“What was that about?” Wes asks.
I shrug. “Nothing. He helped me throw away the boxes.”
I speed-walk ahead of him so he’ll quit looking at me like I’m a traitor.
As soon as I unlock the door to my house, Sophie drops into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “Okay, back to business. Did that coach sign your form?”
“No,” I answer.
Sophie stands up quickly, almost knocking her chair over.
“Whoa, tiger. Where ya going?” Wes asks.
She drops back into her chair for the second time. “I…just…How could he not sign it?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Well, it’s mostly my fault.” And then I tell them everything.
Charlie leans back in his chair. “No biggie, then. You go hang out at the golf course, get a little sun, nothing to it.”
“Why are you making that face?” Wes asks me. He turns to Sophie. “It’s not good when she makes that face.”
“There’s a hitch,” I say.
Charlie is shaking his head.
I nod right back to him.
“What hitch?” Sophie asks.
“I’m not telling Mom and Dad what happened. I’ll never live it down. And the whole family will find out and I’d rather poke my eye out than listen to what Aunt Maggie Mae will say about it.”
“Okay,” Wes says, drawing out the word. “Still not getting the hitch.”
I point to the line of invitations hanging from the twine. “I’m supposed to be at a luncheon every day this week. And Mom is watching my every move. She’ll know I’m not there, and she’ll also know I’m at Ellerbe Hills Country Club all day instead. There will be no hiding it from her.”
“I know where this is going,” Charlie says. “I had your phone for ninety minutes and Aunt Lisa texted seventeen times. Seven. Teen.”
I hold my hands out as if I can stop them from bailing before I even ask them to help. “We can switch up. If y’all are willing, I know we can pull this off. And I’ll owe you forever.”
Sophie reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I wouldn’t have gotten through Christmas break without you, so you know I’m in.” Then she nudges Wes in the side hard enough to make him grunt.
“Oof. I’m in, too,” he says. Sophie leans over and plants a loud kiss on his cheek.
“We can work together,” she whispers to him.
“Am I the only one who realizes how completely insane this is?” Charlie asks, then drops his head on the table. “I guess I’m in, too,” he mumbles.
I jump up from the table and give each of them a big hug.
“I can’t help on Wednesday, though,” Sophie says. “Mom and I are shopping for a graduation dress.”
Charlie says, “I can do Wednesday. But I can’t do Thursday. Working for Nonna all day at the shop.”
“I can do Thursday,” Wes volunteers.
And I could cry.
“Okay, so I’ll do tomorrow,” Sophie says. “Then Charlie has Wednesday and Wes has Thursday. What about Friday?”
