Page 130 of Mr. Infuriating

“That’s true, but Ms. Kelly isn’t going to be sleeping in it!”

Unfortunately.

Britt pulled the door open, and Gretchen held it for her to walk through while she still held Jake.

She waited until I got inside and had set Gretchen’s bags down before continuing.

“Oh, I just thought you’d insist she stay in your room like Mom does when Grandma and Grandpa come visit.”

Hmm, I wasn’t sure I bought that explanation.

“That’s because your mom only has a blow-up bed when she has company. I have a real bed.”

Actually, two. Four if you counted the pull-out sofa beds in the basement.

I’d never intended to buy a home this big, but it’d checked all the other boxes I’d had. Plus, since it’d been a fixer upper, I’d gotten it for a song.

After letting the kids pick their rooms and converting a bedroom into an office, having two extra bedrooms hadn’tbeen a deal breaker. The housekeeper liked that she could charge me for the square footage without having to clean all of it regularly. She was finally going to earn her money this week.

“Yeah, but Uncle Derrick said it’s not very comfortable.”

Uncle Derrick had been drunk.

“My college buddies didn’t have any complaints last summer.”

Britt shrugged. “You also said they sleep on the ground in sleeping bags like animals.” She looked at Gretchen. “Do you use a cot when you go camping?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been.”

“You’ve never been camping?”

My daughter took the words right out of my mouth.

Gretchen shook her head.

“No. We’d stay at my grandparents’ cottage on the Cape in the summers when I was a kid but never camped.”

“Oh, you’ve got to go with us this summer. Dad has more camping equipment than anyone. It’s like having a home away from home in the middle of the wilderness. Right, Dad?”

I offered an embarrassed smile.

“The perks of having a corporate job with Adventure Gear Sporting Goods before starting my own business.”

That seemed to intrigue Gretchen, although I noticed she didn’t say anything about camping.

“You were in the corporate world?”

“I started with Adventure Gear when I was a junior in high school. Once I graduated college with a business major, I moved up through the ranks pretty quickly. When Frank’s bought the company four years ago, I took the offered buyoutand, with the help of my older brother, turned my side business into a fulltime one.”

“Wow, I had no idea you once had a desk job. Do you miss it?”

“God, no. Leaving Corporate America was the best decision I’ve ever made.” I ruffled Brittany’s hair. “Other than having my kiddos, of course.”

Britt rolled her eyes, “Oh, Dad,” then told Jake, “Come on, let’s go find some toys to play with,” and took the little boy toward the family room.

Gretchen met my gaze.

“She’s so sweet.”

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