Page 45 of Fourteen of a Kind

“Don’t forget that Willow and I are leaving on Sunday for the ballet competition in Chicago. We’ll be gone for three days. I need you to keep an eye on your dad and brother.”

“I will.” I smiled.

She hooked her arm around me as we stepped off the patio and headed down the beach toward my house.

“So, tell me all about Dr. Graham Malone.”

“There’s not much to tell. We had dinner last night. He’s so handsome, Mom.” I grinned.

“I can’t wait to meet him. Charleigh told me that Christian invited him to the barbecue tomorrow.”

“Yeah. I wonder why?” My brows furrowed.

We reached my house, and I opened the sliding door.

“Wine?” I asked, setting my glass on the island and picking up the bottle.

“Just a small glass.” A smile crossed her lips. “What’s his story? I know he moved here from New York.”

“Yeah. But something is bothering me.” I poured some wine into a glass and handed it to her.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Christian told me his father was a surgeon at Cedars, but Graham never mentioned that nor did he say that he ever lived here. The way he talked, I assumed he grew up in New York.”

“Did you specifically ask him?” she asked.

“I guess not. When he told me his father passed away from a heart attack, I didn’t think to ask anything else because I saw the look on his face when he told me.”

“How old was he when his father died?” my mom asked.

“He said he was thirteen, and his mom passed away when he was six. He said his aunt in New York took care of him after his father died. That’s why I assumed he was from New York.”

“Well, if his father cared for him until he was thirteen and was a surgeon at Cedars, that would mean he lived in Los Angeles.”

“Yeah.” I twisted my face. “I just wonder why he didn’t mention that he was from here.”

“I’m sure he’ll get around to telling you. You only had one date. Do you foresee more in the future?” A soft smile crossed her lips.

“I think so.” I grinned. “He’s really sweet, Mom. And Uncle Christian really seems to like him.”

“You know the men in this family are good judges of characters. Not to rub salt into an open wound, but you knew we weren’t fans of Landon.”

“I know.” I sighed, finishing the last of my wine. “And trust me. It’s not an open wound.”

“Have you seen him since Christian fired him?”

“Yeah. He was brought into the ER when he was mugged outside his apartment building.”

“Oh. Is he okay?”

“As okay as that jackass can be.”

“Did the police catch the guy?”

“No. Landon told me it was a woman.” I pursed my lips as I stared at her.

“Oh!” Her brows raised. “Gotcha.” She smiled.

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