Page 138 of Stay With Me
“You’re gonna squish me, dude. C’mon, move.” When he doesn’t, I add, “You should be embarrassed.”
Wilder jumps up on the post behind me, cracking up with laughter. “How’s it goin’?”
I glare at him over my shoulder. “How do you think?”
Wilder whistles loudly, grabbing the rabbit’s attention and scaring it off. Denver watches it go and then releases a whine as if to tell the rabbit off for disrupting him.
“What a little shit,” I mutter.
“You’re welcome,” Wilder calls out as I get back into place.
Ignoring him, I resume working and continue rotating horses.
At eleven thirty, I head home to shower and get ready for the rest of the day. The only thing preventing me from blowing up Magnolia’s phone is knowing I’ll get to see her soon at The Lodge.
Once I arrive, I glance around the parking lot for her SUV, but she must not be here yet. Everyone else is inside the big conference room we use for parties, and you can tell Mom and Gramma Grace spent some time decorating it in fall decor.
I slap a smile on my face for my mom’s sake and greet her with a hug.
“Happy Thanksgiving, sweetie.”
“You too, Ma. Everything looks and smells great.”
“Wait till you see Gramma Grace’s new caramel apple bars she made.”
At that, my stomach growls. “I better get there first before the others steal ’em all.”
When Gramma Grace approaches, I greet her with a kiss on the cheek and then tell her how excited I am to try her new dessert.
“Where’s Magnolia?”
At first, I’m taken aback that she’s asking me. Normally, that’d be a question for Noah, which tells me she knows something.
“I’m not sure,” I say hesitantly.
“Oh, I just thought she’d be comin’ with you.”
“Why?” I ask, then glance at my mom, who’s grinning.
Crossing my arms, I blow out a breath. “What do y’all know?”
“Just that you finally put us out of our misery with your little will-they or won’t-they games.”
“Gramma Grace!” I laugh for the first time in two days.
She rolls her eyes as if me being shocked is ridiculous.
“So who’s the rat?” I ask. Someone had to have told them.
“Oh, you foolish boy. I don’t need snitches to find out what’s going on ’round here,” Gramma Grace says with a level of sass I usually get from Mallory.
“Alright.” I laugh. “Then how’d you know?”
“She was a sleuth in her other life,” Mom teases.
“Magnolia’s car being here when Noah was away was my first clue. You being on your phone durin’ family supper. The way you’ve been smiling like you had a hanger stuck in your mouth.”
“Oh, and we saw you dancin’ at Noah and Fisher’s wedding. Y’all weren’t as discreet as y’all thought,” Mom adds.
