“Oh,” Maverick said with a nod. “We’ve got to figure out if we dare spend it together.”
Trenton nodded. “They still have a solid lock on Wren Brandler. They’ve got a good team monitoring him right now, and the guy hasn’t so much as batted an eye in our direction as far as they can tell.”
“That’s good news,” Richard said through the line with a sigh.
Emmitt glanced from one sibling to the next, wondering who would broach the uncomfortable topic first. They wanted to know whether Sloane should be able to join them on Christmas Day, seeing that the family planned to spend most of it together.
The truth was, over the last few weeks, Sloane had practically become part of the family. At least in his mind. She’d even stepped up and helped out when he got Trenton’s worried call about an emergency that struck—flooding in the laundry and utility areas due to a broken pipe. He hadn’t expected her to come, of course. He’d simply told her he had to run and he’d be back when he could—they’d been watching a movie at her place. But she insisted on helping until the emergency crew arrived. She’d pulled on a pair of Betty’s snow boots and helped Emmitt and his family remove buckets of water from the inn with that messy bun bobbling on top of her head.
Andie rested her hands on the table, bringing him back to the present.
Her lips were poised to speak, and her gaze shot straight to Emmitt. “I think we’d be fine to get together under normal circumstances,” she started to say.
“We’veneverhad normal circumstances,” Richard pointed out.
“What I mean,” Andie said, “is that right now…” She pulled a cringe face while pausing there. Evenshedidn’t want to tell Richard. Not that he could blame her.
“We have an extra,” Andie finally said.
“Anextra?” both Ava and Richard said at once.
“It’s Emmitt’s new girlfriend,” Maverick spat. “She’s incredible. We’re all crazy about her.”
Richard groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Emmitt threw his hands up. “What, I don’t get to fall in love?”
“Haveyou fallen in love?” Richard countered.
”I’m…pretty dang close,” Emmitt said.
Ava piped up. “Who is she, Emmitt? How did you meet?”
Emmitt looked at Andie and Trenton, who nodded that he should go ahead and tell the tale. “She’s here with Extra Mile Aviation to enforce a new pilot license mandate. That’s why I had to cancel the tours. Anyway, since I’m not done with the extended training yet, and since she has no one to go home to for Christmas, she’s planning to just stay here.”
“What does she know about me and Ava?” Richard asked.
“She doesn’t know anything about Ava. Right now she knows you bought into the place with us, but she believes you’re a bachelor at this point, like Maverick and me.”
“Okay,” Richard said. “But if that’s the case, I don’t see how you can go changing your story.”
“If I told her the background I could,” Emmitt said.
The room fell silent.
“You’re not seriously considering that, are you? How much do you really know this woman?”
“They know each other pretty well,” Andie chimed. “Like Maverick said, we’re all getting to know her. She’s French, she’s super adorable, and she seems totally trustworthy if you ask me.”
A ruckus sounded from the phone.
“Super adorable?” Richard echoed sarcastically.
“Where are you going?” came Ava from the line.
Though it wasn’t a video call, Emmitt could picture the scene clearly enough. Richard had stomped off like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
“I need some freaking air before I go off on those guys,” came Richard’s distant yet furious-sounding voice through the line. “We’re gone for a few measly weeks and suddenly Emmitt’s found his person and everyone’s crazy about her? This is great.”
