Jeremy didn’t miss a beat. “Dinner is already prepared,” he said smoothly. “Apple sauce pork chops, stuffing, and the roasted corn you enjoy so much, Miss Frankie.”
Her smile widened, something bright breaking through the exhaustion. “Seriously?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
God, I loved Jeremy.
I caught Jake’s eye and jerked my head toward the hall. “Go on,” I murmured. “Get her out of here.”
Jake didn’t hesitate. He moved to Frankie’s side immediately, guiding her gently but decisively out of the room, his body angled protectively as they disappeared down the hall toward the sunroom.
The moment they were gone, the air shifted.
Maddy rounded on Edward, her voice low and furious. “Why did you do that?”
Edward didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t even look rattled. “Because I want her to actually like me, Maddy,” he said evenly. “And because she deserves some stability.”
Silence followed.
I stayed where I was, watching them both, the diamond on Maddy’s hand still flashing like a warning sign.
This wasn’t over.
But for now, Frankie was with her cats and that was enough to count as a win.
Jeremy closed the doors to the sitting room the moment I stepped out into the hall.
The soft click sounded final—intentional. Containment.
I stopped and just stood there for a second, then raked a hand through my hair, fingers catching, tugging harder than necessary. My head was buzzing, every thread pulled too tight at once.
Jeremy didn’t rush me.
“She’ll be fine, Mr. Archie,” he said calmly. Certain. “We will make sure of it.”
I let out a slow breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and looked at him. Really looked. His expression was steady, kind, unshakeable in a way that mattered.
“Go take care of her,” he continued, as if this were the simplest truth in the world. “Would you like me to bring dinner trays to the sunroom, or upstairs?”
It took me a beat to catch up.
Oh.
He was offering to bail us out of dinner with Maddy and Edward.
Oh, hell yes.
“If she’s up for it, the game room upstairs,” I said immediately. “Otherwise, the sunroom.”
Jeremy nodded once, already filing it away. “Very good.”
I pulled my phone out and checked it as we started down the hall.
A message from Bubba sat there, timestamp glaring.
Bubba:
I’ll be there in thirty if I don’t hear from you.
