He may not have even seen me dawdling on the porch, listening to a family I’ve never met laugh about their day, but a blush warms the apples of my cheeks just the same. I press the back of my hand to my skin, willing it to cool, then curl my hand into a fist, forcing myself to knock on the door before I chicken out.
I’m just about to rap against the white wood when I see a doorbell hidden off to the side next to an old brass mail slot. I reach my hand over, wondering if the bell would be preferred, when I notice the slight tremor tomy fingertips.
“Cripes, Holly, get it together,” I mutter under my breath, opting for three sharp raps before I lose all courage and scram back to my car.
I wait on bated breath one, two, three more seconds. Waiting for the sounds of steps coming toward the door or the voices filtering out the window to pause at the sound.
And no one seems to notice.
I reach to the side, pressing the doorbell firmly, my ear perking up, hoping to hear a telltale ding, but another loud roar of laughter rolls out the open window.
“You’ll have to knock a hell of a lot louder than that if you want to be heard over the chaos,” a voice behind me booms, and I jump a little, spinning on a heel with a smile on my face, hoping the movement covers up my skittish fumble.
The man striding toward me is the same man I saw entering the shed behind us. As he comes closer with each step, I can confirm his hair is mostly gray, but I can also confirm my original thought that he’s much younger than his hair would let on. Even with the sun’s last translucent rays leaving the land, I can tell that he must be related to Grayson.
They share the same crystal-blue eyes that sparkle as he smiles down at me.
“I, uh…” I jut a thumb over my shoulder toward the front of the house. “I rang the bell and knocked. Not sure anyone heard me.”
He reaches an arm out, nearly circling my waist, and I stumble back, causing my shoulders to slam into the door with a rattle. He immediately takes a step back and lifts both hands up in front of him in surrender. “Didn’t mean to scare you, ma’am,” he points behind me, “just reaching for the handle, that’s all.”
That blush is back, heating my cheeks, and I swipe a hand up my forehead, smoothing back the hair that’s tucked neatly into my low bun. “Sorry, it’s been a day.” I take a step to the side, gesturing for him to move ahead of me.
He nods once in acceptance, stepping forward again to reach for the handle. The moment the door is opened, the chatter that had been muffled before is in full force, and it immediately brings a smile to my face.
The man holds open the door, gesturing for me to enter ahead of him. I take that first step over the threshold and the smell of food wafts down the long hallway. A colorful, worn, and loved rug lines the wooden floors. Frame after frame of pictures adorn the walls on both sides. A mess of boots and sandals are piled in the corner and a seriesof faded hats hang from the hooks along the right side of the wall.
The entire place screams family. Love. I bet this home has seen love and heartbreak and a whole lot of everything else walk down these halls over the years.
“I’m Theo, by the way,” the man to my side says. I spin to face him, reaching a hand out to clasp around the one he offers me. “Holly, hi, nice to meet you. I assume you’re one of…” I trail off, gesturing with my head to the voices down the hall.
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawls. “Are you a friend of Harper’s?”
“I, um…” I trail off, not sure how to explain why I’m here. “I work with Piper—Harper’s friend. I’m here for Grayson, actually.”
Confusion knits Theo’s brows, and he looks down the hall behind us for a beat before coming back to me. “I didn’t know Gray was seeing anyone.”
“I’m his doctor. Sort of.” I bring the gray unmarked pouch that’s been clenched in my fist up to eye level. “I need to take his sutures out.”
A look I can’t quite read crosses Theo’s face before I see him bite the inside of a cheek and gesture again to the hall behind us. “They’re all in the dining room, second dooron your right. I’m gonna wash up but I’ll be right behind you.”
He excuses himself, opening another door and disappearing inside a half bath. I stand for another minute in the dim hall by myself before I slip off my heels and force myself to pad down the hall.
I reach the threshold of the dining room and lean a shoulder against the trim as I listen to someone talk about the engine of something that needs a new something-or-other, and I wait, hoping for a pause in the conversation that I soon realize isn’t coming.
Moving into the light, I take a step into the room, and for a moment, no one notices. Conversation bleeds on, multiple discussions happening at each end of the room as I scan the faces, looking for Piper’s familiar red hair.
And I don’t see her.
I do, however, see a woman about Piper’s age with platinum blonde hair cut just below her chin. The ends are a vibrant pink, the perfect compliment to her neon T-shirt that falls just above her belly button; she’s sticking her tongue out at another guy who looks older than her but younger than Grayson. When she turns back to reach for her glass, her gaze snags in my direction.
“Oh shit, hey!” she squeals, immediately scooting her chair back. The ripple of the wood against the floor hasthe rest of the room turning toward the noise, and I can feel dozens of eyes watching her move around the table to rush to my side. “You must be Holly! I’m Harper.” Her hands come up to squeeze my biceps, and she tugs me further into the room.
“Where’s Piper?” I hiss, having to lean down a bit to meet her petite height.
She waves a hand dismissively. “Piper isn’t here, but it’s fine. Everyone!” she calls out, her voice a pitch higher than it was before.
The room falls silent. And I keep my gaze locked on Harper, hoping the embarrassment dies quickly as I mentally berate Piper for ditching me.
