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“You always were good at fixing things lickety-split. That’s awesome, Daddy.” I give Greer a thumbs-up. She lifts her wine glass in my direction, smiling softly. “When will you be here?”
“Not until the middle of the night. So I’ll touch base with you over the weekend.”
“That might be easier than you think. I haven’t had the chance to talk with Greer about this but I was thinking I’d stay here for a week or so, until Thanksgiving is over.”
“Oh? Why?” He doesn’t sound as happy as I thought he would.
I already came up with a good reason to stay here. One that wouldn’t give away the biggest news of my life. Ofourlife. “They’re doing some pest control at the condo. So I figured I might as well hunker down here through the holidays. If you two don’t mind?” Greer slowly shakes her head, holding a wine glass to her lips.
“Uh, well … no.”
“Are you sure? You sound hesitant. I can get a hotel.” Daddy has never made me feel unwelcome here. I’ve no clue what’s going on but it’s weird as hell.
“Absolutely not. You’ll stay in your room, right?”
“Yes. Where else would I stay?”
“I don’t know, kitten,” he answers, sounding exasperated. “I only ask because the pool house is a mess. I’m about to renovate it. So please, don’t go down there. Not even to swim.”
“I won’t.”
“And you’ve brought Ritz, I presume?”
“Of course. He’s in the living room, rubbing his butt all over the couch.”
Daddy chuckles. “Good. I look forward to seeing you both when I get home. Tell my other darling I’ll speak with her tomorrow. Get some good sleep, both of you.”
“You too, Daddy.”
I hang up and pass Greer her phone back. And as I do, I see something on the screen that catches my attention, like the faintest glimmer from a distant star. A notification to book a hotel in Prescott. Or something like that. I don’t know if I read it right. It could be something to do with Greer’s work. She did say she had some business up there yesterday.
“Stig seems happy that you’re here. And me too. Although I do know what an inconvenience it is to be displaced against your will.”
The way she says it, I venture a guess that she’s been asked to leave her home for worse reasons than pest control. But I’m still stuck on the fact that there seems to be trouble in paradise.
“Everything okay with you two?”
She tosses her hand to the side. “Oh yeah. We have minor disagreements here and there. No big deal.”
“Okay, well, if it helps I’ll probably be back and forth some, staying with Ben on occasion.”
“The new boyfriend?”
“I don’t know what to call him yet. But he feels like a boyfriend.”
“Tell me all about him over dinner.”
Sandy cooked up a broccoli casserole, some baked chicken, and a potato hash from a recipe that’s been in her family for years. It’s almost as good as Thanksgiving itself. I tell Greer all about Ben. Well, as much as I can tell her. She says he sounds sexy.
“Maybe I’ll bring him around so you two can get to know him. If he’s up for that kind of thing. Is it too soon to do that?”
She stabs a chunk of broccoli like it personally insulted her. “How long have you been seeing each other?”
“Not long. We met a couple weeks ago but we just technically got together this week.”
She bobs her head, twists her nose. “Might be a little soon. But the only way to know is to ask. Have you …?”
I flick my eyes up at her and she’s giving me a sideways look, twirling her fork in a circle.
