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“I’m gonna get Zoey’s overnight bag,” Jasmine said.
“Are you ready to go?” Remy turned to him.
Jasmine froze. Mikel and a herd of children came through the door with an older couple and a woman he recognized from the bar.
“Hey, man.” Mikel raised his fist to bump Atlas’s. “Ready to go?”
Oh, shit. I forgot.
Jasmine’s eyes darted to her brother’s. “What do you mean?”
“We invited him at the cookout. Come on. It will be fun.” Mikel turned back to Atlas.
“So, he got a few days’ notice, and you drop it on me today?” Jasmine snapped.
Mikel offered a sheepish smile. “I knew you’d run away if we told you.”
“Running away is your MO not mine,” Jasmine said, a flash of anger and then regret in her eyes.
Mikel’s jaw tightened.
“Jaz,” Remy warned.
What is going on?
Jasmine’s gaze clouded over, her face stoic as if a mask had been slipped on. “I’ll get Zoey’s stuff.” She turned and jogged up the stairs.
The couple exchanged glances before Remy gave Mikel a hug. “She’ll come around.”
The other woman stepped forward. “You must be Atlas. I think I recognize you from the bar, right? I’m Charli.”
He smiled. “Yes. That’s right.”
“Are you going to the ropes course too?” Atlas asked her.
She shook her head and ran a tattooed hand over her small baby bump. “Oh, no. I’ll be manning the inn while y’all go have fun.”
“Is Finn coming later?” Mikel asked.
“He’ll be picking me up.” Charli said with a smile.
“Isn’t he leaving soon?” Remy asked.
Charli nodded. “Yeah, he and a buddy of his from the Army are going fishing in Washington in a month or so. Still working out the dates.”
“Alright, kiddos, go to the bathroom and then we gotta get going. Papa Stone has got popsicles for you all in the freezer at home,” a woman who looked a lot like an older version of Remy said, moving her way over to Atlas.
Her kind eyes met his and her mouth dropped open. A man whom he presumed to be Papa Stone came up next to her. His eyes widened.
Why are they so shocked?
“Mom, Dad, this is Atlas. He’s a guest at the inn,” Remy said, sliding in front of him. Her father’s gaze darted to her and then he nodded.
Her mother smiled politely. “Nice to meet you, Atlas.”
“You too.”
After the awkward introductions, Atlas sat back as the kids ran around. Their parents ushered them out to one of the waiting SUVs.
