Ellen doesn’t say anything else, but by the set of her lips she doesn’t have to. Quinn clasps me on the back. We are all at my moms’ house, using their indoor kitchen for the video while waiting on Bish and Perrin to join us for a meal. Perrin just finished a shift at the hospital, and Bish is already headed back from teaching over in Mirror Lake.
“The things we do for that kid.” Quinn grins as he hands me a drink, then busies himself organizing the setup for an efficient meal with our large family.
“I think I liked it better when all we had to do to keep her happy was a game of pickleball.”
“Your pickleball game is still tight.” Liam, Piper’s friend, and Bishop’s nephew, throws out the compliment, popping up long enough to grab the tripod and light Piper was using and then follow after her to Rita’s study. Undoubtedly, they’ll edit me into something better.
“He’s only saying that after they completely owned me this afternoon,” I grouse, and Quinn clicks his tongue in mock-sympathy.
“Can we have a moment to talk about how many followers Piper has?” Jack comes in the kitchen and joins us. He took the kids snowboarding the day before, which was also filmed. “Seems like a lot for a kid her age.”
“It’s mostly dogs and skiing.” Perrin echoes my earlier thoughts, catching the conversation as he comes in from the other direction. He plants a big, smiling kiss on Jack, as Farrow, his Lhasa Apso, follows. “And Farrow.”
“Don’t worry. It’s also well-monitored.” Bishop follows Perrin in, finding Quinn for their own hello kiss.
“Is it just me, or does that sound ominous?” I ask. Quinn smirks, while Bishop’s face stays carefully blank. Who knows what FBI connections Bish uses to monitor Liam and Piper?
“God knows she’s the most accessible one of us. Don’t see any of you starting a YouTube channel or doing any of the other shit we get asked to do.” Quinn wraps his arms around Bish. “I can barely get you all to leave Bear Valley.”
“Plus, I want to volunteer Baylor for social media presence if someone has to represent the family other than Piper. He’s famous. Go sing and dance so people quit asking us to do shit.” Quinn smirks.
Baylor rolls his eyes, making agimmegesture at Quinn. “Out with it, Q. You are bursting at the seams to bust my balls about something.” Baylor leans his long frame against the cabinet. A flash of white teeth from his smile lights up the dark stubble on his face.
Dramatically, Quinn pulls out his phone, brandishing it at all of us. “Colorado’s most eligible bachelor according to VIP. Two years in a row, hot stuff.”
Baylor makes a gruff sort of sound, moving to pour another drink without even a comment.
“Aren’t you even going to look at it?” I can’t help but tease.
“How about start paying up, or I will read from it?” Quinn asks. “You know how this site loves you, B.”
“It’s a gossip site in Colorado that needs people to talk about. Can’t believe I’m the best they can come up with.” Baylor lifts his dark eyebrows as we all hand over money to Quinn. “Really?”
“Come on.” I raise my hands in defense of my five-dollar bet. “Did you see the article with the pictures comparing you to Tyler Hoechlin?”
“It was a wholeguess who it iskind of thing,” Quinn adds. “Stars who could be twinsor some nonsense. Baylor Mann or the guy who looks like Superman. After that, there was no doubt who would win yet again.”
“Personally, I thought they were giving you your moment in the sun before they took the title away this year. Sorry to bet against you, B.”
Baylor suppresses a grin, shooting me an unamused look.
“Since we are all here.” Once he pockets his cash, Quinn hands out drinks to the newcomers. “I know we don’t usually talk shop at the Big House, but Mann Properties has an issue.”
“A big-haired sorority girl named Sydney Johnson?” Baylor jumps up to sit on the kitchen counter.
“You got it. Long story short, she’s unreliable. If Theo hadn’t shown up when he did, I don’t know what I would have done, actually.”
My chest grows warm at his praise for my boy. “I thought she was on the backup list at Black Diamond.” I lean on my elbows. “If Theo is taking over her responsibilities, what’s the deal?”
“The deal is this isn’t about Black Diamond. This is about the Silver Spring renovation. You were in the middle of Summit House stuff when this happened, Matt, but we moved her into the Hobbit Hole, with the deal she would act as the property manager for the Silver Spring condo while it goes through renovation.”
“We have a contract. Same deal everyone gets. The furnished condo and all utilities.” Jack adds in that part for my benefit, since I don’t remember this turn of events. My whole life has been Summit House for the past few months, so I’ve missed some other Mann family business details.
“Hobbit Hole?” Perrin asks.
“It’s this small, studio apartment in the Silver Spring condos. Too small to rent out well to vacationers. We have all lived there at one time or another,” Jack explains to his confused husband. “It’s fully furnished, mostly with things we no longer needed somewhere else, and we offered it to Sydney in this deal, or Matt would probably be staying there instead of his other condo.”
“I for sure would.” That warm little condo is full of good memories for my family. I love it about as much as my cabin. Now I remember, vaguely, a conversation about someone living there when I was looking to stay closer to Summit House for a while. I just didn’t recall who it was.
