Page 26 of Holding On to a Hero
“Oh,” I exclaimed intelligently. “Uh, sure. That would be great. Actually, have you eaten? I’m making pancakes right now for Ally and Abby. You should join us.”
“I’m in. Text me the address. You’re in Tarrytown, right? That’ll only take me fifteen minutes or so.”
We sorted the details and I hung up right as Ally wandered into the kitchen, blearily blinking. “Who’re you talking to so early?” she yawned.
“Jason. I’m going to go over to the ranch earlier than planned. They’ve got some rescue animals coming in today they want me to photograph.” Ally wandered toward the coffeepot and I eyed her severe bedhead and threadbare Powerpuff Girls pajamas. Should I warn her?
“Did you drink all the fucking coffee?” she hissed. Nah, I’d let it be a surprise.
“If you look carefully at the machine, Ally, you’ll see the light is on showing it’s making another pot right now.” Ally muttered something probably unpleasant under her breath before she dragged herself over to the breakfast table. She sagged into a chair and put her head in her hands to wait for the coffee. Sometimes it was fun being the only morning person in the house.
Chapter Eighteen
Jason
I’d been glad for my GPS by the time I wound my way through the subdivisions to get to Will’s house. I roughly knew where Tarrytown was, but I hadn’t had a reason to visit before. Will's sister's house was a large ranch-style home with a vaguely Mediterranean look to it. I wasn’t an expert on Austin real estate, but I knew home prices were pretty high, and a place this big in this area had to mean Allison Graham was fairly well off.
I knocked and a second later I could hear Will’s voice saying, “Can you get that? I’m in the middle of pancake production.”
Then a woman’s voice, “Is today the day Jim is borrowing the weed trimmer?”
Before I could fully process that Will hadn’t told his sister I was coming, the door swung open. As soon as I saw her, I gained mad respect for Will’s sibling-baiting skills.
Ally was a vision of just-rolled-out-of-bed. She was a little shorter than Will but she looked enough like him I had no doubt they were related. Her hair, the same dark blond as Will’s, was plastered to her head on one side and stuck wildly out in all directions on the other. She wore faded pink pajamas with some little girl cartoon figures on them and weird bunny slippers with open jaws and big teeth.
“Hi, are you Ally? I’m Jason.” I couldn’t hold back my grin but I was doing my damnedest not to laugh. I didn’t want to piss off Will’s sister before she got to know me.
“Jason.” She blinked and then narrowed her eyes. “Will’s Jason? Jason andColeJason?” She searched the sidewalk behind me.
“Yes, but it’s just me today.” Her shoulders relaxed a trifle.
“I see.” She took a breath and then stepped to the side. “I’m so sorry, please come in. It’s nice to meet you.” She raised her voice. “I just wish someone had told me to expect you, so I could have been a bit more welcoming.” She ran her hand over her hair and then just rolled her eyes and seemed to give up.
The house had a warm and lived-in look. Comfortable couches and an overstuffed chair faced a large TV. Game controllers were stacked haphazardly on a small shelving unit and a stuffed unicorn sat in the middle of the coffee table. I could see a round breakfast table and Will poked his head around what I assumed was the wall of the kitchen to wink at me. I reached out to shake Ally’s hand.
“No worries,” I assured her. “I’ve got a younger brother too.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I’ve got your back.”
One of Ally’s eyebrows went up and she glanced toward the kitchen. “I’ve got stories.” Now we were talking.
“I’ll give you my number.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Ally and I must have taken too much time bonding. Will came around the corner and stopped a couple of feet away, looking suspiciously between me and Ally. She gave him the most fake-innocent smile I’d ever seen.
“Nothing, Will. Why haven’t you greeted your guest? Jason, can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Sure. Black is fine.” She sauntered away, which had to have been difficult in those slippers. I turned to Will. “That was mean.”
He gave an evil smile. “She’d have done the same to me.”
“Aren’t you worried she’ll retaliate?”
“Hah! She’d retaliate even if I didn’t do anything to her, so I might as well give as good as I get.” He looked awkward, like he didn’t know how to greet me. “Thanks for coming.” I stepped into him, sliding my fingers around his jaw to position him for a kiss. Will gave a little sigh and relaxed into me as our lips met.
Just as I was going in for my first taste of the day, a child’s voice shrieked, “Who’sthat?” Well, shit.
Will and I broke apart to find Ally grinning triumphantly at us, her hands on the shoulders of an adorable little girl.
“Abby, this is Uncle Will’s friend Jason.”
