Page 126 of Dream Chaser
Then he smirks. “You may wanna go clue in the girls. Who knows what he’s going to do to prove his worth? I mean, he did take to the Gram already.”
I bite my lip so I don’t smile, but it’s not working.
“There it is.” Mom laughs. “Proof.”
I let myself smile and tell them, “Fine, I think he’s cute.”
I left them still grinning like they just won some parental jackpot. They kind of did, but I really can’t take credit for that. My parents are awesome.
I walk in and head back toward the brewery kitchen, the little brown paper bag with Mom’s spice blend tucked under one arm and the harmonica, tambourine, and cowbell clinking in the tote. I’m like one-woman parade float.
Mick’s at the prep counter, sleeves rolled up, eyebrows arched like he already knows some level of ridiculous is heading his way.
“Special delivery,” I say, holding the bag.
He snatches it with reverence and breathes it in. “Tell your mom thank you and let her know Riley’s cravings aren’t getting any less. It’s going to be the longest pregnancy in the history of pregnancies.”
“Tell her yourself. She’ll love it, and they’re coming for”—I shake my head—“whatever may come of this.”
I head for the office and duck inside.
Mags is draped across the beanbag, scrolling. Lo’s perched on the windowsill, sipping something from a mason jar. And propped on a stack of old menus and a first-aid kit? Lexi’s face beams up from a glowing phone screen.
“There she is,” Lexi chirps, immediately suspicious. “Why do you look like that?”
“Like what?” I set the instruments down on the desk with a clatter.
“Like you’ve just done something deeply reckless and surprisingly wholesome,” she says. “Which, let’s be real, is your entire vibe.”
I hold up a hand. “Where are Riley, Syd, and London?”
“Right here,” Riley says from somewhere behind the desk.
I walk around the desk and see her lying down, head on Syd’s lap, Harper rubbing her freaking feet.
“Okay, I have something to say, and I do not want any shit about it.”
Lo straightens. Mags tosses her phone aside. Lexi’s pixelated brow arches higher.
“I found him in my parents’ kitchen,” I blurt. “Griffon. Talking to them. About me.”
Dead silence. Then …
“Oh my God,” Mags breathes.
“Wait, wait,” Lexi says, adjusting her phone like she needs a better angle to absorb this tea. “You didn’t bring him?”
“No. He was at his home and came back.”
“From Mississippi?” Syd asks.
“You didn’t know he was coming back?” London asks.
I shake my head.
Lo whistles low. “Ballsy.”
“Extremely,” I say. “And then he told them everything. Like, his whole backstory. And then he just … left.”
