Page 41 of The Sebastian Guarantee
Her aunt had a bubbly, fun-loving personality—Phoebe had picked up on it the second they met, back when she was an ornery six-year-old raising hell in first grade, and Penny was a nanny candidate. That energy was why she’d chosen her. On a scale of one to ten, the woman’s excitement level usually hovered around a seven and a half. Today, she was off the charts—a solid twelve.
“Your aunt’s been on pins and needles. I, however, have managed to contain my excitement,” Uncle Row added in his signature muted style.
“And by containing his excitement, he means he’s been checking the security system on every device in the house—repeatedly. He’s been an absolute manic mess,” Penny said, calling out the man.
Her uncle bit back a grin as he met Penny’s gaze.
Phoebe knew that look well. Her uncle had fallen for Penny, hook, line, and sinker.
“You can never be too careful when it comes to cybersecurity,” the man answered, absolutely mooning over his wife.
“He was up until one in the morning. I even made him a sticky note letting him know he’s supposed to check the devices in the house on the first Wednesday of every month.” Penny held up an appointment book with stray multicolored slips of paper sticking out haphazardly.
“You know how I feel about sticky notes,” her uncle replied, still biting back a grin.
Penny plucked a sticky note from the notebook and stuck it to Rowen’s chest. “You adore them.”
He shook his head and chuckled. “Enough about us,” he said, removing the hot pink square. “Any word on LETIS?”
Penny leaned forward as her expression grew somber. “And even if you weren’t invited this year, there’s always next year.”
Phoebe sat a little taller. “Don’t freak out, but . . . I got in.”
“She got in!” her uncle hollered, clapping his hands as a wide grin overtook his subdued demeanor.
Her aunt Penny tore up the pink note and tossed the scraps like confetti.
Phoebe caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Off camera, Sebastian silently mimicked her aunt and uncle, acting like a complete idiot, pumping his fist and mouthingwoo-hoo.
“We’re so happy for our hot dog fairy princess. That’s a huge accomplishment, honey,” Penny gushed.
“It is. Your mom and dad would be very proud of you, Phoebe,” her uncle added.
Mom and Dad.
Phoebe nodded and blinked back tears, hiding her reaction to the mention of her parents.
“Where are they holding LETIS this year?” Rowen asked.
Phoebe steadied herself. “In Glenn Pines, Colorado.”
“Glenn Pines?” her uncle repeated, wide-eyed.
“Do you know it, Uncle Row?”
“Your parents got married in a tiny chapel in that mountain town.”
“They did?” She’d had no idea. It seemed like an odd thing not to know. At the same time, she couldn’t remember ever asking about her parents’ wedding. She looked away from the camera, again blinking back tears as the weight of the LETIS opportunity hit. She wanted to succeed for them. The wave of emotion nearly overtook, but then a tingling warmth radiated through her body, soothing her turbulent soul. She didn’t have to look down to know that Sebastian holding her hand was the source of the comfort.
“It was an intimate ceremony. Just family. I was your dad’s best man, and your grandma Cece stood in as your mom’s bridesmaid. The ceremony lasted twenty-nine minutes.”
Phoebe chuckled at her uncle’s quirky comment. Of course, he’d remember a minute detail like the ceremony running time, but she was grateful he’d lightened the conversation.
“Last we spoke,” Penny said and twisted a lock of her dark blond hair, “you mentioned Jeremy got invited. Are you two going to LETIS together?”
At the mention of Jeremy, Sebastian tightened his grip.
She squeezed his hand, trying to convey she was okay, but she wasn’t. Searing anger pulsed through her at the thought of the man. “No, Aunt Penn, we aren’t seeing each other, but I won’t be alone.” She turned to Sebastian.
