Page 112 of Holiday Hire

"Nope. What do you guys say? Are you hungry? You want to go grab some lunch?"

"Can we go to Piggly's?" Wilder suggests.

Ace nods. "Yeah, they have the best food."

I haven't been to Piggly's, so I ask, "Where is it at?"

"We know where. We'll direct you while you drive," Wilder says.

"Shotgun!" Ace proclaims, running to the passenger door.

Wilder groans. "Younger kids should be in the back."

I tousle his hair. "Not a chance. Get in the back seat. It's your brother's turn to ride up front."

He grumbles but gets in the back. They direct me where to go, and we pull up to Piggly's. It's a cute little diner, and there are a lot of people inside. We have a five-minute wait and then they seat us in a booth. Ace sits next to me, and Wilder sits across from me.

He asks, "Can we start painting today?"

I glance at my watch. "I don't know. There's a lot going on because of Thanksgiving. We'll have to see what Willow and Paisley want us to do when we return," I reply.

Ace adds, "I'm so excited we don't have school this week."

"Yeah, I'm over school," Wilder agrees.

I claim, "School's not that bad, especially yours. It's a really nice place with great teachers. Besides, you need to learn. You'll be happy with your education when you're older."

Wilder shrugs. "I don't know what good it'll do when I'm running the ranch."

"Well—"

"Wilder. Ace. Fancy meeting you here," a blonde with curly hair chirps.

"Hey, Cheyenne," Wilder says.

"Hi! Have you met our nanny, Phoebe?" Ace asks her.

She peers at me, and my stomach flips. She holds her hand out, stating, "Oh, yes. I heard there was someone else staying on the ranch. You were at Boots last night, right?"

My heart beats hard. I take her hand and reply, "Yes."

"She went to the races with Dad. He lost a bet and she won big-time!" Ace boasts.

I glance over at him, wishing he wouldn't tell her anything. I'm unsure why, but she's making me uncomfortable.

I look back at her. "How do you all know each other?"

Her lips curve into a tight smile. She says, "I'm friends with Alexander. I've known him for a long time. We go way back."

Something about the way she says it makes me feel even more off.

Wilder offers, "They went to school together."

"Oh, that's nice. Well, nice to meet you," I reply.

Her gaze drifts over me and then locks back on my eyes. "Yes, very nice meeting you. I'm sure I'll see you around."

"Okay. Sounds good," I say, but everything inside of me tells me I don't want to see this woman again. She seems friendly enough, but the bad feeling I'm getting is telling me something isn't right.

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