As I loaded the back of the Jeep Mase and I shared, the drama of last weekend and the pressure of getting two more events nailed out began to fade into anticipation for the party at my parents’ place. I needed to relax more than I’d realized. The realization hit when my alarm sounded and I’d raced around, excited as I tossed last minute items together—without the jolt of coffee. Yeah, that happened before noon like…never.
I bent over and lifted the last box Kristen had dropped off yesterday, then slid it onto the only remaining open space on the floor. After scanning the tightly packed area, I wedged my leather overnighter into a safe place on a box between two bags of decorations. Almost set.
When I went back into the house to retrieve Ava’s supplies (her leash, crate, bowls, and food enough to last the weekend), the pup trotted behind, jumping around, unable to contain her eagerness. That made two of us.
I laughed. “That’s right, girl. We’re goin’ on a trip.”
Mase followed us out front, barefoot with a half-full beer bottle in hand. “If she stalls out, cut the engine, pump the gas, and count to ten before trying to start her again.”
Confused, I turned around, brows drawn low. “What?”
The lazy shit busted up laughing. “Just messin’ with ya’, man. Tuned her up last week. She purrs like a kitten.”
Amped about the trip, I shook my head with a snort. The Jeep was his daily driver, and I’d freaked thinking I’d have to scramble for transportation. “Do not fuck with me this early. I’m uncaffeinated. Uncool, man.” I pegged him with a serious look. “Take good care of my bike. I’ll take good care of your wheels.”
“And my dog.” Mase squatted, and Ava raced over to him and jumped against his chest. He fell back, pretending she’d had the force to tackle him. Then he tumbled over her, growling and roughhousing.
I chuckled. “And your dog? I figured our shared custody agreement allowed for a weekend at the parents’.”
Ava and Mase really had taken to one another. Even though the dog was a gift to Hannah, Ava stayed at our place. But after all the months Mase had campaigned to get a dog, bringing her into the house had done wonders for the guy. Instead of being holed up in his room, morose when he couldn’t ride waves because of the weather—or his woman, because of her law school studies—he spent time out in the yard, bonding with his new best friend.
I patted the passenger seat while calling, “Come on, girl!” Ava looked at it, decided it was too big a leap, and jumped onto the floorboard first instead, then the seat.
After closing the door, I saluted Mase. “Don’t burn the house down.”
He flipped me off.
I grinned, shaking my head. “See ya’ Sunday.”
Before picking up Hannah, I drove over to Loading Zone, needing to drop off my draft of next year’s business plan to Ben. I knew he’d be there this early; the man lived and breathed our bar.
I parked in the shaded spaces around back and shut off the engine. Ava tilted her head as she stared at me, one ear flopping to the side.
“I’ll be right back girl.” After I closed the door, I used the remote start on my keychain to lock the doors. Then I restarted the Jeep, letting it idle with the A/C on full blast to keep her cool.
I unlocked Loading Zone’s back door and walked down the hallway to Ben’s office. He wasn’t in there, but I dropped the paperwork onto the center of his desk. Light shone down the hall from the bar area. I continued toward the front to investigate.
Ben stood behind the bar with a scowl on his face, arms propped on the edge of the counter. He glanced my way. “We have company.” The warning look he gave me shouted that it wasn’t the good kind.
“Who’s here?” I racked my brain. The time of day threw me.
“Health inspector.”
“Didn’t we just have an inspection three weeks ago?”
“There was a complaint,” Ben clarified.
I frowned. “About what?”
“Some bullshit about a bartender not handling the fruit with a gloved hand. She got sick a few hours later.”
“She?” Couldn’t be Madison. Or could it? No. The girl on the phone, crying, wanting to be different, asking for my forgiveness wouldn’t be that stupid.
The inspector walked out from the kitchen area and approached Ben. “Here’s a copy of my report. You guys run a clean shop, and I’m impressed with everything. Please remind your bartenders to wear gloves when directly handling food. Last time I was here, they were all good. It was during operating hours, and I didn’t see any infractions.”
“Hi, Spence.” It was the same inspector we usually got. “Great to see you again.” I shook his hand. “Did the complainant give their name, any other details?
“No. She remained anonymous. But by law, we have to respond to all complaints.”
“Thanks. Just curious. We have a puzzle we’re trying to solve and think it might be the same person who’s doing everything possible to make life difficult for us.”
Spence nodded. “We’ve seen it before. Competition. Angry employees. Just keep up the good work, and their efforts will be nothing but a waste of their time.”
When Spence stepped out the front door, I shot a glance at Ben.
