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“I’m all packed, let me just grab my stuff.”
“It’s already in the car. Annika told me where it was, and where I could put it.” He grinned wryly. “Guess she didn’t want to come?”
“No. But Thomas and Galen are coming, right? We still have the united family front happening?” She really didn’t want to appear as a “couple.” The last thing she wanted was to end up back on the local sports blogs that loved to gossip about “Billy Club.” The Dugout would jump all over it. She could just imagine it—Billy Club Back for Strike 2?
“Oh yeah, they’re both onboard. Carly’s staying with the baby, but Brenda’s coming. Galen even got his hair trimmed again.”
“He did? Maybe I should have done something with my hair…” She pulled off the tie that kept her hair out of her face while she was working. Flipping up the ends, she spotted a number of splits. “Hang on, let me grab my scissors—”
“Your hair is perfect. Don’t change a thing.”
She eyed him through the pale fringe of her hair. “You just don’t want to be late.”
“And you’re procrastinating.”
“I’m doing this for you, remember.”
“Fine. Cut your hair if you like. Put it in curlers. Give yourself a perm. Whatever you want. Your needs come first.”
She let her hair fall back onto her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you mocking me?”
“Actually, I’m not. You’re right. This whole shebang is for me, and if you want to do something with your hair before we go, you should be able to.” He brushed his hands together. “I’ll even help. What do you need, a mirror? Scissors? YouTube video?”
He was serious. He really was trying to put her needs first—without her even asking him to. Maybe Billy Cooper had changed, or at least grown up a little.
She suppressed a wistful sigh, and decided that a few split ends were easier to handle than Billy getting close enough to help her trim her hair. “Forget it. I’ll put it into a twist when we get there. No one will care.”
“It’s up to you.”
Really? Honestly, she could get used to this. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Jenna gave the boys their goodbye hugs, though she had to crawl under a sheet draped between the couch and the TV cabinet to do so.
Annika emerged from another branch of the fort, over by the coat rack. “Have fun, you two.”
Jenna gave a double-take. She detected no hint of her sister’s usual watchfulness. And now that she looked more closely, she saw that her sister’s cheeks were pink and she looked…hmm, was that happiness?
“It’s not really about fun,” she said primly. “This is work. This is all about the Mayo Clinic children, and about showing the world what a good guy Billy is.”
Annika snorted. “Okay, but Galen said there’s an open bar. He seemed most excited about that.”
“I hope they stocked up on club soda and lime.” Billy put on his most virtuous expression. “As everyone knows, I haven’t had a drink in two years.”
“There’s other ways to have fun at a fancy dinner, and if I know Billy Cooper, you’ll find those ways.”
Jenna shared a confused glance with Billy. Was that an insult or a comment on Billy’s zest for life?
“That’s a compliment,” Annika said quickly. “In case it didn’t sound like one.”
“Have to admit, I wasn’t really sure.” Billy scratched at the back of his neck.
“You know, I think I have resting bitch voice. I always sound like I’m being nasty even when I don’t intend to be.” Annika broke into a wide smile, the sort that transformed her face from interesting to incandescently beautiful. “In case I’ve never said it, I’m really proud of you for quitting drinking, Billy. Keep up the good work. Go you. Ugh, now I sound sarcastic again. Somebody stop me.”
Taking mercy on her sister, Jenna gave her a hug. “We should get on the road if we’re going to beat the snow. Have fun with the fort. Text or call if you need anything.”
“All good, don’t worry about us. If anyone tries to invade our fort, we’re armed to the teeth and they will pay with their…” She shifted smoothly as she caught Jenna’s expression. “Armed with pillows. And we’ll be fine. Don’t worry about a thing.”
As they rolled out of town in Billy’s Tundra, Jenna said, mostly to herself, “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
