods. That'll be off-limits if you stumble across it."
"Telling us it's off-limits just makes us all want to go in," Caleb said, causing everyone to laugh.
Max shook his head and smiled because he knew no one would snoop. Max Morgan had everything under control. He had been single for a long time, and he and all three of his sons all had a powerful, mysterious air about them. It was odd to me that he was making all of these announcements in my presence. Part of me thought he forgot I was there, but I knew that wasn't the truth. He was sharp. They all were. I felt like the people in this room could outwit most of the other people in the world.
After Max spoke, people began eating and talking in small groups. He was close enough to me that I could hear continued conversation and I knew that people were asking him questions about the property.
Savannah was sitting in the chair next to me, and she leaned over to speak to me where no one else could hear us. "Would you ever go out with AJ?"
"What?" I asked, whispering and gawking at her.
Her eyes widened just a little. "I think AJ is planning on asking you out. What would you say if he did?"
"AJ is a player," I said.
She gave a little shrug and smile. "Some girls like a lady's man."
Our exchange was extremely discreet. We were speaking patiently and whispering where we could barely hear each other.
"And besides, you can just go out with him one time. He's a nice guy. You guys could probably hang out with Charlie and me."
"How do you even know he wants to ask me out?" I asked.
I felt silly for asking, but the whole interaction was unexpected, and I waited for her answer.
She hesitated. The conversation next to us had grown quiet, and she didn't want to be obvious.
"He told me," she said, finally, with an easy shrug.
The whole situation made me smile. It was a nervous smile, but I was smiling nonetheless. Savannah glanced at me.
"You're smiling. Do you want him to ask you?"
"I'm not smiling because of that. I'm just nervous. I didn't expect you to say any of this."
"Tots?" Danny, Astrid's husband was holding a basket of tots from over my shoulder, offering it to Savannah and me.
"No thanks," she said, shaking her head. I reached out and took a few, thanking him. I was happy that he bailed me out of an unexpected conversation.
AJ Cameron was extremely desirable—one of the more charismatic of the grandkids—and he was angelic-looking to boot. He had a reputation for being a player. I was well aware that I had no long-term dating potential with AJ, but I couldn't help but be a little flattered that he mentioned me.
