Chapter Twenty
At 6:58 the doorbell chimed. Pepper was punctual.
Rhett opened his front door, promptly gripping the knob to keep from slamming it shut. “What are you doing here?”
“The better question is, where are your manners?” His big sister smacked his chest with the back of her hand. “That’s a fine way to talk to family.”
He glanced over her shoulder. The sidewalk was empty, but Pepper would be arriving any minute.
Lou Ellen sniffed, nostrils flaring. “Mmm…Smells real nice in here.” She waltzed into the house.
“What do you need?” he muttered, glancing toward Pepper’s place setting. Dinner for three wasn’t what he had in mind, but it was time to speed through anger, denial, and frustration and get right to acceptance, because this situation was about to happen.
“I’m here to talk details about Mr. Scallywag. The Village Pillage is coming up, and that means the silent auction. The Quilt Guild’s predicting your turn as Mr. Scallywag will raise more money than any other item besides Kingston Day’s timeshare in Cocoa Beach. Did I tell you we chose the dog park to be the recipient of this year’s fundraiser money? Miss Ida May wanted to do…” Ellen trailed off, her gaze lasered on the tossed salad and bottles of IPA on the table. “Am I interrupting something, little brother?” she said in a tone of delight. “Why, it looks like you’re ready for a hot date—”
The dogs raced toward the door, barking up a storm before the doorbell chimed.
“I’ll get it!”
She was quicker.
“Hello?” Pepper lurked, uncertain at the door. “I…can come back later…or…not…just wanted to…”
“Come on in.” Rhett had all the enthusiasm of a man marching to the gallows. “Pepper, let me introduce you to—”
“Hello, there. I’ve been dying to meet you,” Lou Ellen extended a hand, bright rings on every finger. “Lou Ellen Woodall née Valentine. Rhett’s big sister.”
Pepper glanced between them. “I see the family resemblance.”
“Do you now?” Lou Ellen touched her cheek.
“The eyes.”
“Inherited from our mama,” Lou Ellen replied in a softer tone before regrouping. “Now, who is going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Back off, Lou.” He used his best authoritative tone, one that garnered an instant response from even disobedient dogs.
His big sister was unimpressed. “I think I have a right to know what’s going on under my baby brother’s roof.”
“No, you don’t,” he pushed back.
“I’m the oldest female in the family,” she protested. “Mama would expect nothing less.”
But there was a world of difference between being a caring matriarch and a nosy nuisance. Rhett went stone cold silent. Hard to say if anyone even noticed. The dogs were carrying on around Pepper, yelping, tails hitting furniture.
Their gazes connected.
You doing okay?he asked silently.
A hint of tightness strained the skin near her eyes, but her smile reached her eyes.Yeah.
“I’ve never seen those three behave like that before,” Lou Ellen remarked.
“Pepper brings it out in them.” And no way in hell would Rhett add what she brought out inhim. Dammit. He loved his sister, but he wasn’t ready for anyone to intrude in this Pepper alternate reality. Besides, flings don’t meet family.
“I stopped by to get some professional development tips. Rhett’s been helping me out with that.”
His chest heaved with a silent groan. Pepper sounded as phony as a presenter on a late-night infomercial. Her wide-eyed innocent act might fool a stranger on the street, but not his sister. But he didn’t want his sister getting the wrong idea.
