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I’d missed the first part of the conversation, but before I could ask her to explain, she turned to me.
“Last time he and Brendan built something together, B got a splinter and Rhett hit his thumb with a hammer.”
“Those aren’t actually injuries,” Savannah huffed.
“From the way they both whined, you would have thought they’d each lost a hand.”
Rhett had taken Brendan over to build a bat house too. I was beginning to think this family had a weird obsession with bats. Jackson was there as well, but seeing as how there were five women and two girls in his home—a home that was massive and gorgeous, by the way—I could understand why. I did not get the impression that he planned to build a bat house of his own, so maybe the obsession with bats was strictly a Williams thing.
“Can I go to see the Taylor Swift movie with Sophia next week?” Callie sat on a stool in the middle of Ashley’s living room while Savannah patiently tied a piece of tinsel around a strand of hair.
Ashley turned to me, tucking her blond hair over one shoulder. “She’s welcome to come along. I’m thinking either Friday evening or Saturday afternoon.”
“Please, Mom,” Callie added, her eyes shining with excitement.
I nodded. “Yeah, that should be fine.”
It made me so unbelievably happy that she was forming friendships here. Now that she had both Ava and Sophia, my anxiety was slowly ebbing. Each day, she was adjusting a little more to our new life.
Kyle was leaving on Friday. He was set to meet with his new boss, then he’d take the weekend to get settled and start his new job on Monday morning.
The anxiety I wasn’t feeling when it came to Callie settling in had all been diverted to thoughts of what life would be like when he was gone. Would things with his family be weird? God, I hoped not, especially for Callie and Sophia.
I brought my fun, fruity drink to my mouth and took another sip. Damn, this was good.
“What is this?” I asked, holding the glass out. “It’s really good.”
Savannah looked up from Callie’s hair. “Se?—”
She was cut off by a loud throat clearing from Ashley. “Please don’t finish that sentence.”
Savannah looked down at the girls and rolled her eyes. “It’s my take on a popular cocktail that has to do withchillingon the beach.”
The two preteens sitting side by side on stools in front of Savannah were so engrossed in their own conversation that I doubted they’d have caught on even if she’d used the drink’s official name.
“Gotcha.” I nodded.
Forty minutes later, the girls rushed up the stairs, in love with their new hairstyles. I had a fresh glass of sex on the beachin my hand and was munching on chips in Ashley and Jackson’s large, luxurious kitchen. The hanging lights shaped like mini chandeliers that hung over the large island were gorgeous.
“What are your intentions with my brother?” Savannah asked.
My stomach leaped into my throat, and I coughed.
Ashley patted my back as I continued to choke on the chip I’d been devouring.
The blunt question was the last thing I’d expected. They all knew he was leaving for New York, right?
Hattie elbowed Savannah.
“What?” She rolled her eyes.
“Look what you did. You made her choke.” Hattie frowned at her sister. “Leave her alone.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if I was the brother asking for my sister.”
“Yes, I would.” Hattie huffed. “I tell y’all to butt out all the time. No one ever listens to me, though.”
“That is true.” Ashley pointed her drink in Hattie’s direction.
