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I head out to my truck for my toolbox and the packing supplies I threw in this morning. It doesn’t take long to stack the storage bins in the front room and move the fridge to the back porch. By the time the shower shuts off, the French doors to her room are off the hinges and leaning against the wall.
I take her coffee to her bathroom and knock, twisting the knob and grinning when it’s locked.
“Go away.”
“Let me in.”
“Nope.”
“Good thing I planned for this,” I mutter, taking the pick out of my pocket and working the lock.
She’s in her robe, towel drying her hair when the door creaks open and her eyes come to me. “Brought you something, gorgeous.” I set the coffee on the vanity and back away with a wink.
The sun is rising when she appears with a full face of makeup and hair dry. She stops, taking in the open doorway, the bins, and landing on the pile of packing boxes and tape in her room. Without a word, she takes her phone out of her purse, grabs a few hangers, and heads back to the bathroom, but I catch the small smile on her lips.
A few minutes later, I hear a bubbly, “Hey, Mama!”
There’s a quick pause where I imagine her mom is questioning the hour.
“Everything is fine, but today is a busy day, and I thought we could catch up early since I didn’t have time to call last night.”
Pause.
“Yes, I meant to call, but something came up.”
I chuckle. Yeah, something definitely came up.
“I texted that I was having a surprise lunch with Darby and her family.”
Quiet.
“It went wonderful. They are great people. I actually have a lot of news. Is Dad around? You both probably should hear this at the same time.”
Pause.
“No, I can’t FaceTime. I’m getting ready for a meeting. This morning, I’m meeting my project manager…”
She goes on to explain what’s happening with her version, keeping the focus on the progress of the house and the changes in scheduling. When she gets to the part of having to leave, her words get jumbled.
“… I think you guys should come to visit this weekend to see the house and meet my possible roommate for the next few weeks.”
As if she senses my movement toward her, she swings open the door and throws her arm out with a scowl. “No, that will NOT be necessary!” Red splotches creep up her neck.
“Dad, no. I don’t know what Mom told you, but we went looking at landscaping for ideas. I sent her the damn pictures.”
He must cut her off because she drops her chin, shaking her head. “No—”
“Absolutely not—”
“That will not—”
“Mom, can you pop in here?”
“Yes, I know how good looking he is, but you cannot jump to conclusions.”
Her head snaps up, her green eyes bulging. “What do you mean you already called them? No, no, no…”
I can barely make out a few things from her father, and then she looks at her screen. “They’re gone. My dad hung up on me.”
I’m on the move, sliding in behind her and folding my arms around her waist.
“He’s bringing his backhoe, and my brothers.”
“I need to meet them, too.”
“I knew you’d set off alarms with Mom. Without my calling, they were already planning to come this weekend. She was so excited, she insisted Austin and Andrew clear their weekend and come along. Dad wants them here for a different reason.”
“I’ll get rooms at Brasher for them.”
“This is serious, Miller. They are descending to Charleston in a pack. The three Rhodes men have an agenda.”
“Your dad has a backhoe?”
She flings her head to the side to face me. “Of course he does, he owns a pool company. Austin helps run the business. He’s offered to clear out the backyard, but that’s irrelevant. Did you hear me? An agenda?”
“I have an agenda, too, so I respect that.”
“Miller—”
“Princess, it doesn’t bother me that I’ll get to meet all of your family this weekend. I like the idea.”
“Sure you do! You instigated this. I could have let them think I was living in a hotel or Airbnb, and we could have finessed this. Now, you’re going into a hostile situation.”
I raise my eyebrows and try to hide my amusement. “Hostile?”
“He’s bringing the backhoe to bury your body!”
At this, I can’t hold back, laughing loudly.
“What about this is funny? Why are you constantly laughing at me?”
“Because you’re hilarious when you’re hysterical. I think we’ve found one of those missing pieces you’re searching for.”
She spasms, her eyes filling with wonder. Realization settles over her and she melts into me, winding her fingers with mine. “Never in my life have I been considered funny, much less hilarious.”
“Makes me happy to be the one to share it with you.”
“You’re not worried at all about my dad, are you?”
