Page 108 of Wilder

Rolling his eyes, even though she couldn’t see him, he said, “I’ll be in soon. Goodbye.”

Wilder hung up the phone and slid it into his jacket pocket. “Janessa’s looking for me.”

“I should probably be going anyway. I need to get some sleep before our big day.”

“It’s going to be great,” Wilder told her as he reached for the door handle. “But you’re gonna need your rest so you can handle all the fun.”

“For a minute there, I thought you were going to say I needed some beauty sleep.”

“Nope.” Wilder pulled the handle, opening the door and flooding the interior of the car with light. “You definitely don’t need more of that.”

Flashing her a smile and wink, Wilder climbed out of the car, then shut the door. With a wave, he turned and jogged toward the front porch. He probably shouldn’t be flirting with her, but for the first time in a while, he was around someone he actually wanted to flirt with.

In fact, it was probably wrong of him to flirt with her because they’d defined their relationship to be strictly friendship. Forhim to agree to that and then flirt with her the way he did wasn’t right and could be downright confusing to Lexi.

He didn’t want to complicate things in a way that might lead to her backing away from even their friendship.

Sighing, Wilder opened the front door and slipped inside. He’d need to be more careful about that in the future.

“Is Charli still out here?” Wilder asked when he found Janessa and Will in the kitchen. “Or has she gone to their rooms?”

Janessa shook her head. “She, Blake, and the baby disappeared a few minutes ago. The girls are upstairs.”

“Did Charli seem okay to you?”

“She seemed a bit off, but I don’t know why.” Janessa frowned. “Do you?”

Wilder shook his head. He didn’t know for certain, but he wasn’t going to speculate with Janessa. If Charli was struggling with something, Janessa was the most likely person she’d confide in.

“I’ll check with her,” Janessa said. “But it’s possible Blake will be able to help her with whatever is bothering her.”

If someone had told Wilder that one day he’d be living with his siblings, their spouses and children, he would have told them they were crazy. Wasn’t the goal to grow up and move out on his own? Or maybe live with a roommate?

Though normally he had no problem staying with his parents when he returned each fall, he was actually glad he’d had to move into Charli and Janessa’s this time around. Living with his siblings had actually turned into something he really enjoyed.

And a big bonus was also being able to get to know his brothers-in-law and his nieces in a way he wouldn’t have been able to if he hadn’t been living with them. Though he knew Will pretty well, he hadn’t known Blake at all. And with Lee living there, he was also having a chance to get to know Rori.

With Janessa now pregnant, however, the house would soon be bursting at the seams. He had no idea if Janessa and Charli planned to live together indefinitely, but it was likely he’d have to live with his folks or find another place to stay when he returned next year.

“I’m going to bed,” Janessa announced. “I’m exhausted, and I won’t be able to just lay around tomorrow, so I’d better get my rest while I can.”

“Thanks for all your help,” Wilder said as Janessa got up from the bar stool.

“You’re welcome. It’s been fun, and I think tomorrow is going to be a blast.”

“I hope so. A lot of people are putting in a significant effort for it.”

Janessa came to give him a hug, then she left the kitchen with Will.

Wilder grabbed a couple of cookies, then sat down at the counter with his phone. Opening his email app, he found an email in his inbox from the director of one of the orphanages. He’d stayed in contact with them, and he’d let both orphanages know about the fundraiser they were doing. He’d also told them that he’d spoken at the church and shared about their ministries.

As he read the email, his thoughts turned from the fundraiser. The letter was basically to thank him for what he’ddone so far, but they also wanted to know if he’d be interested in giving orphanage presentations at other churches in the area.

The woman said they’d be responsible for contacting the churches, and they’d get pamphlets and other information to him, if he’d be willing to present it all to different congregations.

A smile grew on Wilder’s face as he considered what they were asking. As long as they weren’t too far away, he’d be able to do it without having to take much, if any, time off work.

He wouldn’t give them an answer right away. His focus needed to be on the fundraiser, but once that was over, he’d give it some serious thought.

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