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“And who gave permission for them to rearrange my house?”
“I did,” Lucas said, and Colleen felt a little thrill at the dark edge in his voice. So Heathcliff. “Joe deserves better than the storage room.” He looked at his uncle. “I’m sorry we didn’t think of it before.”
“Totally great idea,” Bryce said. “Dad, we can watch baseball in here, if you fall asleep, you won’t have to schlep off to your room.”
“Does anyone care what I think?” Didi asked, putting on a wounded look. “This is my house, too! It’s my money that supports us. It’s my hard work...” Her eyes widened with terror, and she staggered back a few steps. “Oh, my God! What the hell is that? Help! Bryce, help!”
Everyone looked around. “It’s just a dog,” Bryce said. “Chill, Mom.”
“Get that thing out of here!” Didi commanded. Rufus, sensing fear, felt fear himself and barked back.
“Stop! Get it out!”
“Don’t yell at him,” Colleen said. “You’re scaring him, and he’s likely to attack when threatened.” Granted, the last thing Rufus had attacked was the bacon she’d left out on her plate last week, but that bacon had been asking for it. “It’s okay, Rufus. Don’t mind the scary lady.”
His tail wagged, sweeping the remote and several doodads from the end table.
“It’s destroying everything!” Didi said. Rufus barked again. “Get it out!”
“Come on, Rufie,” Savannah said. “Wanna go for a ride? In the car? You wanna go in the car for a ride?”
Rufus leaped at the magic words, crashing against Joe’s bed (which only made him smile), jumped onto one of the chairs, barking with joy, then raced through the house to find the door that would lead him to his beloved pastime.
“I’ll wait outside, Collie,” Savannah said.
“Okay, babe. Thanks.”
“I’m sending you a cleaning bill,” Didi bit out. “Joe needs quiet. He can’t stay here. Lucas, move all this back to your old room.”
“Ellen and her parents are coming to visit,” Lucas said, and a little jolt of jealousy shot through her. “They want to see Joe. Can’t imagine what they’d say if he was in that dark little room in the back.”
Didi paused. The woman had always been an ass-kisser, Colleen recalled. “Fine,” she said. “I have a migraine. I’m going to lie down.”
With that, she tap-tapped across the tiled floor and stomped up the stairs.
“Sorry about that,” Bryce said. “She’s under a lot of stress lately.”
“No, of course,” Paulie said. She reached out as if to pat his arm, looked at Colleen for approval. Colleen nodded, and the pat was meted out, Paulie drawing in a shaking breath.
“Thanks, Paulie,” Bryce said. “So, Lucas, is Ellen really coming to visit? That’s great.”
So great, Colleen thought, then chided herself for being petty. “I should get going,” she said. “It was so nice seeing you, Joe. See you, Bryce.”
“Colleen, Paulie, I don’t know how to thank you,” Joe said. “But I’ll think of something. Tell your sister she’s my new best girl, okay, Colleen?”
“You bet.”
“See you at the gym, Paulie,” Bryce said. Paulie responded with a huge (and adorable) smile. Colleen smiled, too. Her matchmaking skills were working. Again.
“I’ll walk you out,” Lucas said. He held the door for them, and they went out on the porch. Savannah was throwing a ball to Rufus, then running to catch up to him. They went around back, the dog barking joyfully, and Colleen hoped the sound hurt Didi’s brain.
“Well, I’ll let you two make googly eyes at each other,” Paulie said. “See you around, big man.” She punched Lucas in the shoulder hard enough that he rocked.
“You’re good people, Paulie,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “My cousin’s lucky to know you.”
Well, well, well.
Paulie’s eyes filled with tears. “Shit, Lucas, thanks. That means a lot to me.” She socked him again, gave a watery smile and ran out to her car.
