Page 160 of Meet Me in the Valley
“Nora,” I say, nudging her gently, “just give him a hug so we can go join everyone. He won’t stop until you give him one.”
She lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine.”
With dramatic reluctance, she steps into Logan’s arms. She tries for a half-hearted side hug, but Logan wraps her in a full-frontal squeeze, lifting her slightly off the ground for good measure.
He plants a kiss on her cheek, and she immediately pulls back, scrunching her nose in mock disgust.
I loop my arm through Nora’s, and together, we head outside to greet the rest of the group.
Nora stiffens in my hold, and I’m instantly reminded of that flicker of weirdness I noticed earlier. The way her smile seemed cool and calculated. The way she scanned the room like she was bracing for something.
“Are you okay?” I murmur, just loud enough for her to hear.
She nods, eyes fixed ahead on the group gathering by the patio. “I’m fine. Just … feeling a little off.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” she says too quickly, then immediately softens. “Sorry. Yeah. I think I might be catching a bug or something.”
Before I can press further, Audrey bounds toward us in a gorgeous red sun dress, Donovan trailing not far behind.
“Tia! Nora! Cali!”
I unlink my arm from my sister and practically skip into Audrey’s arms, squealing as she pulls me in for a hug. I do the same with Donovan, and they move on to greet Nora and Cali with the same warm energy.
“Wow. This view is crazy! Is it okay if I take some pictures?” Cali asks Audrey and Donovan, eyes blown wide with wonder as she spins in a circle, taking in the beauty of the King family vineyard.
“Of course!” Audrey beams. “Actually, you should go with Donovan’s brother Kerry and take some pictures. He’s a professional photographer, you know. Come on! I’ll introduce you.”
Cali gives Nora the biggest puppy eyes. “Mom? Is that okay? Can I please?”
Nora looks to Donovan, and he nods with a kind smile.
“It’s fine. She can go wherever she wants,” Donovan adds.
Nora lightly pinches Cali’s cheek. “Sure, babe. Be polite.”
Audrey and Donovan lead Cali toward our friends, who are in an intense game of corn hole. It’s Wyatt and Caroline versus Isabel and Jackson.
Out of nowhere, strong arms wrap around me from behind and lift me clean off the ground. I yelp as the breeze flips my dress, cool air brushing right beneath it.
“Logan Tyler Harper!” I laugh. “My ass is hanging out!”
“Good,” he murmurs, smug against my ear. “Let everyone see who it belongs to.”
He sets me down, and I swat his shoulder with a giggle, smoothing my dress back into place, just in time to see my parents walking through the back door.
“Is your dad coming?” I ask Logan, lacing my fingers with his as we walk to greet my parents.
“Yeah. He should be here soon. He said he’s bringing Diane.” Logan waggles his eyebrows, clearly excited that his dad has been seeing the same woman for almost nine months.
“Wow. Big step,” I say, nudging him gently. “Introducing her to the group.”
“I know,” Logan grins. “I think he’s actually serious about her.”
Things between Logan and his mom have been good lately. Hanny, as Cali and Nora call her, is still a huge part of their lives, like a surrogate grandmother. It doesn’t seem to affect Logananymore. He’s found peace with it. But he is very protective of his father’s heart, knowing that a big piece of it still belongs to his ex-wife. So, having Chief Harper bring Diane is a huge deal. One that Logan fully supports.
“That’s great, Lo. As long as you’re happy.”
