“You grounded me.”
“You deserved it.”
“I was just trying to spend time with my friends.”
“While hanging out at a condemned, old clunker and doing some underage drinking. I can see how you thought that was a good idea.”
“Shut up.”
“Only if you admit what you did was wrong and promise never to do it again.”
She slapped my arm and huffed. “Fine. It was wrong and I’ll never do it again.” She walked faster, and I was left staring at her retreating back. “Happy now?” she called out from the kitchen, but all I could do is wonder about her quick apology. She never apologized.
I sat down at one of the barstools and even gave out napkins that we never used. But we had a guest after all. “Who’s hungry?” Oma asked and dished out the food.
Gunner fitted into our little group seamlessly. If I was honest with myself, I missed having someone else to talk to besides my family. He stayed around after dinner, which might have something to do with the fact that I guilt-tripped him into it. But he didn’t seem all that put out about it.
Why sit in his car when he could be more comfortable in our lounge? He didn’t seem to mind the surly teenager or the screaming toddler and visibly enjoyed the food Oma pushed at him.
“Any idea how long you gonna be around for this time?” I asked, curious as to how long I’d have to put up with him following me around.
“However long it takes to sort things out.”
“Which could be months.”
He nodded and continued shoveling granola into his mouth. There seemed to be some sort of sugar ban on hulky bad asses and granola was like a treat for him. Weirdo.
“Can’t you just tell Rhett that I don’t need you? As you can see, we’re fine on our own.”
He put his fork down and laughed. “As if you could stop Rhett once he’s made up his mind. Just accept it, Emmerson, I’m here until Rhett decides otherwise. And judging by how things are going at the moment, he might keep me here for a while. Not that I mind. Easiest assignment I’ve ever been on.”
“Well, you said it yourself, nothing is happening. Just tell him to stop wasting his money and you can get on with more interesting jobs.”
Still amused by my arguments, he put the plate on the coffee table. “I’ve known Rhett for a long time. He’s a good man. And he doesn’t care about many people. But you’ve always been one of the few he would give his life for. Why don’t you give him some peace of mind and let me hang around? Besides, I’ve looked into your mom and she should be taken seriously. Don’t ignore her because you don’t think she is capable of doing some serious harm. She’s gotten in with a bad crowd. My best guess is they are the ones who want the money. And they have some serious pull. But with Rhett on your side, you have a good chance.”
“Rhett cares about me?”
“That’s all you got from this?” He shook his head, still amused. “Talk to him. You might be surprised what you’ll find.”
Huh, maybe I should have another chat to him. I could be rational.
“So he’d give his life for me?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Without a doubt.”
Interesting. “So you knew about me before you took this assignment?”
He rolled his eyes or got close enough and shook his head. “He talked about you.”
“Aaaaaand?” I made sure to draw the first syllable out so he would elaborate.
“And that’s all you need to know. We’re friends. He saved me. And I’ll never be able to repay him for what he did for me. You dating and acting like he doesn’t mean anything to you affects him.” I opened my mouth to deny the accusation that I had feelings for him but he didn’t let me get out even a squeak. “Stop denying it. I’ve seen the way you look at him. Now can we get back to the movie or was there something else?”
He was quite the little chatter box tonight. Granola must be his weakness. I’d store that bit of information away for later. Instead of probing further like I wanted to, I fell back into the couch with a huff. “Fine.”
Gunner hung around until we all went to bed. Turned out, he was great company and enjoyed chick flicks. Who would have thought muscled macho man was a closet romantic?
“Give him a chance,” he said just before he closed the front door. “And lock up,” he called from outside. Maybe things weren’t what they seemed with Rhett. Time to put on my big girl panties and talk about this like the grown up that I was.
