“But I’ll still be here for you and Jonah,” Connor added. “Hopefully we’ll find a rental house with a pool or something and…”
“Then why can’t we just stay here and do stuff with the kids’ program?” Annabeth asked. “Then Lexi wouldn’t be left out. We’d all get to see each other.”
“How about we take it one day at a time because you’re making my head spin?” he teased, making everyone laugh
It would be great if they could just stay like this all day, but unfortunately, they had other responsibilities.
“Let’s get everything cleaned up and head up to the lodge,” Connor announced. “I need to check in with my staff, and I know Slater’s probably waiting for you, Lex, before he can leave for his vacation.”
“I’m sure he is,” she agreed. “But I was thinking maybe we can call Ruth and see if she can help us out today? All things considered, she could really be a lifesaver.”
“You’re right. If you want to call her, the kids and I will get this cleaned up.”
It took very little time to rinse all the dishes and put them in the dishwasher since he had cleaned everything else up while he was cooking, but once they were done, he sent the kids to wash up while he waited to see how the call went.
“She’ll be here in an hour,” Lexi told him. “So…I don’t know if you want to bring Annabeth up to the lodge, or…”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I hate for her to witness another argument because you know there’s going to be one.”
“Sadly, I do.” After a moment, she smiled slowly. “Okay, how about you hang out here with the kids until Ruth gets here. This way, I can go up and meet with Slater. Then once everyone’s settled and Ruth gets the gist of what’s going on, you can head up to the kitchen.”
The bark of laughter was out before he could stop it. “That almost sounds too easy. And considering the way the morning has gone…”
“I know.” She kissed him softly on the lips. “That’s why maybe you need a little extra time here to relax and just hang with your daughter. And Jonah,” she added with amusement. “I can bring him up to my office if you’d like.”
“No, no. I love having him here. You go, and I guess I’ll see you at some point later. I know you’re going to be busy, so…”
Once it was decided, Lexi hugged and kissed both kids goodbye before heading out. And as much as he wanted to go with her, she was right. This was where he needed to be right now.
Thank God Connor had agreed to stay behind. She was a woman on a mission, and she didn’t want anything or anyone to distract her.
And Connor was definitely a distraction.
Up at the lodge, she went in the back way and said hello to everyone in the kitchen before stepping out to the lobby and heading down to her office. Slater and Nora were both in there and looked up in surprise when she walked in.
“Hey! We weren’t expecting to see you anytime soon,” Slater said as he got to his feet. “Is Annabeth okay?”
“She’s fine, thankfully. Connor’s down in the cabin with her and Jonah and they’re waiting for Ruth to arrive.” She glanced around briefly before facing him. “So, um…what time do you absolutely need to leave here today?”
He grinned. “I need to leave for the airport by noon. I’m flying out to Montana for a few days. How come?”
Pulling out her phone, she looked at the time. “Okay, good. Do you happen to know if Connor’s parents left yet?”
“Um…I don’t think so? They gave Walker, Harlow, and Axel hell when we all got back here. They might be on their way back down to the cabin right now for all I know.”
“Dammit. I hope not.” She gave them both an apologetic look. “I need to go and deal with this. I’m so sorry because I know I just got back from vacation, but…”
“Lex, you don’t have to explain anything, okay?” Slater assured her. “Go and do what you need to do. We’ve got things covered.”
Unable to help herself, she hugged him.
And then Nora.
“Thank you! Wish me luck!” she called out as she raced from the room. In the lobby, she literally ran into Walker. “Oof! Sorry!”
He smiled as he reached out to steady her. “Hey! You okay?”
“I’m fine. Really. Have you seen the Winslowes?”
