“You don’t sound excited to hear from me.”
“It’s just been a wild few days.” That’s putting it mildly. “We’re still at Peter’s place.”
“Why? I figured you’d be back at your place by now.”
“We were until we noticed one of the pipes busted. The plumber can’t be there until the end of this week. So, Peter offered for us to stay here until it’s fixed.”
“Thank goodness,” he sighs. “Y’all could have stayed with me, but I doubt Lexi would have liked sharing a bed with her mom.”
“Please, all the stuff she packed wouldn’t even fit in your tiny cabin. She’s sleeping in the guest room and Peter’s been on the couch so I could have the bed.”
“I bet he’s loving that.” He’s silent for a moment. “What are y’all doing for dinner tonight? I can take off from the ranch for a bit.”
“Not sure. I bought some food to make, but I don’t want to overtake his kitchen.”
“Then you’re coming to dinner with me. Out of the Ashes closes early on Sunday, but there’s a really good Mexican place in the square.”
“Sounds good.”
“See you then little sister.” He hangs up before I can say bye. I swear he does it to get on my nerves.
Now I need to figure out what I’m going to do for the next few hours. There’s no way I’m leaving this room. And it’s not like Peter can come in since I locked him out. Oh my God. I locked him out of his own room. Who does that?
There’s a knock on the door. I swear if I conjured Peter with only a thought of him, I’m going to die.
“Ju-just a minute.” My voice is shakier than it should be.
“Mom?” Lexi’s voice is muffled through the wood. “Why is the door locked?”
I scoot off the bed and hurry to the door, unlocking it. Lexi opens the door as soon as she hears the soft click.
“Sorry, I needed a few minutes to myself.”
“Why? It’s not like it’s horrible here.” She glances into the hallway before looking back at me. “Unless…you’re hiding from someone.”
“I’m not hiding.” Does it sound believable? Absolutely not. Luckily, Lexi doesn’t press me about it. But I can already see the gears turning in her brain. The sooner we’re home, the better.
“What are we doing for dinner?”
“Oh yeah, you need to get ready soon. We’re meeting Miles in town.”
“And that has nothing to do with a certain person?”
“No.” I shake my head and dig through my suitcase. If we’re leaving the house, I should probably put on real clothes. Not that my brother minds, but it’ll be nice to get out of yoga pants and a t-shirt. “He called a few minutes ago. Honestly, I think he’s going stir crazy at the ranch and needs to get out.”
“Doesn’t he usually call Peter for that?”
“I’m actually not sure.”
“Well, I’m going to let Peter know we’re going out. He wasn’t sure if you were cooking or if he was.”
So, he’s the one who sent her in here. He probably knew I wouldn’t answer the door if it was him. At least, not yet. The mortification of my actions is still taking up brain space.
“Okay. I’m gonna get ready.” I shoo her toward the door.
“Both of y’all are being weird.”
“We’re really not.” It’s a lie and both of us know it.