Ben shook his head. “Knew from the start something was up. I’m not even going there with the bartenders, other than to say the inspector came by and someone is gunning for us. Warn them all to stay on their toes.”
I gave a short nod. “Good.”
“You heading out?”
“Yeah. Just dropped the draft off on your desk. I emailed it too, but wanted to be sure you had my notes before the weekend. Is Lisa all set for tomorrow night at my parents’ place? Everything covered here?”
Ben pushed away from the bar. “Yep. We’re good. Get outta here and have a great time.”
***
The fifteen minute drive to Hannah’s flew by. I vibrated more than the dog. Having Hannah all weekend at my parents’, even though we had a party to run, seemed like a rare getaway—an unplugging we both desperately needed.
Before I pulled to the end of her driveway, she stepped out with a bag on her shoulder, waved, then turned to lock her front door. I jumped out, careful to close the door behind me, corralling Ava in and jogged over to Hannah. “Let me get that.”
I took her bag with one hand and pressed the other into her lower back before bending down and kissing her. Then I dropped her bag onto the grass and deepened the contact. Wrapping both arms around her, I pressed small kisses in a line down her neck, inhaling her tropical scent. “Damn, I’ve missed you.”
She leaned back in my arms, a pink blush coloring her cheeks. “Wow. What did I do to deserve such an amazing greeting?”
“You being here with a packed bag. Works for me.”
Ready to head out, I picked up her bag again and held her hand as we walked toward the Jeep. Ava barked, front paws resting on the driver’s door window frame.
I secured Hannah’s bag in the backseat while she climbed into the passenger side. Wasting no time, I got in, started up the Jeep, and backed out of her driveway and onto the road.
Seconds later, laughter and commotion drew my attention to the right. I snorted, laughing.
Ava had overtaken her lap, and then some. “Look how big you’ve gotten. And such a good girl. Yes, you are.” Hannah rubbed her ears, cooing and baby talking. Ava ate up the attention. Mase had been replaced.
Hannah hummed a relaxed tone. “How long of a drive is it?”
I glanced over at her again. Ava had settled down, resting her head into the cushion of Hannah’s chest—a favorite place of mine too. Yanking my thoughts from the gutter, I blinked. “Ninety minutes, give or take traffic getting out of Philly. Maybe less today.”
“And this is the house you grew up in?”
I nodded. “Mostly. Mom and Dad had both places by the time I was born. But although the apartment on Fifth had enough bedrooms, space was cramped for entertaining my parents’ friends and clients while raising four kids.”
“Sounds ritzy.”
I smiled, remembering the humble upbringing Hannah had. Lack of normal family structure or wealth didn’t mean she hadn’t had a loving home. Both of us had been lucky compared to many less-fortunate children. “Only different scenery from yours. My parents were born into money, but they had generous hearts. So they made sure to leverage their money to help others along the way.”
She sighed, nestling her head against the headrest. “I think Gran and Granpop would’ve liked your parents.”
Hannah had said her grandparents raised her after her mom died. But she didn’t talk often about her mom. Her tone seemed heavy when she did, and she usually changed the subject quickly. My curiosity wasn’t a good enough excuse to bring up the topic though. When and if she wanted to share, I would be there for her.
I recalled what little I knew about her grandparents. “They loved chess and he loved old cars? They would’ve hit it off immediately. Too bad we couldn’t have brought along Josephine. My dad would’ve loved to see her.”
“Yeah?”
“A pristine black ’67 Mustang Fastback? Oh yeah, no doubt. Wait until you see the surprise I’ve been dying to show you.”
“Looking forward to it. By the way, I had an interesting morning. Got a phone call from Chloe at the bakery. There was a food and safety inspection prompted by a complaint. A lady said she got sick at the bakery. The inspector was there and wrapped up by the time Chloe called, or I would’ve gone in. The only ding on today’s report was because Daniel wasn’t wearing a hairnet or hat over his Mohawk while preparing food in the kitchen. Otherwise, we got a great score.”
I blinked hard and glanced at her. “You’re fucking kidding. Me too. A woman called in a complaint on us. Anonymously. Ours was some bullshit about no gloves with the fruit. All of our bartenders are religious about that.”
“Really? Wait a minute…Selfish Bitch?”
I blew out a heavy breath. Hard to deny Hannah’s theory with all signs pointing there.
She shook her head. “So she’s stepping up the attacks.” There was no question in Hannah’s tone. Little room for doubt in my mind either, even though I’d tried to give Madison the benefit of it. Two hits in one day: Hannah’s biz and mine? Even if it made no sense whatsoever, someone was out to hurt me and Hannah. A jealous ex was the most likely explanation. Could it be another ex of mine or Hannah’s? Sure. But Madison was the only ex in play. “Apparently. Now she’s going after our businesses.”
