I handed her phone back to her and she shoved it into her pocket.
“So, you moved here recently?”she asked.
“A few weeks ago,” I explained.“Poet’s my best friend.”
“How did you both wind up out here?”
“Hadley and Salem Powell,” I explained.“They were our roommates in New York.But one by one, they moved here.And here I am.”
“Here you are,” she said with a laugh.“So, you know Muddy?”
“I know Muddy.”I looked around for her but didn’t see her.Frowning, I wondered where she’d gone off to.
She wasn’t with Salem or Hadley who were standing with their husbands.I chuckled to myself.There were so many brawny, masculine men in such a feminine, cozy space it brought a smile to my face.
Lenni got up off the couch and came to us.“So, can I spend the night at Summer’s house?”
I deferred to Archer.
“Yeah, you can,” he said.
“Can she bring Mildred?”Summer asked.
Tanya frowned.“Mildred?Who’s Mildred?”
“Wyn’s mini dachshund,” Lenni explained.“But she likes to sleep next to me.She’s house trained.”
“Okay by me,” Bill said.
“Yay!”Summer exclaimed.“Come on, let’s go to your house and get your dog and your toothbrush.”
“Hold on,” I said, tugging on Lenni’s braid.“You have four rules.No tattoos, no piercings, no falling in love with fictional book boyfriends.And remember your manners.”
Lenni grinned.“Okay, Wyn.”
Tanya chuckled.“Let’s get out of here, yeah?”
“And we’ll stop off and get some ice cream on the way home,” Bill said.“We’re out.”
I looked at Lenni.“I need photos of the reading nook in the attic.”
“You got it,” Lenni said.She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a quick hug and then she did the same to her father.
“I’ll text you,” Tanya said to me.
The four of them left, leaving me alone with Archer.
“What’s she texting you about?”Archer asked.
I nibbled my lip.“There’s a mothers’ group that gets together once a month for wine, cheese and recipe exchanges.She thought I’d enjoy it.I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I won’t be Lenni’s nanny by then.”
He peered at me for a long moment and then he nodded.Salem and Hadley waddled toward us, their men trailing behind them.
“Where did Lenni go?”Salem asked.
“Sleepover at a friend’s house,” I explained.“Hey, has anyone seen Muddy?It felt like she was here for a brief moment and then she was gone.”
“She had a headache,” Hadley said.“Grampy took her home.On that note, we’re about to get out of here too.I’m zonked.”
