Page 108 of The Love Ambush
He shakes his head, looking disappointed in me. “I’ll tell them when the time is right. They need to get used to me and Trisha being around before I drop that bomb on them.” He pats my knee. “How about a hand or two of Gin Rummy? That still your favorite game?”
For a moment, it warms me that he remembers. When I was a kid, it always felt like the sun was shining on me when my father noticed me. Now, though, it feels like another manipulation.
He’s just pulled the rug out from under me and might be planning to take the money he earns from the sale of this house and leave us with nothing. Again. And he wants me to play a stupid card game with him?
I want to get as far away from him as possible, but I need to stay on his good side so I can find out what he’s really up to. “Sure, Dad,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’d love to.”
We move to the kitchen and play five rounds, laughing and trash talking each other just like old times. There are moments when I forget I don’t trust him. Moments when it just feels so damn good to be hanging out with my dad again.
But those moments don’t last long.
He can’t be trusted. I just hope my laughter and smiles are believable enough to convince him I’m fine with his plans for the house.
When I’m tired of pretending, I fake a yawn and announce I need to get to bed.
I say goodnight to Dad and head up to my room. The first thing I do when I’m alone is call Levi. He doesn’t answer, so I send a text:Dad’s selling the house.
I don’t dare ask outright, but I hope Levi will find out what the hell Harley Lendew is really up to.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Gentry
I’m still in my pajamas when the doorbell rings Saturday morning. My first thought is that it’s Levi. It’s been two days since I sent him the text about Dad selling the house, and I haven’t heard a word back.
If it is him, I’m not sure what I’ll do. What I want to do is throw my arms around him and hug him until I stop missing him. I’m not mad at him anymore, not really. But I don’t trust him, and I can’t let him think we’re good until I’m sure he won’t betray my trust again.
I’m halfway to the front door when Trisha hurries past me. She’s already dressed for the day in slacks and a flimsy blouse with a huge bow at the throat. “That’s probably the real estate agent. He’s taking pictures today. Can you clean up and take the girls somewhere?”
I don’t have a chance to answer before she’s swinging the door open.
Deacon Sullivan, tall and lean, in jeans that fit just right and a button-down shirt that looks a size too big, smiles. The sun hits his red hair in such a way that it makes it look prettier than the fall leaves. “Good morning, ladies. I’m sorry to bother you so early, but Mr. Stinson asked me to stop by to do a quick home inspection.”
Since when does Levi’s brother do home inspections? Not that I know all that much about the family business…
“Don’t the sellers usually hire the home inspector?” Trisha asks.
Deacon smiles like he’s about to tell her she’s won one million dollars. “Typically that’s the way things go, but with a house this age, Stinson likes to do his due diligence and get a jump on any potential problems. With all the new homes going up in the mountains near the brand-new resort, it’s getting harder to sell the older homes closer to town. We don’t want any obstacles in the way of a sale.”
That all sounds reasonable, and Trisha seems to agree, because she steps out of the way and gestures for Deacon to come in. Deacon is a few years older than me, and I don’t know him well, but he did join Levi on a visit once. It was one of the rare times that Brodie had invited me out with them to bowling and a meal. Deacon’s a fun guy, not as good-looking as Levi, but his eyes sparkle with a very similar mischief, and it makes me miss Levi even more.
“We definitely don’t want there to be any obstacles to a sale,” Trisha says. “Where do you want to start?”
“Are you in a hurry to sell?” Deacon asks with a pointed interest. “Where are you headed?”
Trisha takes a step back, glancing my way nervously. “We’re just looking to downsize. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” Deacon says. “We’ve had a problem with folks trying to sell a home because it needs major work and they want it to become someone else’s problem.”
Trisha places a hand over her chest, looking shocked. “We would never.”
“What’s going on here?” Dad asks, joining us with a wary smile. “You invited a guest over at the break of dawn, Gentry?”
I watch Dad closely, sure he’s going to remember that he’s met Deacon before, but Dad continues to look at me expectantly. “I don’t know him,” I lie. I immediately feel guilty, but I’m not going to be the one to interfere in what I’m sure is a plan orchestrated by Levi. “He’s here to inspect the house.”
Dad goes pale and his eyes widen. “You need a warrant to search my home.”
Deacon laughs a little too loudly. “I’m a home inspector, Mr. Lendew. I’m helping Mr. Stinson and you out by finding any potential issuesbeforethe house goes on the market.”
