Page 89 of Hold the Line

Scanning the massive patio, I found Hailey tucked between Elena and Margot, looking happy as a clam, and blew out a heavy breath.

“Last time I spent time with her, she was a little kid. I’m not ready for my sister to be glamorous.”

She giggled softly. “Don’t worry. My mother has two daughters who didn’t inherit her sense of fashion. She won’t push anything on Hailey she doesn’t want.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and frowned. “Yeah, not sure that makes me feel much better, seeing as Hailey’s got stars in her eyes right about now.”

Phoebe’s nephew, Jesse, plopped down on the opposite side of her, and she leaned over to ruffle his hair.

“Hey, dude. Where’d you come from?”

He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Did you know the cookie tray is empty?”

She nodded. “I noticed. I refilled it three times. Everyone cleaned me out.”

He scrunched his nose. “I only had two chocolate chip cookies. Dad says that’s enough, but I beg to differ. I asked him how many he ate, and he wouldn’t answer, which tells me it was a lot more than two.”

Phoebe snickered. “You’re probably right about that. But…did you think I’d bake all those cookies and not set a few aside for my favorite nephew?”

He bounced in his seat. “You did? Where are they?”

“I stuck them in your backpack. They’re all yours to take home with you.”

He threw himself at her, and she had to let go of my leg to return his hug. It was only when he was right next to me he noticed I was beside his aunt.

He straightened, looking me over with narrowed eyes. “Hey. I’m Jesse.”

I nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Deke.”

“I know who you are. You were in prison,” he stated, as blunt as a bat to the head.

“That’s true.”

Phoebe knocked his knee. “That isn’twhohe is. That’s something he went through. Deacon is a carpenter, a big brother, and my boyfriend.”

I squeezed her hand. “It’s all right.”

Jesse folded his arms across his bony chest. “I know that, Aunt Phoebe. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s like if you met me and said, ‘I know you. You’re the kid who’s allergic to peanuts.’”

“I’m allergic to peanuts too,” I informed him.

“Whoa.” He let his arms fall. “It sucks, right?”

I nodded. “Yep. Good thing your family is careful about it. Means I get to eat delicious food whenever Phoebe cooks for me or brings home leftovers.”

“Yeah, we’re lucky.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “I can’t eat school lunch. It's probably terrible, but one day, I’d like to eat pizza on Fridays. Just out of curiosity.”

“Believe me, I get it. I was on the free lunch program when I was in school, and all they had for me was prepackaged cheese and crackers. I eyeballed that pizza more times than I can count.”

He took that in, gearing up with more questions. Before he could get any out of his mouth, Caleb sat down beside him, placing his big hand on top of his son’s head.

“Looks like an interesting conversation happening over here.”

Jesse twisted toward his dad. “Did you know Deke has food allergies like me?”

Caleb raised a brow. “I hadn’t heard that.” He lifted his chin at me. “Sucks big-time, huh?”

My mouth quirked. “That’s what Jesse and I were just discussing.”

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