Page 24 of An Engagement for Erica

She heard a throat clear and turned to her brother. “Maybe I’ll go wait out front for Dad to arrive. I don’t know that I want to be part of this conversation.”

“Go,” she said. “They can get it out of their system before Dad gets here.”

She watched Theo laugh and move into the house.

Erica did miss her father and didn’t see or talk to him much.

Long gone was the serious neurosurgeon she’d grown up with. He’d started to open up more around his kids in the past few years.

But she knew today was going to be all about her health. After all, it was her father’s field of study and he took control of her care, even as an adult.

Since she was pretty scared back then that she might have had a brain tumor, she was glad to have someone walk her through most of it and hold her hand.

“Tell us about Tucker,” Daisy said.

“Not much to say,” Erica said. “I haven’t had a lot of communication with him. Right now I’m spending more time with his staff.”

And boy, did they have a lot of grievances. Most weren’t directly against Tucker but could be big changes that the company couldn’t make or afford.

It wasn’t her business to do anything other than report back a summary.

Which she had of the senior management. Tucker had been shocked it wasn’t as horrible as he expected.

She told him that could happen.

“You had to meet with him last Monday,” Harmony said. “Because you were pacing Sunday night.”

“You’re a little twerp,” she said, giving her baby sister a playful shove.

“I told you, Daisy,” Harmony said.

There were tears in Harmony’s eyes from laughing. “What is going on?”

“Harmony told me that the old you is back. From when you were teens.”

“What?” she asked.

“You’re just so funny and fun to be around now. You’re still serious about your career and a pain in the ass about the way towels are folded, but the rest is awesome.”

“I hadn’t realized what a bitch I turned into,” she said, frowning.

There were plenty of times she knew she was bitchy and acknowledged it with Harmony, but they always made up.

“We know what caused it,” Harmony said. “And now you’re back. I keep going back to Tucker saving you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t need CPR,” she snarled.

“I meant that what happened caused you to change your life. To make changes. He saved you from yourself,” Harmony said. “But maybe you wouldn’t mind his lips on yours again.”

“She’s blushing,” Daisy said, dancing around the patio.

“Am I going to be the center of attention today?” she asked. “I would have stayed home if I knew that was the case.”

“No you wouldn’t have,” Harmony said. “Because Dad wants to see you, and by everyone being together, he won’t focus the whole time he’s here on you.”

“True,” she said. “But he’s going back to the house with us.”

“For a few days,” Harmony said. “It’s his house. He has a right to stay there.”’

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