Chapter 10
PAIGE
Next day, I headed to my parents’ house for brunch.
My sisters and my brother were going to be there too, which made me giddy with excitement.
I was going to get some much-needed quality time with my nieces.
It had been far too long since I’d played with them.
I put on a sundress and a large hat, bagging sunscreen too.
My parents had a small pool, and I intended to use it.
I’d woken up with a suspiciously clear head.
I’d feared a hangover, but so far, so good.
Maybe I’d imagined all those champagne glasses…
or the hotter-than-hell way Will had kissed me against the door.
Had I imagined the dirty talk too? A sizzle went through me as I remembered his exact words.
Nope, my imagination wasn’t that good. I appreciated that he’d remembered we were both buzzed, when I’d gotten so lost in him.
I knew most men wouldn’t have cared about me being drunk when I practically jumped him in front of my door, even though I hadn’t intended to let him into my bed so soon.
But his kiss had set me on fire, and well… I had been more than buzzed.
I arrived first, and my mother’s first comment, as usual, was “Honey, you’re too thin.”
After which she loaded extra sausage and bread onto my plate.
“We’re not waiting for everyone else to arrive?” I asked.
“We can eat with them too,” Mom said. I hid my smile. So did my father. Ever since I’d lost weight in high school, Mom had been convinced I was too thin. I’d given up convincing her otherwise, and settled on doing extra laps in the pool after every meal.
I was the only one eating, though. Mom was too busy fussing around me, and Dad was watering some roses that the automatic sprinklers didn’t reach.
He walked with a slight limp he’d acquired nearly fifteen years ago.
It had been one of the worst nights for the entire family.
We’d thought the worst. I remembered sitting huddled on the couch with my sisters, none of us daring to talk.
We’d put my brother to bed earlier, so he hadn’t been aware.
They were crying silently, but I wanted to be like Mom, who hadn’t cried once.
But by morning, the hair at her temples had gone completely white. I’d researched it, and apparently shock can turn your hair white in a couple of hours. Mom had dyed her hair platinum blonde ever since.
I’d always been in awe of my parents’ bond. It had survived for decades, despite the fact that Dad had spent most of their marriage deployed.
Mom had tried to keep most of her anguish to herself, but I noticed every time.
She wouldn’t cry in front of us, but many mornings she couldn’t get out of bed, explaining she had migraines, and would ask me to prepare breakfast for the little ones.
She wouldn’t even look my way, which I’d learned meant she was trying to hide her face because her eyes were puffy from crying.
I’d felt her fear deep in my bones even as she tried to keep the bad news to herself.
The intensity of their love had frightened me sometimes.
My sisters, Miranda and Elsa, arrived at the same time, and my brother fifteen minutes later. They each had a little girl, and I hugged the living daylights out of them. When had they gotten so big? God, I’d missed so much. We ate as fast as we could and then jumped right in the pool.
“Hey, brat, how is it going with the inn?” my brother asked.
“I’ll tell you when you stop calling me brat. I’m older than you.”
“And still a brat.” He was smiling.
“A handyman is coming next week to do some repairs, and then… on to selling it. It’s going to take some time, though. I can only supervise the handyman after work. I don’t trust anyone to give them keys.”
“We can take turns watching him,” he assured me.
My sisters asked me to put them in the rotation too, which helped.
My parents offered to watch the handyman during the day, but I refused.
There was no rush to sell, and they didn’t have to put their very active social life on hold for it.
My parents’ social calendar was better than mine.
They did everything from dancing classes to trips around the country.
When I moved from the pool to one of the lounge chairs, I got out the sunscreen and my phone. I had a message from Will. My heart went pitter-patter. I hadn’t ever felt such a strong attraction to a man. It almost scared me.
Will: How are you this morning, fine lady? Head weighing a ton? Hungover?
I smiled, typing back quickly.
Paige: Why such a low opinion of me? My head is perfectly fine. In fact, I’m having brunch with my family :-)
I didn’t have enough alcohol in my system, but I definitely had a Will Connor hangover.
Will: What are you doing after brunch?
I hid my phone when Elsa passed me on the way to the house. If I thought my heart had gone pitter-patter before, it was nothing compared to now. Was he… was he trying to make plans with me?
Paige: Don’t know yet.
I felt like dancing when his reply came.
Will: Let’s do something together.
Paige: Define something.
Will: Not sure yet. Are you game for something spontaneous?
When it came to Will, I seemed to be game for anything. Including letting him kiss me against the door.
Paige: Game on, Will Connor.
Will: How about a trip to the mountains? A short trail?
I stared a little at the phone, wondering if this qualified as a date. Or were we just… hanging out, whatever that meant? After last night, it was clear that Will was interested in doing the horizontal mambo with me, but did he want something more too?
I fiddled with my phone, considering everything. He’d taken me to his sister’s wedding, which had been sweet and personal. Way too much effort just to get in my pants—though I couldn’t be sure, of course.
Paige: Sure. I love hiking.
Will: I know. You told me that yesterday :-)
I didn’t even remember that. I smiled, feeling all sorts of winged creatures in my belly, and chose to view this as a date, hoping Will didn’t consider it to be less.
Will: Let me know when brunch is over.
I tucked my phone carefully in my bag before lathering on sunscreen.
Hiding my excitement wasn’t as easy as hiding my phone, though.
I looked at Miranda, laughing with her husband, and at my oaf of a brother chasing his daughter through the water, then joined in on the fun, even though the sunscreen hadn’t sunk in my skin yet.
I’d be sorry for my impulsive ways when I was eighty and wrinkly, but for now, I didn’t care one bit.
I did laps, then played with my nieces and was generally a brat to my brother. I had to live up to my nickname, after all. I even pulled Dad in the pool when he was passing by, even though he was fully clothed.
“Paige,” Mom admonished with a smile, but Dad wasn’t mad. I’d never seen the man mad one day in my life. He took it in stride.
When my siblings announced they had to get going, I started thinking about what to wear to meet Will.
Which was why, instead of texting him when the brunch was over, I waited until I was home to text him, because not only did I need to change, but by the pool I’d discovered that another pass with the razor was needed.
I went even higher this time, and afterward slathered on one of those creams that smelled good enough to eat.
Then I dressed in hiking gear. The fabric stretched over my skin a little too tight, and I grinned, imagining Will’s expression when he saw me. He could barely keep his hands off me last night. There was no telling what he’d do today.