Hunter’s mom waves warmly. “Hi, y’all!”
“Mom. This is my friend, Faith.”
“Is this the same Faith you told me about?”
Hunter’s face actually turns a ruddy shade of red.
I shoot him a look that says,you told her about me?
I blink. “Uh. Hi.”
Hunter looks like he wants to say something, but I raise one eyebrow in his direction.
So this was the plan?
I plaster on a smile, southern-girl style. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Holloway.”
“Oh honey,” she says, stepping down the porch steps, “Call me Margot.”
Margot pulls me into a hug before I can even decide whether I’m still mad or just deeply confused.
My heart’s pounding.
Hunter leans close, voice low near my ear. “She decided last second that this was going to be a lake house weekend. Sorry. I probably should have mentioned that.”
I stare at him for a beat. My pulse spikes.
“Too late,” I whisper back through clenched teeth.
And the wildest part?
Somewhere deep down… a small part of medoesn’thate it.
But I’m definitely going to make him squirm first.
Hunter’s mom leads the way up the porch, chatting like we’re already family. I trail behind her, still reeling, while Hunter brushes his hand against my lower back like some kind of comfort. Too late for that, Thor.
Inside, the lake house is all worn wood and cozy charm—walls filled with family photos, wide windows overlooking the water, the scent of something buttery and baked already wafting from the kitchen.
“Okay!” Margot claps her hands together once we’re inside. “Tonight’s simple—grilled chicken and roasted veggies for dinner, then a bonfire down by the shore. S’mores, of course.”
“That sounds amazing,” Daphne says, already perking up as she sets her bag down by the stairs. “I need this weekend so bad. Just to breathe, you know?” She glances at me, then back at Margot. “Love my baby girl more than life, but I swear if I hear Baby Shark one more time, I might legally change my name and flee the state.”
We all laugh—Hunter too, though I can feel him watching me from the corner of his eye, like he’s trying to read the temperature.
“Faith, you okay?” Daphne murmurs under her breath as we follow Margot into the kitchen.
“Mm-hmm.” I plaster on a bright smile. “Just taking it all in.”
She doesn’t look convinced, but she lets it go.
Hunter lingers behind the others as we walk. His voice is low when he says, “She really did show up last second. I didn’t plan this.”
I glance at him, lips twitching. “Uh-huh.”
He sighs. “C’mon. Don’t go full silent treatment on me now.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” I whisper sweetly, “I’ll still talk. Just not sure you’ll like what I have to say.”
