Page 73 of Married to Number 22
“So, I’ll sell it or rent it out. Plus, my neighbors are annoying as hell as you know.” Another shrug. “Because it has absolutely nothing on her place.”
“That’s perfect!” Kathy interjects. “I always hated him up in that building. A house is where you make a family, where you settle, not a concrete tower overlooking a busy street. Oh!” She claps her hands together. “We’ll have the party celebrating you two there! That way Grams and your mom will feel close to you, Luna.”
My heart swells.
See? She’s a good person.
Just…a lot.
I grin as she focuses back on her phone, typing furiously and heaven help Smitty for the barrage of messages about to head his way. “If I remember correctly,” she says to no one in particular, “the back yard would be perfect for a fall celebration—all of those trees…” She sighs contentedly. “We can put up twinkly lights and it’ll be beautiful.”
“I—”
The back yard?
Panic starts curling through my insides.
The house is barely together after the repairs—the rooms still full of boxes. Hell, most of the toilets haven’t been cleaned since…I don’t even know when. I’ve been slowly—readslowly—putting everything to rights, but the back yard is low down on that list, so it’s barely been touched.
Oh God.
I shudder at the state of it. It’s more weeds than trees at this point.
Grams would kill me if she saw the state of it.
Kathy with her twinkly lights and grand party plans? She’ll be disappointed.
And I can’t have that.
“Kathy,” I hedge. “The house isn’t ready?—”
Aiden draws me back against his chest, lips coming to my ear. “This isexactlythe project she needs.” A gentle kiss. “Trust me.”
“I can’t ask her to clean?—”
“You’re not asking,” Kathy says firmly, still typing away on her phone. “I’m volunteering.”
“But the back yard is a mess and I only just moved my things into the house. I haven’t unpacked or dusted or cleaned toilets. It’s a disaster?—”
Kathy touches my shoulder. “I have this,” she says. “Don’t worry. I know you mentioned that work is really busy for you right now—trying to get that new site off the ground and now having to go in on your day off. But just leave it to us!” She takes Matt’s hand, practically bouncing with excitement. “We love a project.”
Matt’s face tells me that’s likely not true.
But he just nods, and although it’s a bit beleaguered, he draws Kathy close to his side and tells her, “This means I’m getting my new table saw.”
Saw?
Saw?
“Oh, good! Smitty told me he’s always wanted to learn how to use power tools.”
A sinking feeling churning through my stomach, I open my mouth to ask what exactly he’s going to need a saw for when a car tears into the driveway, screeching to a halt mere feet from us.
Aiden yanks me behind him, his big body between me and the threat. “What the?—?”
I peek out when I hear car doors slam and footsteps echo on the concrete of the driveway.
Then wish I didn’t when I see my father and brother stalking toward us.
