Page 20 of Drifting

I turn to see a tall man standing on the sidewalk. He must be at least six foot two. His dark hair holds a touch of gray at the temples, and round glasses sit on his nose, making him appear even more distinguished.

Definitely not some old geezer clinging onto life.

Patty jumps out of the SUV and runs into his arms. When he kisses her, I want to barf at their obvious happiness. Yep, it’s really love.

After they finish, Patty waves for me to get out. Then, she covers her mouth, giggles, and says something to Peter.

Peter unwraps his arms from around her, and she walks back to the SUV to open my door. “I’m sorry, I’m nervous.”

Smiling warmly, Peter runs his hand up and down her back.

She breathes out. “Shelby, I would like you to meet Peter. Peter, this is my beautiful daughter, Shelby.”

She’s babbling, and I stare at her in amazement.

Peter holds out a hand for me to shake, and I take it, expecting to feel the same disgust I always do when touched by one of Patty’s boyfriends. But, instead, I just feel the warmth of his strong hands.

“Nice to finally meet you, Shelby. Welcome to our home,” he says with a welcoming smile.

Their home. How lovely. “You, too.”

“I’m sure she could use some time to process all this.” He glances at Patty, then back to me. “I guess the easiest way to get you inside is for me to pick you up and carry you around. Are you okay with that?”

I shrug. “Don’t got much of a choice.”

He gently helps me out of the SUV, then scoops me up, while Patty runs ahead to the front door.

As we round the garage, I get my first view of how gigantic the house is. I’ve never laid eyes on something this amazing.

The siding is brown stucco, while the sloping rooflines are an off-white color. Four stone pillars line the sidewalk, with lanterns at the top. A stone wall connects the pillars closer to the house, offering privacy.

Peter steps through the double doors into what he calls the foyer. The floor is a mixture of red and brown ceramic tiles, and in the corner sits a small table. A gold mirror hangs above it on a light beige wall. From the foyer, a hallway splits off to the left, but Peter goes straight, stepping into the living room.

I instantly fall in love with the space. A rich brown, oversized couch and chairs take up most of the room, and the stone around the fireplace is the same brown as the outside. The dark wood floors match the wooden beams on the ceiling. The whole room feels warm and cozy.

The next room Peter carries me through is the dining room.

A beautiful cherry wood table sits in the middle of the room, and a crystal chandler dangles down from the ceiling. The back wall houses sliding glass doors that open up to a large, wooden deck and pool.

Patty points off to the right of the dining room. “The master bedroom is that way, but you don’t need to see that.”

To the left of the dining room is a large, immaculate kitchen. My eyes widen with apprehension. I don’t want to be the one to clean that.

Peter laughs. “Don’t worry about cleaning. We have a maid come in once a week. We also have a gardener.”

Did he just read my mind?

He veers away from the kitchen and down a hallway. “Your room is right down here.”

Patty smiles as she opens the door for us. “This is your room, hun. I hope you like it.”

Anything will be better than the one-bedroom Cin and I lived in.

Peter walks me inside and sits me on a massive, canopy bed. I remember telling Patty once that I wanted one, but I’m surprised she remembered. I can’t believe how enormous it is. I’m used to sharing a single bed with Cin. I might get lost in this.

Metal posts attach to each corner of the bed, and I tip my head back, following their path to the ceiling. Right in the middle of the bed, a round ring attaches to the ceiling, and sheer, dark-blue fabric flows down from the ring to the tips of the posts. The fabric swirls around the posts, then hangs loosely.

The large bay window catches my eyes. Brightly colored pillows line a bench where I can sit and stare outside or spend endless time reading.

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