It took a beat, but she saw Nick standing in Larry’s living room holding a phone.Herphone. Vision Nick glanced toward the kitchen, and Riley realized he was making sure she was occupied.
“Is he snooping on my phone?” she asked, more confused than appalled. Nick wasn’t the “secretly read text messages” kind of guy.
She couldn’t see what he was doing, but she felt a grim kind of purpose pumping off him. Like it was something he felt he had to do. Something he knew she wouldn’t like. He glanced up again in Vision Riley’s direction, and she felt something else. A fierce protectiveness swept through her, followed by a softening, a warmth. Something like, well,like…only more. It made her palms sweat. Her pulse accelerate.
Was Nick Santiago in love with her? Is that what she was feeling? And what the hell had he done with her phone?
The doorbell interrupted her psychic epiphany and yanked her back into her body. Her parents exchanged a glance, but neither of them moved to answer it. They had less than ten minutes left on the clock, and Riley sensed the collective agreement to murder anyone who opened their trap now.
The visitor gave up on the bell and pounded on the door. “I know you’re in there!”
Her father’s face flushed a reddish purple.
Chelsea Strump was pounding on the front door with something to complain about. Not standing up and yelling at her went against Roger’s very DNA.
Chelsea pounded again. “Your disturbing menagerie of illegal livestock is going to knock that fence down, and if one splinter falls on my side of the property line, you can bet I’ll be on the phone with my attorney so fast it’ll make your heads spin!”
Blossom’s face turned an unnatural shade of red. Wander’s daughters squirmed in their chairs, trying not to giggle as Nick silently mimicked the irate neighbor. Elanora remained completely impassive.
Roger’s nostrils flared so wide Riley could have inserted salt and pepper shakers in them.
There was another pound followed by what sounded like a kick. “Answer this door, you weirdos!” Chelsea howled. Blossom gripped Roger’s hand when it looked like he was about to rip the table in half.
Finally, things went quiet again, and Riley envisioned Chelsea stomping back to her house.
Someone at the table farted again.
Oops. Tooted again. Good thing it was silent!
That was definitely Fred.
She tuned him out and tried to focus her attention on Wander. She was the safest mind to read at the table. Her sister was the kind of person who didn’t eventhinkmean things, let alone say them. Apparently, Wander wasn’t thinking about anything other than how much she liked sitting next to Gabe. It was sweet…and dangerous given their proximity to Elanora’s disapproval.
Riley’s stomach growled again, drawing a disgruntled glare from her grandmother. Riley gave up being psychic and urged the minute hand on the clock above the sink to tick faster.
Daisy and Burt took turns nosing a large exercise ball around the backyard until Burt accidentally bit it too hard and it deflated. Daisy let out a mournful moo.
Finally her grandmother raised her stupid bell and rang it.
“That was a barely adequate attempt,” Elanora announced, and Riley sagged back in her chair.
Wander blew out a breath from somewhere on the other side of the wall of Gabe’s large torso.
“Mommy, can we have some tofu nuggets now?” Janet, the youngest, begged from the kids’ table.
Nick turned and locked eyes with her. Riley felt…a lot of things. Most of them were obscured by hunger. But girlish giddiness and middle-aged suspicion ranked in second and third place.
“I gotta get to someplace that ain’t here,” Roger announced, jumping up from his chair.
“So, sweetheart. What’s your sign?” Fred asked Elanora.
Nick stood up and let Burt back into the house.
“That was lovely, Mom,” Blossom said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t patronize me,” Elanora announced. “Tomorrow, you will join me for an intensive spiritual training session that will cleanse your souls of laziness and discipline your minds. We begin at six a.m.”
“Six in the morning?” Riley swallowed hard.
