Page 17 of Stay

Just then, a dollop plops onto the end of my nose from the ceiling.

We stare at each other in shock for a few seconds before the three of us die laughing.

“I’d eat it,” Sutton says, his eyes all lit up as he tries to hold in his laugh. “But I’ll let you enjoy that.” He points to my nose.

I apologize over and over as we start cleaning it up, and he tells me I don’t need to apologize. Finally, when I apologize yet again, he says, “Felicity, I can’t remember when I’ve laughed this hard.”

“Never,” Owen yells, laughing.

“Thank you,” Sutton says so only I can hear, his expression so sweet.

Later that afternoon, after I’ve been on a ladder trying to clean the ceiling, there’s a knock at the door. Amusement flickers across Sutton’s face when he hears the door and I think he’s going to start laughing again about the caramel because every now and then, one of us will start giggling again. This time, he makes a sound between a groan and a laugh.

“I have a pretty good idea of who this will be,” he says, crossing the room to open the door.

Owen runs over and laughs in delight when the door opens wide, revealing Grinny and then what I imagine must be the entire Landmark family. They just keep trickling in. I’m still a little sketchy on everyone’s names, but I recognize the faces from the wedding picture on the desk.

“When you said you were missing family dinner, we decided to come to you instead,” Grinny says.

“Did you now?” Sutton says, laughing.

“We knew you’d do the same if you were in our shoes,” Scarlett says, winking. She walks over to me and holds out her hand. “Hi, I’m Scarlett.”

“I’m Felicity.”

“Isn’t she lovely?” Grinny says, smiling over at me.

“Absolutely beautiful,” Scarlett says, grinning. “Sof, Marlow, Ruby,” she calls, glancing around and waving her arm for them to join us, “come meet Felicity.”

They rush over and introduce themselves, and then the brothers and Jamison, Scarlett’s boyfriend, come over one by one, introducing themselves. Once they pair off with their significant others, it’s easier to tell who’s who. I’m blown away by how gorgeous everyone is…and hownicethey are. Even the brother that Sutton says usually only grumble-speaks, Callum, is really sweet and friendly.

When Marlow’s little girl Dakota sees me, she gasps and clutches her heart. At first, I’m concerned for her, but then she says, “You’re even prettier than Elsa!”

Owen leans over to whisper, “She’s still in aFrozenphase.”

“Elsa theprincess?” I clarify.

“Yes,” she says, nodding earnestly.

“I didn’t even know I needed validation like that, but wow, way to give a girl a boost,” I tell her.

“Andshe likes dogs,” I hear Owen telling Scarlett and Sofie later. “She’ssocool.”

Okay, nowthatmight be the best compliment I’ve ever been given.

“What are these brown spots over here?” Scarlett asks, pointing to a place we missed.

I groan and Sutton laughs.

“Try it, you’ll like it,” he says.

She looks at him like he’s crazy, and he looks over at me and winks.

Okay, it’s official. I’ve got itbadfor Sutton Landmark.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE BURDEN BAG

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