“That’s great.”
“At the end of the week.” He adds. That must be the bad news he mentioned.
“That’s not so great.”
He unclasps his hands and holds his arms out wide. “At least you have a place to stay. And it’s free. You won’t have to get a hotel room or anything.”
“Yeah, but this feels like too much, Peter.” I point down at the sofa I’m sitting on. “You barely fit on this thing, and now you’ll have to sleep on it even longer.”
He waves away my comment. “It’s all good. But you may want to go by your house and get enough clothes and your car. The roads are melted enough that you should be safe.”
“Of course.” I don’t know why I didn’t suggest we bring my car back with us earlier. Probably because I was frustrated with Peter ordering us to stay at his house until the water is fixed.
“Just let me know when you want to get it.” He stands and turns toward the hall. “I need to get some laundry done now that I have power. Pierce texted me while I was on the phone with the plumber and said we’re opening the winery up again tomorrow.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize y’all opened on the weekends.”
“It’s actually our busiest time. We spend most of the week prepping for it.”
“That makes sense.” Starlit Fields has grown since we were kids. He said Piper is a lot of the reason for it, and I believe it. She’s always been competitive. And looked for ways to annoy her big brothers. It’s one of the few things we had in common.
“Yep. I have a feeling folks are going to be filling up the lobby after being stuck at home for a few days.”
That’s not a bad idea. I may have to go check out what improvements they’ve made over the years.
“Most likely.” I’m silent for a few seconds before adding. “We can get my car after you start your laundry. Maybe we can wash some of ours, too? I know Lexi will need clothes for school.”
“You don’t even have to ask.” He smiles. I swear it’s gotten sexier with age. My cheeks heat at the thought. “Besides, the chances of you getting a machine at the laundry mat are slim to none. Everyone will be headed there to wash their clothes in bulk.”
He heads to his room. When I glance over, Lexi is staring at me with a glint in her eye. I’m already doing a terrible job of keeping my interest in him from showing. Maybe I need to keep a note in my pocket to remind me that getting involved with anyone right now is a bad idea. Especially if I’m relying on them to house me while waiting on repairs.
“Who is that?” Lexi asks as we pull into driveway that goes past the main building for the winery.
A blond woman is standing next to her car and waves us down. As she steps closer to our slowing vehicle, I realize it’s Piper.
“It’s one of Peter’s sisters.” Pushing the shifter into park, I wrap my jacket around me tighter and step out of the car.
Piper studies me for a moment before she places my face. “Oh my God, Callie?”
“In the flesh.” I open my arms and she rushes forward for a hug. “How have you been?”
“Oh, you know, keeping my brothers in line as usual.” She takes a step back. “I didn’t realize you were back in town. What are you doing here?”
Dammit, I’m going to have to tell her we’re staying with her brother. “I actually just moved back with my daughter.” I point to the car where Lexi is leaning forward to see our interaction.
“That’s amazing. It’ll be nice having you back home.” She moves her head side to side. What is she doing? “But what are you doing here, specifically?”
“Right. Our pipes busted and Peter said we can stay with him until the plumber can get over to fix it. We moved into Beau’s old house.”
“It’s about time that house sold. Beau will be happy to know it’s going to a friend.” She’s about to head back to her car and stops. “Wait, did you say you’re staying with my brother?”
“Um, yes?”
“I need to know how that happened. I didn’t think the two of you were still in contact with each other.”
The need to flee is rising, but I know if I don’t give in to her curiosity, she won’t drop it. Or worse, she’ll talk to Peter directly. I imagine she’s going to do that anyway. Should I send him a text warning him?
“We weren’t. But my dog ran off on New Year’s Eve and your brother happened to be the person who found her. He came to check on us when the weather got really bad and told us to stay with him.”
