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“Is it?” She studied me for a moment and then smiled. “Come sit. The guys are in the garage. When they come back, we’re grilling.”
She looped her arm through mine and pulled me in the direction of the Old Ladies.
“Hey, Linden,” Mia said with a smile.
“Hi,” I said.
“Sit,” Rachel said, getting up and pulling over a chair.
“Thanks.” I sat and took a drink of my wine.
A woman I didn’t recognize said, “Hi, I didn’t get a chance to meet you the other night at the clubhouse party.” Her hair was teased to high heaven, and she had a rocking body. “I’m Darcy.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“So,” Joni began, taking the empty chair next to me. “What do you think of the house?”
I looked at her and then gazed at the other Old Ladies. All of their expressions were casually blank. “It’s got great bones,” I said diplomatically.
Peals of laughter echoed in the air.
“It’s a fucking mess!” Joni said with a snort.
“You did tell me it was a fixer upper,” I reminded her.
“About a month ago, Zip surprised me by handing me the keys. I just about strangled him when we walked in. But he said when he saw it, he knew it was perfect for us. We’re going to breathe life back into the house.”
“I love that so much,” I said.
“Zip wanted a nest,” Mia said with a grin.
“Took him long enough,” Joni said dryly, fiddling with the simple, unadorned gold band on her ring finger. She looked at me. “We started with the patio and the upstairs because that’s where we spend most of our time. The downstairs is a shitshow, and I wince every time I see it.”
“You’ll get it sorted, and it will be beautiful,” I assured her.
“You guys have gotten a lot done in a short amount of time,” Darcy said. “This patio is a work of art.”
“That’s what happens when you have prospects at your disposal.” Joni shook her head. “I’m not above using young brawn to speed this process along.”
Rachel laughed. “Young, shirtless, brawn, yes? Please tell me they walk around shirtless and wearing tool belts.”
“Perhaps,” Joni said with a devilish smile.
“I still haven’t seen the upstairs,” Rachel said.
“Later, after we eat, I’ll give you the tour,” Joni said.
I looked out across the lawn to stare at the kids and gestured at them with my chin. “Who’s who?”
“The tall lanky one is Silas. He’s mine,” Mia said.
“The other two are mine. Cam and Lily,” Darcy explained.
Allison adjusted the sleeping baby in her arms who was swaddled and protected from the chill. “This is Tank.”
“Tank,” I repeated.
She grinned. “His given name is Jones, but he was ten pounds when he was born, so…”
