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She wasn’t willing to leave, and the call to return was coming.
It was only a matter of time.
Chapter Seventeen
“Isaac really hasdone an outstanding job, getting these logos uploaded in a timely manner,” Margaret said at their Thursday meeting. “Whatever you’re paying him with, keep it up.”
She and Del exchanged a knowing smirk, which left Faye shaking her head.
“Please, spare us the details,” said her aunt. “We’re down to just a little more than two weeks to go, and I’m excited to announce that we filled our roster an hour ago!”
“We got all thirty spots filled?” Barbara asked.
“We did.Andwe’ve gotten several emails from other entrants still wanting to get in, asking if we’ll allow it. Apparently, the website capped the applications at thirty and won’t let anyone else submit an entry. Which means we have a decision to make: should we extend the number to thirty-five?”
“It’d be great to have the extra money,” Del said. “How close are we to meeting our goal of twenty-five thousand?”
“We’re sitting at twenty-four and some change now,” Faye said.
A round of applause broke out, followed by a chant of “Thirty-five, Thirty-five…”
“But will the audience sit through thirty-five performances?” Mia asked. “My students can hardly sit through a forty-minute lesson, and they’re better behaved than most adults.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Nan said. “If they get tired of sitting, they’ll be more likely to get up and grab something to eat or drink from our vendors.”
“Brilliant,” Margaret said, rubbing her hands together. “But can Isaac make the changes without losing any of the information we’ve already collected?”
“Dunno,” Del said. “But I can certainly ask.”
After another few days of him being increasingly silent—and bowing out of her father’s cookout—another surprise visit might be needed. Though, when their planning meeting went long, she decided to wait another day before popping in to check on him again. It was late, and she hated to interrupt what sleep he might actually be getting.
Hopefully, he’d allow himself some time over the weekend to catch his breath. Heck, if they had another bedroom marathon session like they’d had last Saturday, they would both need another weekend to catch their breaths.
Friday after work, Del snagged a pizza from Bourbon Barrel Pizza, a pair of fresh cinnamon rolls from the Sweet Mash—sadly, they were out of cobbler—and a six-pack of Landshark from the GrabNGo, then turned her truck toward Elm Road. His garage door was up when she arrived, so she looked around the yard for him. Usually, the door only went up when he was cleaning up after Louie.
Not seeing him or his bully, Del gathered the pizza and rolls and headed for the front porch; she’d circle back for the beers after handing off the rest of their goodies. Struggling to see past the ginormous pizza box, she bumped the doorbell with her near elbow.
No answer.
On a frown, she rang the bell again. Four-legged trotting sounded on the other side of the door, followed by a familiar soft woof. She stepped back, ready to say, “Surprise!” but as the door swung inward, the word died in her throat. It was Isaac who stood in the doorway, she knew, but…it wasn’t. Gone was his typical workout attire, replaced with pressed khaki shorts and a nice polo shirt. The view became even more unfamiliar as her gaze traveled northward to find his face completely clean shaven, its sexy scruff missing. But his hair was the most shocking—it’d been cut, the soft tendrils that used to curl at his collar now gone.
“Isaac…?”
“I’m sorry, but now isn’t a good time, Delaney,” he said, his gaze not quite meeting hers. “You should go.”
A shadow passed across the light streaming in from the French doors that led to the back porch.
“But, I thought you might need—”
The French doors opened, and an unfamiliar male voice rang out. “Was someone at the door?”
As Del watched, a man about Isaac’s age stepped inside and made his way toward them. She didn’t recognize him as anyone from around here, yet he moved through Isaac’s place as though it was his own. He came to a stop just short of where they stood, Del’s gaze following the movement. That’s when she noticed the dining room behind him held more boxes than usual. And several partially packed suitcases.
Suddenly, the mental light bulb went on:
The stranger was Will McManus, and he was here to take Isaac home.
She looked to Isaac, shock rendering her mute. He had to have known Will was coming—he’d shaved and gotten a haircut, for crying out loud! Yet he hadn’t bothered to pick up his cell phone and give her the heads-up.
