Page 29 of The Trouble With Attraction (Rock Canyon, Idaho 6)

Insulting her already? Shocker. “Because I was carrying Gemma’s baby shower cake and it was heavy. And because I’m excited to hear from you.”

“Hmm, okay…did you remember the gift I sent Gemma?”

Ah, the check up on her phone call. She’d forgotten that one. “Yes, it is sitting right next to mine in the house. I was just heading in to grab it.”

“Well, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to make sure you give Gemma my best.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and your father and I have decided to come back to Rock Canyon for the holidays, so you won’t need to get a plane ticket this year.”

Gracie stopped walking up the steps to her house. Her tiny, tiny house and her heart did the river dance in her chest. “You are? When are you coming?”

“The twelfth. We really miss our friends and the town, and figured we’d come back for a nice, long visit. Do you think you can pick us up from the airport in Boise? It was less expensive than flying into Twin Falls.”

But an hour and a half drive two ways for me is okay?

“Sure, mom, of course I can get you guys. Where are you going to stay?”

“Well, we just assumed we’d stay with you, sweetheart.”

Gracie wanted to slam her head into something. The whole reason she flew down to freaking Florida for the holidays was to spend it with her parents, who had a three-bedroom house on the beach. Yet, now, they wanted to come up here and stay in her one bedroom house, while she’d get stuck sleeping on the couch for two weeks?

“Of course, if that’s a problem, I suppose we could find a hotel or something,” her mother said.

Passive aggressiveness rears it’s ugly head.

“Mom, it’s not a problem. I’ll just have to figure out the logistics. You know that I only have the one bedroom, and there’s no hide a bed in the couch.”

“Sounds like something Santa should bring you for Christmas.” Her mother laughed at her own joke, but Gracie was picturing the ugly ass couch her mother would choose for her.

“No, mom, that’s okay. Really. I’ll have everything set up before you get here.”

“Wonderful, I’ll let your father know. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Gracie clicked off the call and slid the phone into her pocket before picking up the two presents with a gru

nt.

Two weeks. Her parents were going to come to town and stay with her. Sleep in her room, bitch about her small kitchen. The house she rented was perfect for her under most circumstances, but not now. Not for this.

What in the hell was she going to do?

* * *

Eric Henderson had no idea how he’d ended up at a co-ed baby shower on a Saturday afternoon, but there he was, carrying two trays of his mother’s frog eyes, while she bustled ahead of him. Grant and his dad had managed to bow out but since Eric’s friend was the father-to-be, he was shit out of luck.

“Oh, Gemma, you look beautiful!” his mother cried.

Gemma Bowers, his friend Travis’s wife, waddled over to his mother and gave her a hug. She was wearing a simple purple cotton dress that showed off her enormous stomach. She was six months pregnant with twins, and Eric thought she looked like she was ready to pop now.

“Thank you, Mrs. Henderson. I am so glad you could come.” Gemma smiled past his mother at him. “Hey Eric. Travis is in the garage.”

Eric took the escape she offered and carried the food into the kitchen, setting them on the counter before he went out the back. He headed down the walkway and found Travis, Mike Stevens, Gabe Moriarty, Gregg Phillips, and Chase Trepasso standing in the open garage, drinking beer.

“So this is where all the men are hiding?” Eric called.

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