Page 66 of Shortcake
I sighed. “Harper likes you,” I whispered. “She likes you more than I’ve seen her like anyone since my mother. And you’re living here with us for the foreseeable future. I don’t want anything to jeopardize the good thing we’ve got going. Does that make sense?”
A pained expression rippled across her face. “Yeah,” she said, her voice low and cold. “It makes sense.”
I studied her carefully, her jade green eyes flashing with the same anger I’d seen at the bookstore. “Based on your anger, I don’t think you do—”
The doorbell cut me off mid-sentence. I glanced at the clock. 6:30. Who the hell could that be?
Gus took off toward the door, barking and jumping like freaking Cujo.
“Are you expecting anyone?” I asked.
She shook her head, backing away from where we’d been standing close to each other.
With a sigh, I made my way down the hall to answer the door. I guess the conversation was over… for now.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t peek outside before opening the door. And next thing I knew, my house was flooded with people.
Addy’s people.
Two blonde women I didn’t recognize stood grinning at me, holding casserole dishes. “Hi! You must be Conrad, the new sheriff!” one said. “I’m Chloe! I’m that guy’s girl.” She pointed to Liam, somewhere in the crowd behind her. “And this is my sister, Elaina. She’s with Neil. The bigger brother.”
From somewhere in the back, I heard Liam’s grunted response to that. “Hey now,” he said.
“Don’t worry, babe! You’re still big and beefy, too.”
His grunt was cut off by Elaina shoving a bowl of pasta salad into my hands and sweeping past me into my house, saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ummm…”
Addy’s three brothers I’d met last night came barreling in next, one by one one. Finn first, sporting a smirk on his face and a plate of hotdogs in his hands. He gave me a quick nod of his head, then quickly moved onto assessing my foyer. “Sturdy house,” he said, inspecting it like he was a realtor, looking to flip the house for himself. “Good bones.”
Liam was next and let himself in without so much of a hello or acknowledgment of me. Though he wasn’t quite smiling like Finn was, he wasn’t scowling either. “That mouse problem that caused the fire… any chance of that happening in here?”
“Uh…” I shook my head, slowly, unsure of what exactly was happening right now with the sudden party in my home. “Not according to Bob. His guys gave our wiring the all clear.”
“Good,” Neil said, finishing off the brother parade. He was the biggest brother… figuratively and literally speaking, just as Chloe had said. His mouth was set in a hard line and if it hadn’t been for the tray of multi-colored pink and blue cupcakes he carried, he would have been very intimidating.
While I understood it was the job of a big brother to look out for his sister, I didn’t appreciate being intimidated in my own damn house.
“I assume you’re all here for Addy? She’s in the kitchen, right through there.”
“Yeah, we’ll find her,” Neil grumbled.
Behind Neil, an older, much smaller woman entered last. She had short hair that was just starting to grow in and the flash of memories from the night I’d taken Addy to the airport came rushing back to me. The mother who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite tired, sunken eyes, she beamed at me, smile lines creasing her face.
“Hi Conrad. I’m Linda, Addy’s mom,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my boys. I tried to get them to call first, but…” She paused with her sigh. “It’s not like Addy ever answers our calls anyway.”
Something about her presence immediately eased my concerns. There was no way her sons would start shit in front of their own mother… would they?
I took her warm hand in mine. I would have expected her grip to be weak and gentle, but instead I was met with a firm clasp of her fingers and a rigorous shake. I shouldn’t have underestimated her. This was the woman who gave birth to and raised Addy, after all. Dealt with her hellion high school years all on her own. Smiling, I said, “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She gave my hand a little tug, pulling me closer, then patted my arm gently with her free hand. “Buckle up, Sheriff. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
ChapterEleven
Addy
Saved by the bell, I thought as Conrad rushed down the hall to answer the door. I needed a break from this conversation.