“What’s next?” She let out a dry laugh. “An IRS audit?”
“Bite your tongue, woman. That would be a nightmare.”
She crossed her arms. “Maybe we should send the inspectors and auditors crawling up her ass. Two can play at her game.”
I exhaled out a breath, grinning at the fight Hannah had in her. “I like the advice our inspector gave this morning. Keep doing our thing as well as we’ve been doing it, and let her waste her time.”
She stared at me for a few beats. “You always take the high road. Is it only me that wants to punch her lights out?”
I coughed out a laugh. “Oh no. I’d love to give her a piece of my mind. But I won’t battle it out on her level. Let her exhaust and frustrate herself. Our time will come.”
On a heavy sigh, Hannah crossed her arms. “Days on end of being busy and then being randomly hit by her unnecessary drama is stressing me out. I can’t wait for all of this to be over.”
I fought a smile. “Look in the center console.”
Hannah tilted her head. “Nice segue.”
“Just open it. Trust me, it’ll help.”
She narrowed her eyes, but leaned over and opened the lid backward. Ava stuck her snout into the opening.
“No, no, girl.” Hannah laughed and gently tugged on her collar. Then she reached in and pulled out the envelope I’d stashed in there.
“What is it?”
“Are you always this bad with surprises? This one’s good for a change.”
She stared at the envelope.
I snorted, amused with her suspicion. “Open it.”
Finally, she lifted the flap and pulled out the two airline tickets. She gave a couple of heavy blinks and stared at the tickets. “We going somewhere?”
I smiled, returning my gaze back to the road. “We did talk about private-island therapy. I booked us a week-long vacation in the Seychelles.”
“Oh my God!” She squealed and Ava barked.
“So I guess that’s a ‘yes?’”
“Yes!”
The tension in the car dissipated almost immediately. Amazing what the promise of ocean and sand will do for a person. I wasn’t the only one in the car who needed a complete break, away from the stress.
I frowned. “Wait. Do you have a passport?”
She nodded. “We traveled abroad to France during a cooking internship.”
“Really? What was that like?”
“Incredible. We were there for two weeks. Lived in the homes of our host chefs.”
The conversation went into the experience she had during her internship and all the things we planned to do on our upcoming vacation.
The last few miles of the trip drifted into a comfortable silence. I glanced over at her.
She stared out the front window with a faraway gaze.
My brows furrowed. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just a little nervous, I guess.”
“You’ve been around my sisters a lot. And my parents a few times now.”
She shrugged. “I know. But this is bigger. I won’t be around your parents and friends in your house for only few hours. This is their house and their friends for a whole weekend.”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry. This afternoon we’ll be busy setting up for tomorrow. Tonight will be laid back, and I’ll be with you the whole time. Tomorrow, we’ll be up to our eyeballs with party details.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Guess it just helps to talk about it. I made it bigger in my head than it needed to be.”
I gave her a pointed look. “Don’t. My family shouldn’t be a cause of stress. They’re all human, and they love me. By extension, my parents love you. And my sisters already do. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m saying. You’re already one of the family: Michaelson by adoption.”
She smiled, happiness replacing the concerned expression she’d had only moments ago.
A few minutes later, we pulled up to the gate, then continued through, curving along the driveway. I didn’t say a word, wanting her to experience the estate for herself. But when I glanced over, her eyes had widened. She rolled the window down and leaned forward to stick her head partially out, forcing Ava off her lap and scrambling into the back seat.
Hannah’s mouth slowly dropped open as we pulled under the portico. Even though I’d grown up here, the grounds still took my breath away too. Well aware of what others lacked and we had in abundance, it always humbled and amazed me to take in the beauty of our home.
Built along the lines of a stately mansion, the front had four columns and wings that sprawled out on either side. Wider than it was deep, the house had an imposing presence to a visitor unused to the architectural style.
Eyes wide and blinking rapidly, Hannah opened her door, stepped out, and craned her neck, sweeping her gaze across the east wing.
“Hannah, watch” —Ava bounded out the door and bolted off, barreling around the side of the house— “out for Ava.”
But little Ava wasn’t brave enough to abandon us altogether. She swooped back into view in a wide arc, barking once at us before disappearing again.
I ran after Ava, shouting, “That pool isn’t fenced!”
Hannah tore off beside me as we raced to restrain the animal I hadn’t warned anyone we were bringing. Hence the crate. And the long-forgotten leash.
Ava didn’t appear again. By the time we made it past the side of the house and through the rose garden, I heard a loud splash.
