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“We are,” Chris snapped. “Cindy, why don’t you take the tour with your sons.”
“What are you worried about, Chris? Annie doesn’t seem like the jealous type.”
But she gave him an all-knowing wink, which Annie didn’t miss.
Finally, the party began to break up. Chris’s brushes were drying out and Justin didn’t have all day to spray paint. Blessedly, Katrina and Dave led the procession out the front door.
“Gosh you drove all that way for an hour?” Katrina asked of Cindy as they walked to the driveway.
“We’re going to Val’s for the night,” Cindy replied, glancing at Chris.
Val Amotte was Chris’s birth father, and the brothers had just discovered that his conception was a product of rape. Chris stopped in his tracks.
“How in the hell did that come about?”
“Chris, calm down. Ben got in touch with Val, and his wife invited us for dinner, that’s all. They said they have plenty of room for us so we’re staying.”
“Ben, why’d you do that?” Chris asked, petulant. “I wish you’d asked me first.”
“Dad, he’s my grandfather. That’s important to me. We waited for you to introduce us to the family and when you didn’t, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
Chris motioned for Cindy to join him away from the others.
“What is your problem?” she asked, reluctantly following him.
“You had no business encouraging that relationship. I can’t go into details right now, but trust me, you don’t want our boys involved with Val Amotte.”
“You’re losing it, Chris. Why was it okay for you to meet him and not us?”
“It’s complicated and I don’t feel at liberty to go into it right now. You need to trust me when I tell you that he is not someone you want our boys getting intimate with.”
She had the decency to look at him with some remorse. “What am I supposed to do about it now? They’re expecting us.”
“Go to dinner if you must, but a sleepover seems a little off the charts if you ask me.”
It took another half hour of chatting and chasing Davie around the yard, but soon, they were all on their way except for Justin, Chris, and Annie, who stood looking at the cars departing with such relief that she wanted to cry.
“I guess this means we can get back to work,” Chris said, annoyed. “Did you survive meeting Cindy, Annie?”
“I survived. I took Justin’s advice,” she said, winking at her future brother-in-law.
“What was it?” Chris asked.
“Grin and bear it,” Annie said, kissing his cheek.
Chapter 2
Creole Cottage is just a few miles from Chris Harcourt’s new house, so it only took five minutes for Dave and Katrina to get home.
“Quick, get that kid in his crib before he lays waste to the cottage,” Katrina cried. “We should know better than to take him out during his rest time.”
The moment Dave took the little guy into his nursery, he saw his crib and calmed right down. He no longer napped during the day, but for one hour, his parents would have peace and quiet while he recharged. When Dave came out, he was grinning.
“You know he won’t sleep.”
“I know that, but he likes his quiet time,” Katrina said, staring into the fridge. “What would you like to eat?”
“Surprise me.”
