“No, you guys need to see what I mean.”
Dean didn’t hesitate and took a huge bite.
“Hey!” Alan shouted and grabbed the tiny bit that was left over. He shoved it in his mouth.
The twins closed their eyes and chewed silently together. When they had swallowed, they gave me the same look.
“Holy crap, you’re right,” Alan muttered.
“Allegra, I can see why Dad hired you,” Dean said, holding up his hand to give me a high-five.
I chuckled and high-fived him.
“What’d I miss?”
I spun around to see Colton and Jimmy standing side-by-side, both soaking wet, their faces flushed. “What’dImiss?”
Colton leaned close to me and shook like a dog. I squealed and jumped out of my chair, but he was quick. He launched his hands out, grabbed me close, and spun me around. I was still squealing and screaming like a toddler. “This is the best towel ever!” He yelled above the screams.
“Colton Nash put that poor girl down right now!” Jo shouted as she stepped out of the camper. “You’re going to ruin her pretty dress.”
“Yeah, who’s gonnawash it?” Alan added. “Not you!”
Colton gave me one more big squeeze before setting me down. “Ah, thanks for your help, Ally!”
I was barely damp, my dress far from ruined, but my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. “Anytime, Colton.”
“Good heavens, poor thing’s gonnawant to hop on a plane before we even make it to the rodeo,” Jo muttered. “Allegra, let me show you around the trailer.”
I obediently walked to the camper and climbed in. Once again, my mind was blown. I expected a tin can with a sleeping bag. Instead, I found crown molding, recessed lighting, and a shower nicer than the one in my first apartment. And this was only one of the two trailers they had brought.
Jo pulled open a curtain to reveal the master bed. The elevated nose of the trailer housed a full queen-sized mattress, with enough clearance on either side to maneuver without feeling like the walls were closing in.
It was even decorated. The small nightstands on either side of the bed were painted a very light blue, a blue thatmatched the patchwork quilt on the bed. I put my hand on the quilt, feeling the thousands of tiny stitches in between the blue and white flowers. The walls were plastered with the same blue flower wallpaper.
“This is way more decorated than my apartment,” I said absentmindedly as I took it all in. “Is this your room?”
Jo was beside me, her arm around my shoulders. “Oh, heavens no. Dennis and I are with the twins in the other trailer. This is your room.”
I turned my head so fast to look at her that my hair whipped around my neck. “Jo, I can’t take it.”
“Nonsense! Jimmy and Colton are gonnatake the sofa couch, they used to share a room, so they’ll like it,” she said, popping me with her hip. “If you need blankets,” she released me to open a cupboard in front of the bed, “they’re in here. The bathroom should be fully stocked, but I tend to overpack, so if you needanythin’ just let me know, I probably have it.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear, chills covering my arms.
The image of my mother arguing about food stamps in the grocery store checkout flashed into my mind. I clenched my jaw, forcing her face out of my head. “Thank you, Jo,” I whispered, afraid that if I spoke too loudly, my voice would give away my emotion.
Maybe if my dad had lived, I would know how to accept the kindness this family was overwhelming me with. Maybe if my mother had handled his death better, I could’ve turned out with a little less crippling fear.
Maybe in another life, I was just like Colton.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I lay on the mattress and let out a long sigh.
Oh my gosh, it was so comfortable. I expected a camper mattress, stiff, old, not a chance you’ll get a wink of sleep on it, but boy was I wrong. I sank into it and pulled the soft floral quilt tomy chin. I could die in that bed and be happy about it.
I spent an hour talking to Martha, letting the family have their own time. I paced around the trailers, trying hard not to talk too loudly about how sexy Colton was on the date and how well their family treated me.