The pool area near the barbeque was already filled with people: my sisters and Jason, my parents, even a few neighbors who’d been invited over for a casual gathering before we needed to set up for the afternoon. But all their attention centered on the pool.
Apparently Ava was a natural swimmer, or a survivalist who hadn’t yet found the way out. I ran over to the end where the steps were and clapped my hands. “Come on, Ava. Over here.”
Hannah appeared by my side and braced her hands on her knees while she sucked in oxygen. After a couple of gulps of air, she spoke between breaths, “Hoping you don’t have to go for a swim?”
Ava swam our way, paddling from the center of the Olympic-length pool. I glanced up at Hannah, noting the others were outside of earshot. “Oh really, smartass? Who’s the one who gawked at my parents’ house instead of watching the dog? You should be the one swimming.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare. What happened to my knight, lifting me over puddles?”
I ran my fingers up her calf. “He’s far more interested in seeing you make a big splash.”
The smart girl sat down on the cool decking. Which meant in order for me to dump her, I had to stand up, scoop her up, and hoist her into the pool. All a lot of effort for a little bit of fun.
And so fucking worth it.
Hannah squealed, kicking when I snatched her up, but I had a solid grip on her. The crowd gathered at the corner of the pool caught wind of my agenda and started cheering me on. Mom covered her eyes. Ava started barking.
I swung Hannah toward the pool. “One.” Then swung back, over the decking.
She growled. “Put me down this instant.”
“Two.”
She locked her hands around my neck. “If you let go, you’re coming with me.”
I grinned. “Three.” I hesitated on the last swing, catching her off guard enough for her to loosen her grip. Then I tossed her in.
She flew through the air, arms flailing, safely far enough away from Ava’s position, and splashed into the water. I stood with my hands on my hips, grinning.
Hannah surfaced, sputtering, but with a big smile on her face, and I laughed.
Ava redirected her paddling, heading toward Hannah. She caught the puppy, cradling her with one arm. “That’s right, girl. It’s just a bunch of water, all kinds of fun.”
While Hannah and Ava were preoccupied with their water-soaked reunion, I backed up a few steps, took a running head start, and leaped into the air, pulling my legs up to my chest. “Cannonball!” The last thing I saw before hitting water was the crowd scattering away from the splash zone with widened eyes.
Waterlogged jeans made for heavy going, but I swam underwater over to my girls. Hannah’s toes barely touched the bottom, and Ava’s four legs were free and paddling again. I broke through in front of Hannah, wrapping my arms around her.
A huge smile curved her lips. “You’re crazy.”
“And you love it.”
She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me a quick kiss. “Yeah, I do.”
After a few minutes of reckless splashing and laughing, we climbed out of the pool. Beach towels were stacked in a pile on the nearest lounger. I scrambled over, unfolded one for Hannah, and bundled her up. Her hair was slicked back except for a few strands stuck to her cheek. I wiped them back behind her ears.
“You look great wet.”
She side-eyed me, replying under her breath, “You’ve seen me wet before.”
“Not fully clothed,” I countered.
Her brows arched. “And a fully clothed wet is better?”
“Hell no. But that was fun. And besides, it only makes me want to get you out of them.”
Squeals caught my attention. Ava had wandered into the admiring group and shook out her fur, spraying them.
“I’ve got her.” I rushed over and scooped up the little swimmer. “We’ll go shower and change. ’Bout an hour?”
Dad glanced at his watch. “A little longer, we’ll start grilling at 1:00 p.m. No rush.”
“Sounds great.” I scanned everyone’s amused faces. “Sorry for the messy entrance. For those of you who haven’t been formerly introduced, the woman I nearly drowned is Hannah, my girlfriend. I’m sure she’s thoroughly embarrassed and wants to make a quick exit, maybe set my hair on fire in retaliation. The little one is Ava.” I held up a paw, waving.
Mom laughed. “Be sure to bring Ava back. We need to show her some love when she’s a bit dryer.”
I wrapped a free arm around Hannah’s towel-covered shoulders. “Done. And feel free to gossip. We’ll be gone long enough for you to talk about us and all the neighbors within a two-block radius.”
We escaped to a fresh round of laughter as I tucked a drenched Hannah closer into my side and lowered my mouth to her ear. “That leaves us plenty of time to hose off Ava and blow her dry for a crate-time nap. Plus a whole extra hour for me to hose you off, get you wet all over again…maybe some blowing. Then we’ll get to the drying.”
She snorted and broke away, racing back around the side of the house toward the front. I put Ava down, and we chased after her. And as the wind hit my face, I thought that our weekend away was off to a perfect start.