Page 91 of A Chance for Us
“No, but we need her.”
This is true. Stella comes around the check-in desk, rushing toward me. “Ollie!”
My sister pulls me in for a big hug, and I wince when she hits my side. It doesn’t hurt, but she slammed into it at just the right angle.
“Tell me everything. How is my sister-in-law? Is her dad doing okay?”
Since my siblings all know we signed the license, they have apparently claimed her.
“We don’t know if we’re actually legally married.”
“Semantics. There was a wedding, vows, and you two had sex, so . . . sister-in-law status is acquired. How is Patrick doing?”
I give her the G-rated cliff notes of our trip and let her know that, as of this afternoon, Patrick was still holding in there.
She’s planning to fly down to Georgia tomorrow if everything is okay at work.
“Are you going too?” Stella asks.
“No, I have to work.”
“Right, but she needs you.”
“So does the resort.”
I’m not sure why she thinks I can just head off again.
Stella crosses her arms over her chest. “Oliver Parkerson, do you really think you’re so needed here that you can’t go? I mean, sure, you’re important and all, but that doesn’t mean some things don’t trump work.”
“Maren didn’t ask me to go.”
Gray laughs. “Dude . . . you know women.”
“What does that mean?” My sister turns her fury on him. “Women?”
“It means that you all think we should have the power to read minds. How the hell is Oliver—or any man, for that matter—supposed to know what goes on in your heads? Half the time I don’t even thinkyouknow what goes on in your head.”
I nod in agreement, loving that Grayson is always so willing to stick his foot in his mouth.
“Excuse me?” Stella’s head does that weird swirl that I swear only women can do.
“Don’t act like you’re confused. You know you do it too. I know you do because your husband has complained to me about it.”
Oh, Gray, now you brought Jack into it. Bad move, brother.
“Jack has said this?” There’s now a thick layer of frost around us.
Grayson, the idiot he is, starts to sputter as his error starts to become clear. “No. Yes. I mean, he hasn’t said it so much as maybe agreed when I said it.”
Stella slowly turns to look at me before going back to him. “I see. So, you were complaining about your own wife, who is a very lovely woman, I might add.”
He throws his hands up. “Stop making this about you. I’m saying that if Maren wants Oliver to go with her, she should ask him to.”
“Maybe she is afraid of being rejected.”
I raise my hand. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh? And you’re supposed to be the expert on women?” Great. The anger is back on me.
