“You can keep repeating it all you want, but nobody knows what you mean,” said Barb.
Georgie grinned. “You’re going to kick yourself later. It’s so obvious. I can’t believe you’re not getting it.”
“He’ll know what it means,” McKenna whispered.
“See?” Georgie slapped her thigh. “I knew I made it too obvious.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” McKenna said. “I’m just repeating the clue.”
“He’ll know what it means,” said Georgie.
“He’ll know what it means,” said Gus.
“He’ll know what it means,” said Evie.
“I’m taking a nap,” said Barb. “And hopefully you know whatthatmeans.”
“She gets cranky when she’s tired, doesn’t she?” murmured Evie as Barb clomped down the porch steps.
“She’s having a bad pepper season,” murmured Gus.
Honestly, a nap didn’t sound bad to McKenna. These past few days had been exhausting.
But first, maybe one more call to the airport.
“Nate! Where are you? Nate!” McKenna’s shouts grew closer as her footsteps tromped up the stairs louder than a running buffalo.
Nate spit a mixture of water and toothpaste into the sink. “In here,” he called back, rinsing his toothbrush off.
After his run this morning, then cleaning up the chicken massacre, he’d made good progress clearing the overgrown brush lining the eastern edge of the property. He’d finally headed inside for a shower.
“Where?” she yelled, stampeding away from the bathroom and toward his bedroom.
“Here,” he yelled back. The door burst open a moment later.
“Hey,” Nate said the same second McKenna screamed, “You’re naked!”
She covered her eyes. Nate gripped the towel wrapped around his waist. He wasn’t naked, but he was awful close. “You ever hear of knocking?”
“Why would I knock when you told me to come in?”
“How did you getCome inout ofHere?”
“It sounded like a very welcomingHerefrom the hallway.” Shepeeked through her fingers toward the wall switches next to the sink and flipped on the vent. Nothing happened. “Vent’s not working.”
“It’s on the to-do list,” Nate said, the steam from his shower still filling the tiny space of the bathroom. “Was there something you burst in here to discuss?”
“They found it,” she said, still covering her eyes with one hand.
“My luggage?”
“The ring!”
“Really? I just checked my phone a little bit ago. Why didn’t they call me if they found it?”
“Maybe they were getting ready to call you when I called them.”
“Did they say that they actuallyhaveit or just that they’vefoundit?”
