I smile sweetly. “You’ll never fill that chair the way he does.” I toss my napkin on the table. “Excuse me, guys.”
I make my way down the hallway. My high is quickly being replaced with the fear I said I didn’t have. I look down at my wobbly legs and run smack into something hard. I snap back, but I get jolted forward into the arms of the biggest, scariest tattooed man I’ve ever laid eyes on. His arms are huge; he looks like he bathes in steroids. He is tatted up from his smoothly shaved head to, I’m guessing, his toes. Holy mother of shit.
“Umm,” is all I can get out before I find my voice. “I really, really hope you’re Mike.”
He grins widely and helps me steady myself. “Yup. I got word York was at you again.”
I roll my eyes. “That man hates me. I bet he’d buy me a plane ticket to The American himself if he could get away with it.”
He laughs loudly. “You really get under his skin, and we all love it.” His expression turns serious. “Did he threaten you?”
I look down. The last thing I need is this getting back to Cole.
“Look—we had words. He’ll cool off, and tomorrow’s another day.” I can see him thinking.
“You know Cole can watch the security tapes of the house from where he’s at, right?”
“Let’s not give him a reason to lose focus on the job he’s doing, okay?”
He nods, and it seems like he agrees with me.
“There’s a radio in the kitchen by the intercom. If you change it to our numbers, you can get us directly. Seven is Keith and I’m Six. You need us, you call us. Deal?”
“Okay, deal. Thanks, Mike.”
The next day, I avoid York as much as possible. I hear Cole’s team finally checked in at eleven the night before. I can tell things aren’t going exactly to plan by Keith’s tone when I enter the kitchen this morning. He and Abigail both appear stressed, although they assure me everything is fine. I don’t press it.
Abigail and I decide to have dinner in the entertainment room and watch some of our favorite movies.
“When does your sister arrive?” I ask, stabbing a piece of lettuce with my fork.
“In two days. She’ll be here for Thanksgiving and stay for a few months. That’s pretty normal for her. We’re really close.”
Lynn flashes in my memory. I quickly tuck that emotion aside.
“Cole’s parents will be here too, and you’ll get to meet his mother, Sue. She’s lovely, warmhearted, and a pretty smart lady. She’s quick and sees a lot.”
“Living here, you would have to be,” I joke. “How did you even start working here, Abigail? I mean, it’s not like a position here would be listed in an employment ad in the local newspaper.”
“No, definitely not,” she laughs. “I started working for the Logans when Cole was six. As he got older and didn’t need a nanny anymore, they moved me here. I love it. These boys are like the kids I never had.”
“Mark’s your favorite, isn’t he?” I ask, knowing I’m right.
“I do have a weak spot for Mark, mainly because he and Cole have been best friends for about twenty-three years. Mark’s mother wasn’t around much, and his father left when he was born, so he always looked at me like a parent.” She sets her plate on the couch and turns to me, grinning. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.” I’m excited for a little girl talk.
“Mark met a girl a little while ago. They’ve been talking. Her name is Melanie. She works in town, so one day I decided to check her out, you know, make sure she’s good enough for my boy. Well, I found her working at the coffee shop. She’s tall, slim, with red hair—sweet little thing, and I did something.” She stops, her expression guilty.
“What did you do?” I can barely wait to find out.
“I introduced myself to her. We ended up talking for twenty minutes after her shift, and I invited her to Thanksgiving dinner.” She cups her mouth. “He’s going to kill me!”
“Oh, my God.” I burst out laughing. “That’s classic! Do you think she’ll show?”
“I do.” She wipes a tear away. “Oh, Lord, Savi, what do I do?”
“Maybe Mark will invite her, and you’ll be off the hook.”
“She did mention he was hinting around—”
“Wait! Back up a second.” I shake my head. “I don’t understand how you’re able to invite someone to come here to the house for dinner.”
“Oh, no, sorry. Daniel’s best friend, Zack, has a restaurant and bar here in town. They have great food. Plus, it’s a huge break for me.”
“Oh, I see. Well, maybe we can blame John.” We both burst out laughing. Poor John. He got in some shit over the paintball game too. Guess Mark didn’t take all the blame.
“Perhaps.” Her expression shifts. “These boys work really hard, and they do a lot of the things an average person can’t. Holidays, no matter how big or small, I try to make sure they’re celebrated because they deserve to have some downtime to just be themselves.” She raises her eyebrow at me. “I think that’s why I invited Melanie. I want Mark to find someone he can come home to someday. So, I’m just giving him a little push.” She chuckles. “Isn’t that what parents do?”
“I think it’s sweet.” I just love Abigail, and I can’t wait to meet her sister June.