Page 102 of Chasing Lynda

She’s tall and blonde, her statuesque physique is clad in tasteful, expensive looking clothes that give her an understated but demure, classy look. She reminds me of the old photos of Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly.

Before I can even assess the three men and the younger, equally blonde woman, Dodge’s reaction has me looking at the group with open curiosity.

“Chrissie, what are you doing here? And what the fuck is Mitch doing here? You better go before I throw you out of my house!”

Dodge’s ex doesn’t look bothered by Dodge’s less than welcoming greeting; her brown eyes stop on me before she smiles. “It’s nice to see you too, Dodge. You look well for someone whose life plans literally went up in flames.”

The guys have come out of the pool and have approached the lounger where we’re still sitting, with Dodge’s arms still closed around me. They stand at either side of us, their muscled arms crossed on their chests in a protective stance.

One of the two older men intervenes and I guessed correctly when I thought he was Dodge’s father. If the perfectly square line of his jaw wasn’t a giveaway, the shape and gray hue of his eyes would’ve left no doubt that he’s related to both Dodge and Callie. “Dodge, we have some important matters to discuss. Please put on something decent and let’s reconvene in ten minutes in my study. It would be great if you could get ahold of your sister too.”

23.

Stipulations

––––––––

Dodge

––––––––

“CALLIE IS OUT FOR A brunch date, Dad. I can text her but I doubt she’ll be back as quickly as you want,” I answer, annoyed by the way Chrissie is looking at me.

Whatever my father wants to discuss, I refuse to do it with my ex and Mitch present.

I take Lynda’s hand, guiding her to the pool house where we all left our clothes when we decided to spend our day relaxing by the pool.

“I wonder what your dad wants?” Zane immediately says as he comes out of one of the bedrooms in his jean shorts and a t-shirt.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Lynda and I didn’t go into the pool, so we got dressed way faster than the others. “I don’t know but it looks serious.”

Bennett confirms my hunch as he pats his brown hair dry with a towel. “Yeah, I agree. Especially if your mom and my dad are here too.”

I’m about to agree, but Carter beats me to it. “Maybe they want to talk about the fire? Hopefully Bennett’s dad found a loophole in the insurance policy? I called him after I got confirmation that the policy would be void since we weren’t up to date with the fire inspections.”

I sigh. “I don’t know, dude. I have a bad feeling about this. If it was about the insurance, why would my mom be here too? And Chrissie?”

---