| |
Maggie invited him along to the farmhouse, and Rhett wanted to go. Firstly, because he was curious about this mystery locale, tucked away in the woods off of County Road 131. Secondly, because he didn’t want to not be around Maggie.
Rhett Houston had come to Hickory Grove with a goal to reconnect with his past. And here she was. In the hotel room next to his.
Letting his one true friend from high school slip back through his fingers would be criminal, really.
But there was Emma. And Travis. And that veneer of decency that only thickened as the drama intensified.
Anyway, none of this was about romance. Romance was the furthest thing from Rhett’s mind. It was about spending time with people he cared about. And Rhett never had stopped caring about Maggie Devereux. Even if she became Maggie Engel.
Even if she always stayed that way.
However, he was a good man first and foremost. So, when Maggie and the kids were scrambling down the stairs ahead of him, he made his decision.
And it would mean that once his tire was changed, he wouldn’t stick around Hickory Grove one minute longer.
***
“WHERE ARE YOU?” EMMA’S voice hissed across the line, and Rhett wondered if she’d somehow tracked him to the outer edge of Hickory Grove. She sounded close. And cold. The contradiction wasn’t lost on him.
He’d stepped away to take the phone call, which killed him as Maggie and the kids spilled out of the SUV and stood on the corner of the woods, facing a creaking, sprawling property the likes of which Rhett could hardly have imagined.
“Emma, I’m with an old friend. Maggie Devereux. Dirk’s sister, remember?”
His girlfriend snarled into his ear, “You didn’t do the dishes yesterday. Did you get my text?”
Rhett cringed. “I’m sorry. I—you’re right.” He did feel a little bad. The one job he had was to empty the dishwasher, an irritating task at best. A fight-inducing task at worst. And a fragile, failing relationship was the exact context for the worst.
“When are you coming home?” Emma’s voice softened, but not enough.
“Truck’ll be done this afternoon. I’m helping Maggie with something while I wait.”
“I’m having the girls over tonight for Bunco; don’t forget. Which is why I needed you to do the dishes. I’m not nagging you, Rhett.”
Rhett eyed the Engel family as they slowly ascended on the property. “I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I promise.”
Emma pushed a huff through the phone. “Well, actually, we were hoping to have the place to ourselves.”
“For Bunco?” Rhett asked, ever confused by the life of a thirty-something who’d never married or had children. The life of his own girlfriend. A girlfriend he had never had the desire to, well, marry or have children with. “Listen, I am coming back tonight, because you and I need to talk. Okay?”
“On Bunco night? Wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you... are you going to break up with me?”
Rhett felt his heart stop at the suggestion, and it was only then that he realized that, yes. He was. But certainly not over the phone. And probably not during Bunco night.
“Actually, this is perfect. Wow, this is so totally perfect, Rhett.” Her voice grew louder. “I’m done. I’m so totally done. You want to break up? You win. I’m done. I’ll pack your closet tomorrow. Don’t bother to come home. No reason.”
A click concluded the call, and Rhett figured he had no say. But it was just as well. After all, he had no interest in crashing a Bunco party.
And he certainly had no interest in seeing Emma ever again.
A wave of relief washed over him, breaking up the knots in his neck, assuaging his upset stomach. His spine miraculously straightened. Though he felt not an ounce of guilt or displeasure, Rhett wondered if he ought to.
But then his eyes fell on Maggie. Her blonde-streaked hair whipped across her face, revealing the red underneath, as she turned from the foot of the front deck to search for him. Briar spotted him first and waved wildly with the passion and innocence of a little girl who grew up in a small town. His small town. And then Rhett wished so badly that the Houston family land was still available. Because if it were, he’d start building a house that very night. He’d lay down his roots right then and there.
It wasn’t, though. And Rhett realized that soon enough he’d have to move into one of his rentals in Louisville. Start over. Make the right decisions this time.
No more younger women.
No more property flips.
It was time for Rhett Houston to get serious about his future. If he wanted a family, if he wanted what Maggie Engel had, no matter how she came about it, he’d better get to work.