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With a small finger motion to Scout—her silent instruction to come—Hazel left the deck and met Hunter on the ground. “Is that what he’s supposed to be doing?”
“It’s why I left him with you.”
She squinted at Hunter. “You left him because you couldn’t take him.”
“Think what you want, little sis.”
“Huh.” Hazel jammed her arms into her denim sleeves and turned to her pack of dogs. “Stay. Be good. Leave the raccoons be.” She pointed to Ice, who had gotten into a scrape with a mama coon only last week. He still had the missing fur patch on his shoulder to prove it.
Hunter walked around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door. Hazel followed, musing at how her brother somehow had become a gentleman, and she wasn’t sure what to make of that.
Had Janie noticed?
Hazel doubted so. Especially since Janie seemed to have found a new object of her friendly, flirty smile. Glancing at her brother as he slid behind the wheel, she hoped Hunter wouldn’t flip out if anything transpired between Janie and the Game and Parks guy. He’d sure had gone sour and silent last weekend when he’d witnessed Janie flirting with the other man.
Didn’t Janie realize Hunter had never gotten over her? Didn’t she know Hunter well enough to know that at this point, he likely never would?
A sharp pin of conviction poked Hazel’s heart. Who was she to be judging Janie? Wasn’t she claiming to love Bennett and yet doubting that they’d last long term?
Not doubt. Fear. That wasn’t the same thing, was it?
“Bennett has big plans for the house.” Hunter spoke as he guided his truck toward the access road.
Relief grew wings and flapped away the circular nonsense in Hazel’s mind. She grabbed on to the alternate topic with all her heart. “He’d have to. Have you seen the inside?”
Hunter’s serious expression loosened into mild amusement. “I haven’t. But I remember Marvel Elliot, so I’m betting it’s colorful.”
“Like a set of highlighters exploded all over the walls.”
“Nathan probably loves that.”
“Actually, he did.” Hazel met Hunter’s sarcastic glance with a nod. “Only because it would drive his dad nuts.”
“His dad isn’t here.”
“The thought of it was satisfying enough.”
“He’s gonna be a handful, isn’t he?”
Hazel shrugged. “I think that he just needs to find his own feet and know that he can stand on them.”
Hunter’s brow raised. “Look at you. Reading people.”
“Just Nathan. Gemma . . . She so sweet and peppy that I might end up in a sugar coma ten minutes into being with her.”
“I like her. She smiles.”
“Like a young Janie?”
Shoulders immediately stiffening, Hunter’s easy expression chilled. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Janie still smiles.”
“Not at me.”
At the Game and Parks guy.Hazel could almost hear her brother’s hard lament in the stiff pause that hung between them.
“Hey, Hunt?” She peeked at him, cautiously intruding on his personal misery. Hunter glanced at her. “Things work out sometimes. You know?”
