Page 76 of That Reilly Boy
“I’m the kind of husband who expects to live with his wife.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Who is it, Cara?” Gin asks a second after I hear the creak in the floorboard warning me of her approach.
I glare at Hayden like I’m trying to set him on fire with my eyeballs, and then step out of the way to let him in. “It’s Hayden, Mom.”
That stops her in her tracks, but Hayden’s smiling as if he’s happy to see her. “Hello, Gin.”
“Is that a dog? I’m allergic to dogs.” Gin clutches her chest as if just the sight of the dog sends her into instant respiratory failure. Or maybe it’s finding a Reilly standing in her living room. It’s hard to tell with her. “I can’t breathe.”
“Penelope’s a Shih Tzu,” Hayden says, and I can hear amusement in his voice. He’s enjoying this. “She’s hypoallergenic.”
“Oh.” Gin drops her hands, but the distressed expression sticks. “Why are you here?”
“Because this is where Cara is.”
Gin looks at me as though she’s expecting me to explain what’s happening, but I’ve got nothing. My heart is still pounding because Hayden is actually in my house, and just seeing him brought all those naughty memories I’ve been trying to suppress to the surface. And my mind is still spinning because this is not going to be good.
I’m about to tell her Hayden’s just picking me up to take me to Colleen’s—even though I really don’t want to do that, but I will if it keeps the fragile peace—when Hayden sets Penny on the floor. She immediately comes to me, looking for chin scratches.
Of course I crouch and give her some because dogs are always the priority.
“You have a bag,” Gin says.
“I have another in the car, actually,” Hayden tells her. “I’d rather not wear the same clothes every day for a four-day weekend. I also have a bag for Penny and two beds for her.”
Gin is shaking her head, but she can’t seem to make words. Finally, she looks at me, and then at Penny. “Do you have a cage for her, too?”
I know the dog is probably reacting to a sudden tension in Hayden’s body, but I still have to stifle a giggle at the alarmed look Penny gives Gin. Hayden, on the other hand, is total ice. “Penelope doesn’t have a kennel. She’ll tolerate a leash to comply with town or city ordinances when necessary, but otherwise, she does as she pleases.”
“This is still my house.”
“Yes, it is. And Cara is my wife. Either Penelope is welcome here, or I’ll take my wife and my dog and go elsewhere. You’ll have the entire house, including upkeep and expenses, all to yourself.”
I should object here. He doesn’t get to take me anywhere. But I know what he’s doing—the more uncomfortable and unhappy Gin is, the sooner she’ll finalize the sale so I can help her get settled somewhere else. Since I can’t be free of this farce of a marriage until that happens, I keep my mouth shut.
Without another word, Gin spins on her heel and walks back to the kitchen. Sighing, I give Penny a final scratch under her chin, and then straighten.
“I’ll show you where to put your stuff, I guess.”
I know I should be putting more effort into sounding like a newlywed reunited with her husband after a short separation, but I can’t muster the energy. Instead, I pick up Penny and lead Hayden up the stairs.
It had never occurred to me he would sleep under the same roof as Gin, so my room has a very lived-in look. It’s not too messy, but I clearly wasn’t expecting company.
As soon as he closes the door behind him, I put Penny down. Maybe because she can tell this is exclusively my space, she’s comfortable roaming around, investigating.
“I think you’d be more comfortable staying with Colleen,” I say as Hayden sets his bag on the foot of my bed.
“I definitely would be, but you wouldn’t be, so we’ll stay here.”
“Did you forget the part where I told you our hot water heater doesn’t actually make hot water?”
I can tell by his wince that he did, in fact, forget that part, but he rallies quickly. “The goal is for your mother to not want to live here anymore, and it’s not good business to invest money in a property you don’t own. On the other hand, denying my wife something as simple as hot water is extremely petty behavior for a newlywed.”
My pride wants to tell him to keep his hot water heater. It stings that I couldn’t buy a basic item that’s apparently simple to other people.
But I also really like hot showers.
