“Guess not.” She looked up at him. “So whatareyou going to do?”
Chase dug his fingers into the base of his neck. “I don’t know, Laurel. Ryder thinks I’ve turned into a conspiracy theorist. Chief probably does too. Oddly enough, your brother is the only one who doesn’t think I’m delusional.”
“Cody?”
“Marc.”
Thatwassurprising.
“I’d really like to talk to Arnie Powers, but I think Ryder might arrest me as a public nuisance if I bother him.”
“I don’t understand why he’s—” Mom’s eardrum burst-inducing whistle echoed—the Evans’ family dinner bell. It was the only truly loud noise that didn’t set Melly to tears. In fact, the baby usually giggled in delight. “You know we have to go inside—”
“—right now.”
“Everyone sit down,” Mom announced as Laurel closed the sliding door behind her. “Where’s your sister? The middle one.”
Laurel held up her hands in surrender, still shocked that Sadie had made the trip for Melly turning one month. Cody was no doubt behind that miracle, though she hadn’t been able to steal a moment alone with him to ask. She only hoped she didn’t regret the favor, especially with Chase invited for dinner. Sadie was a wildcard. Anything was possible. “Don’t ask me.”
Mom leaned the upper half of her body down the basement steps and yelled, “Sadie Lynn Evans, if you’re sleeping in this house tonight, you have thirty seconds to be seated at this dinner table, do you understand me?”
Most of the seats were already filled or spoken for. If Laurel wanted space from Chase, she’d have to subject him to Marc. She wouldn’t do that to him when he already felt as though everyone else joining them for dinner was against him. He needed an ally, someone who believed in his instincts. Once this whole divorce business was behind them, maybe they could stay friends. The non-kissing kind would be safest, though not nearly as enjoyable. One glimpse at Cody, and she swore her brother was telepathically communicating with her.
These things don’t just happen.
Mom huffed in defeat after Sadie didn’t appear, taking her seat and saying grace. Laurel was secretly relieved her sister was absent. With any luck, she was already on the road back to Anchorage and forgot to mention it. The less drama at the dinner table tonight, the better.
Light conversation floated around the table, but Laurel sensed Marc and Dad’s disdain for Chase’s unexpected presence. Her family was fiercely protective of one another, and it was only now that she understood how they must’ve blamed Chase for her leaving. Probably thought he’d strayed. Guilt twisted tighter the longer the tension sizzled in the air. Secrets meant to protect the people she loved seemed to be doing just the opposite.
At least Haylee was being nice to her invited guest.
“You should bring Zeus by sometime to meet Melly. I want to get her used to dogs so I can get one down the road,” Haylee said to Chase, ignoring the conflicting expressions from everyone else at the table.
“He’s a licker,” Chase replied with a light laugh, pretending to be unaffected by the judgment. Pretending because he was such a wonderful human being, despite the real emotions Laurel could sense. The anxiety and unease. Now that they’d shared a few kisses, she doubted that undeniable connection would simply sever after the ink dried on those papers.
I’ll worry about that later.
“Sorry I’m late, everybody!” Sadie announced loudly. She didn’t exhibit any sense of urgency by rushing to the table, but her presence as she casually made her way to the last remaining seat stole the room. It wasn’t her striking red hair—the only Evans besides Grandma Kathy who was a redhead—or her bold wardrobe choice—a bright yellow midriff shirt and black leather pants—that oddly worked. It was her personality. The mix of audacious and crazy that left everyone holding their breath.
Except Mom. Sadie couldn’t rattle her if she focused all her energy on the task.
“Sit,” Mom barked. “You’relate.Everyone else is nearly through dinner.” The uncomfortable hush that fell over the table made Laurel want to grab her plate and sneak off to the basement. For weeks, family dinners had been minus Sadie—aka pleasant and mostly uneventful.
“Chase, what a pleasant surprise to see you here,” Sadie said in that dangerously unpredictable tone that meant she might be sweet or secretly plotting an ambush. She scooted her chair in. “What’s it been, five years?”
“Something like that.” He forced a smile. Chase had never quite figured out how to take Sadie, but he never quitting trying. He had more patience than she did over the matter. Laurel loved him even more because of it. “Home for a visit?”
“Something like that,” she repeated his words back to him as she cut into her pork chop. The gentle roar of side conversations started up again, and Laurel allowed herself to relax. Having Chase at the table wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was kind of nice.Don’t get used to this. Was that why Haylee was smiling so mischievously?
Laurel’s relief was short-lived when Sadie blurted, “So I heard you and my sister are still hitched.”
Silverware clattered against plates, Marc choked on his iced tea, and several sets of eyes stared both shocked and expectantly at Laurel and Chase. Though many had probably wonderedwhyChase was here, they certainly didn’t seem prepared for that burst of news. Even Cody and Haylee appeared stunned into silence.
“This wasn’t part of my plan,” she heard Haylee whisper to Chase.
Laurel shot laser beams at Sadie, but her sister’s smug expression didn’t falter.A warning?“Do you enjoy leaving a path of destructioneverywhereyou go?”
“Girls, stop,” Mom warned.
