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I wasn’t able to give it much more thought because Laura asked, “Why aren’t you staying at the clubhouse?”
“He said it had something to do with the parties, I guess,” I stated. “And he didn’t want me staying with Zip.”
“Zip?” Joni repeated her tone flat.
I peered at her closely and understanding finally dawned. Joni had a thing for Zip, but for some reason she wasn’t open about it.
“Zip offered his guest room, but Colt squashed that idea immediately.”
“Interesting,” Laura murmured.
“Very interesting,” Joni agreed.
Laura peered at Joni. “Do you think he—”
“Oh yes, most definitely,” Joni interrupted.
“It’s a good thing, right?” Laura pressed.
“Absolutely. Totally necessary. Long overdue.”
“I so agree.”
My gaze lobbied back and forth between the two women who were clearly speaking in code.
Laura glanced back at me and grinned, holding up a black halter dress. “I think you’ll look awesome in this.”
I was really starting to like her.
I wanted to ask Joni everything there was to know about her brother, but I battled my curiosity and shut it away. After a few more loads of laundry, Laura and Joni left, and I was alone with Colt in his home. Alone with a man I didn’t really know. So much had happened since he’d found me curled up on the steps of his garage.
Now I was in his house, feeling like an unwanted intruder that had to be tended to, like a plant you had to water if you didn’t want it to die.
Colt popped a beer and handed it to me.
I took it, our fingers touching.
“Come sit outside with me while I grill the steaks,” he said.
I nodded and followed him out of the kitchen, past the table that had been set with plates and a salad bowl, to the sliding back door that led to the patio.
He gestured to one of the chairs with a blue cushion. I took a seat and watched as he lifted the hood, took a pair of tongs, and set two huge ribeyes onto the grill. They sizzled, and my mouth watered in Pavlovian response.
I searched for a topic of conversation, not wanting to sit in silence. “I like your sister.”
He grunted.
“I like Laura too,” I said, not deterred by his stoicism. “Both are incredibly kind. Generous.”
“They bring you some good stuff?” he asked.
“Yeah. They did.”
The early evening sun was still fully aloft and I took a moment to gaze at the acreage at the rear of Colt’s property. It was green and gold, and I could imagine large family gatherings here. Noisy with laughter and conversation. It was a nice vision.
“What are you thinking about?” Colt asked.
Startled, I realized he’d been staring at me for a few minutes while I’d been lost in thought. “Your house. Seems like it’s fit for a family.” I paused. “I saw the photos on the staircase wall.”
