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“I mean it.”
“She just seems really…” I trail off as I try to come up with a neutral word that won’t offend him.
“Bossy? Jealous? Self-centered?” he supplies, grinning. “Yeah, I know.”
“Wow.” Okay, maybe he’s not as naïve as I’d assumed. “Well, at least you’re well-informed.”
“She gets a hair up her butt sometimes, but I know how to talk her down. We just work together.”
“I hope she doesn’t hurt you.”
“She’d never do that.”
“Well, if she does, I’ll be pretty upset.”
He chuckles. “Man, you’re as protective as everyone else around here.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I kinda like it. It’s nice knowing people are looking out for you, you know?”
“Yeah.” My smile is bittersweet. “I used to have that, too.”
“Nah, there’s no ‘use to’ anymore. You’re one of us now.”
I can tell he means it, and it makes my throat tight. “Thanks.”
“No problem. And I can’t tell you how nice it is to have someone else cleaning out the stalls for once. I appreciate you, Ellister!”
I laugh. “Oh, the real reason comes out.”
Chase pulls a funny face and tilts his head like I hit the nail on the head, but I know he’s just joking because he gets serious a second later.
“Truth is, I’m glad you’re staying.” He pauses. “You are staying, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good. You’re coming to dinner at the main house? It’s Saturday. We always have dinner together once a week.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” I tell him. “Hey, have you guys ever thought about hosting a movie night?”
His eyebrows knit together. “Movie night?”
“Yeah, like a drive-in kind of deal, with a projector and speakers. People could set up on the grass with blankets.”
Nodding slowly, he considers it. “And then we could sell them snacks and stuff.”
“Exactly.”
“Why don’t you bring it up at dinner? All your ideas have been great so far. You wouldn’t believe the way Dad talks about you.”
Dad.
It’s still weird to call my parents by their names. Several times a day, I have to catch myself, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.
“Bobby talks about me?” I ask, unable to keep the hope out of my voice.
“Yeah,” Chase replies. “Like he’s proud of you. Really proud. To be honest, I’m kind of jealous I didn’t think of all these things first. Like the haunted corn maze? I haven’t seen my parents that excited in a long time.”
