Page 57 of Discerning Blake

“No, no, NO! You have to come!”

“It’s just that—”

“No. Bryce invited Brody. You can’t leave me alone with all three Wilson brothers. They’re loud and intense. I need back up!”

I sigh. “You ca—”

“Besides,” she says, her voice rising like she’s just had an epiphany. “I already told Penny that Chase was coming. It’s all she can talk about for two days. You can’t break your niece’s heart!”

It’s the niece part that gets me. Penny is only my niece by marriage, but I don’t want her to feel like I love her any less because of the divorce.

“Fine. Okay. We’ll be there.”

“Yeah! Bring a salad!”

Chase and I arrive a half hour before the others, and immediately, Penny drags him into her room. Neither one of them has any siblings, nor any other cousins, so they’ve always been really close despite their two-year age gap.

Scarlett is in the kitchen, checking on the oven.

“It smells amazing in here,” I say as I drop my salad down on the counter to hug her.

“The chicken still needs forty minutes, and I still need to roast the vegetables.”

She points to a tray of assorted vegetables peppered with bacon bits.

“Wow. You’re really going all out! Who’s the special guest?”

Her cheeks grow pink, and she turns her back to me. “No one! I just don’t get to cook dinner for my friends often. And you know I love to cook.”

“Sure. You do love to cook,” I reassure her, unsure why she reacted so strangely to my joke. “Feel free to invite Chase and I to dinner more often.”

She sighs, turning back to face me. She wraps her arms around me. “Of course! You know you’re welcome here any time. It can’t be easy the two of you cooped up in that tiny apartment.”

I pat her back. “It’s alright. It’s not forever. Ethan and I are meeting with Stewart on Wednesday. I’ll have a better idea then of my financial situation and what to do next.”

“You want to buy a house?” Scarlett asks.

I shrug. “I’d love to, but I haven’t found anything in Dogwood Grove that’s in my price range. My parents asked me if I wanted to move back in with them.”

“And move to Oakridge? It’s an hour away!”

“You say that like it’s in another state. It’s not that crazy! It’s a doable drive.”

Her mouth twists with doubt.

“But I don’t want to…” I admit. “I don’t want to leave Dogwood.”

“So don’t. I’ll kill Ethan if you leave.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I joke. “I might leave just for that.”

She gives me a sad look. “We’ll figure something out.”

Which basically means, she doesn’t know what to do any more than I do, but she’s on my side and willing to help if I need it.

And I appreciate it.

I help her finish up, which in my case consists mostly of cleaning up and setting the table.