When I arrived at the inn, I parked right next to my brother’s car. There was no one in the front, but that was no surprise. I assumed they were either inside or at the back of the house, around the fire pit.
I listened intently for a few seconds. Laughter resounded in the open air, and fire crackled. They were clearly in the back.
I hurried, walking around the house. When they came into view, I didn’t announce my presence right away. Instead, I simply witnessed the scene in front of me.
Phoebe and Hannah were both laughing hard. Chase stood next to Hannah, shaking his head, but he was laughing too. Something in the way both women moved told me they’d had a bit to drink. Sure enough, there was an empty bottle of wine next to them.
“Hello, fam,” I greeted.
Chase looked up. “Finally, you’re here.”
Phoebe turned around, her smile falling as her eyes went wide. She licked her lips before asking, “How did it go with Jude?” Then she tried to stand on her feet rather abruptly and swayed. In an instant, I was right next to her, steadying her with both hands.
“Babe, how much wine have you had?” I asked.
“Oh, a bit.”
“You know what?” Hannah said, turning to Chase. “You and I should go inside and leave these two alone to talk things out.”
“That’s a good idea,” Chase said.
Hannah stumbled a bit as she started to walk away. “Oops. I had a bit too much wine too.”
Chase put an arm around her waist, leading her toward the house.
I was grateful to both of them for looking after my woman.
“I’m sorry for bailing tonight,” I said in Hannah’s direction.
“There wasn’t too much to do,” she replied. “Still, a phone call would have been nice.”
“True,” I admitted.
Hannah waved her hand as she added, “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now. All right, in we go.”
Chase pushed the door open, and they both went inside.
The second the door closed, Phoebe asked, “How did things go? Is the investment moving forward?”
“Fuck the investment, Phoebe.”
“No, it’s important to you.”
I cupped her face between my hands. “You know what else is important? The most important? You.”
“Oh,” she muttered. “So, you’re not mad at me?”
“No. Fuck no. Why would I be mad?”
“Because this whole thing blew up in our faces because of me.”
“It’s not your fault. Even if it were, it wouldn’t matter.”
“But last night, you didn’t even come to bed.”
I blinked, realizing how that must have looked from her perspective. I cleared my throat. “Babe. I was just tossing and turning, and I knew I’d wake you up. That’s why I slept in Jeremy’s room.”
“Ohhh, that makes sense.”
