Page 71 of Home in the Country
Taking a sip of my margarita, I sigh. “I found a frog hopping around the tub the other night. Briggs asked if the frog could take a bath with him. I saidnoand then there was a twenty-minute meltdown followed by arelease party.”
Cheyenne makes no attempt to hide her smile, and Marlee’s eyes are filled with glee.
“Guys, I had to light a candle and everything.”
“Otto and Case once put the garden hose in the dryer vent. Ya know the one on the outside of the house? Well, they though it was a flashin’insert heresign—”
“That tracks,” Rhea deadpans and everyone bursts into giggles.
“Uh-huh,” Flora drawls with a smile. “Anyway, I’m walking past the laundry room and I think I musta forgotten that I put something in the washer but no, just my dryer goin’swish, swish, swish.”
“Shoulda stopped after me.” Rhea grins and Flora rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
“I love those boys, but golly, did they try my patience.” She pats her hair. “And they’re the reason I had to start making regular visits to the salon.”
Gwen points a red manicured fingernail at her daughter. “I got a call from Cheyenne’s fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Dawson, askin’could I talk to my daughter about knitting in class.”
Cheyenne blushes but shrugs. “I was going through a scarf phase.”
“Donated the whole lot of them to the senior center that winter, if I remember right,” Flora says with pride.
“She did,” Gwen confirms, “but we had to move the knitting to after school because the teachers were afraid the kids were goin’ to joust with the needles.”
Rhea exaggerates a cough. “CaseandOtto,” she says as one word, and we all laugh again.
It feelsgood,and it’s absolutely everything I was too stubborn to admit I needed. My lips twitch at having to tell Otto that he was right.
Marlee points at me. “What isthat?” Her tone is playful but accusatory.
“What?” Turning, I look behind me, but there’s no one there.
“Thatlookon your face!”
I feel the blush creeping up my neck and take a sip of my drink.
“Probably thinking about an orgasm Otto gave her,” Isla says.
I choke on my drink, Marlee cackles, Rhea groans, and both Gwen and Flora fail at hiding their amusement.
“Well, on that note, I think it’s time I head on home,” Flora says. “I need zero details on my sons’ sex lives.”
She pulls her phone from her pocket and taps out something before placing it on the table.
“Vincent and Cullen will be over in a minute to collect us.”
“Who’s Cullen?”
“My father. He bought Darling Orchard from Harry Aubergine,” Isla says with a dramatic flair.
“I remember Harry; he was always nice.”
“Ugh, y’all are the worst,” Isla grumbles, and it causes the others to laugh. “Seriously? Harry Aubergine—Harry purple eggplant? You know what; forget it.”
“I am so lost right now.” My brain is definitely too fried for this conversation.
“Isla is obsessed with—” Marlee sticks her tongue against her cheek in a suggestive manner.
“Mothers are standin’ right here,” Flora mock chastises. Isla shrugs but grins as she wraps her arm around Cheyenne’s shoulder.
