Chapter Thirteen
Grant was so happyto have Reagan home. They’d never been apart for more than a few nights at a time in all of her eighteen years. He didn't mind admitting that he was lonely without his baby sister. Sure, there had been a handful of offers here and there, always had been, but he wasn’t the type to go for something casual. He’d been out in the three months since Reagan moved to school and had some fun. He wasn’t looking to stick his dick in any random woman, but that never seemed to turn them off for some reason. He’d had two girlfriends over the years that Reagan didn't know about; women he liked enough to spend time with, but not enough to bring them home to his sister.
“Rise and shine, ladies.” He stood outside the bedroom door that he’d only opened a crack.
“Go away!”
He laughed loudly at Reagan’s attempt to shoo him off. “I made breakfast. Come and get it.”
He heard her muffled groan and was positive that was followed by the sound of her feet hitting the floor. He left the hallway so she could cross to the bathroom in peace.
Reagan found Grant in the kitchen sipping coffee as he leaned up against the counter. She walked up to him and fit herself under his chin as she’d done countless times. He set his mug down and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the top of the head.
“Morning.”
“I missed this,” she mumbled into his shirt. He was warm and solid, the epitome of home for her. “All I get in the mornings is a grumpy roommate.”
“Sorry, sweets.”
They stood in silence and soaked each other up until Luna shuffled into the kitchen in slippers and a bathrobe over her pajamas. “Good morning, you two.”
“Oh yeah.” Grant chuckled. “I did promise breakfast, didn’t I?”
He pulled a skillet of eggs out of the oven where he’d been keeping them warm, followed by a plate of bacon from the microwave.
They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. Each of the girls accepted coffee and tried to feel awake. They’d spent the night hours talking instead of sleeping. It never seemed to matter how much time they spent together, they never ran out of things to say. Reagan had been told all of her life that she was an old soul, and it wasn’t surprising that she attracted those older than her as friends. After their plates were empty and the coffee pot was drained, Grant piled the dishwasher with what they’d dirtied while the girls got dressed.
“What should we do today?” Reagan asked her brother as they sat in the living room.
“The plantation?” Grant suggested. He watched Reagan glance at Luna, who shrugged.
“I’m up for whatever. We can hang out here if you would rather.”
Reagan nodded at Luna. “I think you’d like the plantation, but it’s not an all-day thing. We can tour the grounds and the gardens. There are some outbuildings we can look at it, but the main house is private tours only.”
“If it’s something you’ve done a hundred times and you can barely picture doing it one more time to appease a friend, then we can think of something else.” Luna shrugged. Reagan knew how easy going she was.
“There’s Virginia House and Agecroft Hall,” Grant said. He didn't mind touring old mansions for a day if it made his sister happy.
“They’re pretty impressive, and it’s been years since we’ve been there.” Reagan was more excited about that prospect, and Luna could tell that was where she preferred to go.
“Let’s do that, then.”
They agreed to take Grant’s truck and waited for him to get his shoes and wallet. He had to grab his leather jacket since it was barely creeping into the fifties, but he rarely got cold. The three of them clambered down the stairs and into the four-door truck. The girls decided to sit together in the back, causing Grant to grumble good-naturedly about being a chauffeur. It wasn’t a long drive to their destination, and soon they were parking in front of Agecroft Hall.
“Wow,” Luna said.
“Doesn’t look like anything that belongs in the south, does it?”
“Yeah, yeah, remind me I‘m a Yankee.” It was said without rancor, as they had both teased each other for their origins plenty of times in the past few months.
They spent some time walking around the estate and listening to the docent tell them about the architecture and the original owners. By the time they walked back to the truck, Reagan was excited to show Luna the Virginia House.
“Holy shit,” Luna breathed.
Reagan laughed. “Built in England, disassembled, and reassembled here. Crazy, huh?”
Grant led them to the entrance and paid for their tours, ignoring the protests from the girls. The house was massive and completely different from the one they just came from. It took longer to tour, especially since it had warmed up some and Reagan wanted to see the gardens.
