Ava snickered and shot Hunter a quick look.
His mother smiled sweetly, then asked, “How is Michaela doing on the mural?”
Hunter wasn’t stupid. She’d asked the double-edged question to get information about the status of his and Michaela’s relationship. “I haven’t actually seen it. She mentioned not wanting anyone to see it until it’s finished. But I know she’s been working long hours on them. She decided to do two—one on the children’s side and the other on the adult wing.” He deliberately didn’t include any personal information about their relationship. Over the past couple of weeks, his conscience had been giving him a beatdown about the way he’d left. He could only imagine all the humiliation Michaela must have endured, and she’d had to do it alone. He owed her a huge apology.
She lifted an eyebrow. “And the two of you?”
Damn, Mom. Some things are meant to be private. He shrugged. “We haven’t talked much.”Today.
“I do hope—”
“Brenda, leave it be,” his father said, cutting her off. “If Hunter has something to tell, he will. He’s a grown man and can handle his own business.”
Hunter sent his dad a grateful look, and deciding he definitely needed to take the spotlight off himself, engaged his niece in a conversation about the new book she’d shown him earlier.
After dinner, Ava hooked her arm in his and steered him off to the side. “I happened to see Michaela at Roseberry Bakery yesterday and she was smiling. A lot.”
“And?”
“She hasn’t smiled much in the last several months, but all of a sudden,afteryou return from no man’s land—which, by the way, I still have no clue where that is—she’s walking around with a big ole goofy grin.”
“One, I don’t live inno man’s land. Two, you know I’ve been going back and forth between here and LA for the past four years. And three, did it ever occur to you that Michaela’s smile has nothing to do with me and everything to do with being tapped for one of the biggest projects in Rosewood Heights?”
“I’m sure that’s part of it, buttrust me, only amancan make a woman walk around with that kind of look on her face. I should know.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Hunter made a face. “That’s too much damn information, Ava. I do not want to hear this kind of sh—” He cut himself off when he spotted Little Sully walk into earshot. “Stufffrom my baby sister.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, please. I’ve pushed two babies out of my—”
He threw up his hands and stalked off, her laughter following. He did not need her to provide graphic details of having babies. Yes, she was a grown woman and married, but she would always be his baby sister and, as irrational as it seemed, he planned to keep that view of her.
“You been feeling okay, Hunter?” his father asked as Hunter passed.
“I’m doing pretty good. I still get tired if I do too much, though. But I’m on top of things at the office, so no worries.”
“Your health is far more important than the job.”
Now that’s a first.Edward Prescott lived and breathed and slept everything Prescott Holdings and had wanted his sons to do the same. Hunter would admit to working more hours than he probably should, but he did make time to play occasionally. “I’m learning balance.” In reality, he was being forced to learn balance.
“That’s good to hear. Everything progressing with the resort?”
Annnd, back to business. “Yeah, Dad. Everything is on schedule.” His mother joined them and he slung an arm around her shoulders. “I think I’m going to call it a night. Thanks, again, for dinner.”
She glanced down at the gold watch on her slender arm. “Oh, it’s almost nine. You probably need to go rest.”
“Something like that.” His plans did include rest, but later. Right now, he needed to see Michaela.
“When are you leaving?”
“Thursday afternoon, but I’ll be back in a couple of weeks for the board meeting and to make sure things are still running smoothly with the hospital board.”
“Be careful.”
He smiled and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you guys later.” He sought out Ava, Owen and the kids, said his goodbyes and drove over to Michaela’s.
He rang her doorbell and leaned against the column.
Michaela opened the door and her eyes went wide. “Hunter!”She launched herself in his arms, then quickly scrambled away from him and ran her hand up and down his arms, as if to steady him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
