Page 39 of Flare Up
“But, you did tell her you were going to my place, right?” When she nodded, he shrugged. “She’s a smart lady. She probably figured that one out.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that.” They started up the walkway, side by side, and he captured her hand in his. “I don’t know what the expectations are, but it would be super awkward to ask.”
“You’re a grown woman. Yes, she’ll worry about you, but I don’t think you’re expected to check in with her.” He paused before they went inside. “When you think about it, you were being a courteous tenant by not trying to sneak in late and waking everybody up.”
She laughed. “Good point.”
Patty didn’t seem at all put out when they walked into the house. She was sitting in the living room, but she got off the couch at the same time Carter walked out of the kitchen.
“Oh good, you’re home and you brought Grant,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for a nice, strong man to stop by.”
Carter rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Another nice, strong man. It’s a two-man job and yes, you’ll be one of them.”
“I’m going to run up and get ready for work,” Wren said. And then, since she had no idea what Grant was in for or how long it would take, she added, “Grant’s driving me today.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Patty said. “It won’t take them long. They’ll probably be done before you are.”
On her way up the stairs, she heard them talking about the snowblower, but they went out the back door before she found out what the specific issue was.
She took one of the fastest showers of her life and put on clean clothes. It took forever to dry her hair, so she decided to skip that step today. Makeup was on her replace someday maybe list, but she had moisturizer and lip balm, which she made liberal use of.
She’d just finished putting her hair into a ponytail when her phone rang. That was weird because everybody sent text messages. Except Mrs. Belostotsky, who actually used a landline. Frowning, she flipped it over.
Unknown.
She jerked her hand away from the phone and took a step back, her heart hammering in her chest.
You’re being ridiculous, she told herself. It could be anybody. Maybe it was somebody looking for the previous owner of the telephone number. They’d probably leave a message because she hadn’t personalized the greeting with her name or her voice. It was just a generic robot reading off the number and inviting them to leave a message.
She waited, staring at it as it rang. And once it stopped, she kept staring and waiting. Eventually it became obvious whoever it was hadn’t left a voicemail. There was just the missed call notification.
That was a disappointment. She’d been hoping for a “hey, wrong number” or “we’re trying to reach so-and-so” so she could put it out of her mind. Instead it was just...unknown.
She was wound so tight, the text message chime almost made her scream.
You about ready?
She’d forgotten all about Grant and work and everything but her phone. After double-checking herself in the mirror, she picked up the phone and cleared the missed call notification. Then she flipped the switch to silent and slid it into her back pocket before going downstairs.
They were all in the living room, though it was obvious Grant was trying to work his way toward the door.
“Sorry,” she said, keeping her voice light. “I lost track of time.”
“I don’t want to rush you, but we’ll be cutting it close if we don’t leave soon.”
“I’m ready.”
“Drive careful,” Patty said. “And thank you again, Grant.”
“Anytime.” He practically pushed Wren out the door.
“We’re not cutting it that close,” she said.
“No, but she started talking about a few things she needs done around the house and I don’t mind helping, but the more she talked, the more things she thought of.”
“What did she need you to do today?”
