Page 79 of Red Mountain Burning
He cursed to himself, wishing he’d snuck back over there and ripped the antenna out of the ground, eliminating the above-ground evidence of the smart valve he’d installed.
Let it go, Otis. Let it go.
* * *
That evening,they gathered in the living area, and Margot and Carly told Remi and Jasper about their day.
“I’m sorry I didn’t hear the phone ring,” Jasper said. “I was playing music with Jake.”
Remi had already apologized for not answering, either. He’d been on the tractor mowing.
“We didn’t need you two,” Margot said. “Carly and I had it under control. Right?”
Carly nodded from the chair to Margot’s left. “Yeah, it wasn’t so bad.”
Margot wasn’t sure what had happened, but it seemed that Carly had found a little happiness through being needed. Who didn’t need to feel needed?
As Margot pulled the cork out of a bottle of Aqualini cabernet sauvignon, she said to Remi, “I think the kids deserve a glass of wine tonight. How does that sound?”
“I totally agree,” Remi said. “Heck, they can have two as far as I’m concerned. Sounds like you dodged a bullet today.”
He hadn’t been so chipper since Carly’s arrival. “We really did. I’ve had some challenges in the past couple of years, but this one ranks at the top.”
Margot filled four glasses and divvied them out. Raising her glass to Carly, she offered a toast. “To being there for family. I really appreciate your help.”
Carly smiled.
The following clink of crystal was a sound that had needed to be heard so badly in the house. It wasn’t just a toast. It was a sound that rang the bell of unity, a sound that marked the true beginning of this family of four.
What brought it all home was the look on Remi’s face as they each sipped their wine. Sitting in front of her was the exact man she’d fallen in love with—and he was on his way back from the dead.
