Clay shuts his eyes, probably thinking of all the ways he could kill his father without leaving any marks.
“I have a fabulous pinot gris chilling downstairs,” Hamish announces. “I’ll pull us some nibbles. Come on down when you’re ready.” He turns and leaves.
Clay sighs. “I’m so sorry about this. When I spoke to him, he was in Seattle debating whether to go up into Canada for some salmon fishing.”
I wave that aside. “Don’t worry about it. It’s his place, and he’s lonely. It’s only two nights, and then we’ll both be free of our parents.”
“Well, I have to admit, I feared he’d have a mirror on the ceiling in his bedroom and I’d have to explain that to your mom.”
I laugh. “Does he really?”
Clay smirks. “He used to. I didn’t understand it when I was younger. I just thought it was so you could see yourself while lying down.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “That’s so vain.”
“It fit my dad, and I blamed him for breaking up my parents’ marriage.”
Still shaking my head, I put my bag on the bed and walk into the bathroom. It’s big enough for both of us without any problems. After washing my face and running a comb though my hair, I rejoin Clay in his room.
He gives me a deep kiss. “I can’t wait to be alone with you.”
I smile. I don’t have any idea what this is, but I’m determined to just go with it. Things don’t have to be perfect to be fun, right? “That sounds like a lot of fun.”
He takes my hand as we walk downstairs.
Hamish sees us and grins. “I told you,” he whispers to Mom.
She grins too.
He hands Clay a bottle of beer, and I agree to a glass of the pinot gris he mentioned earlier.
There’s a large, kidney-shaped pool beyond the covered patio out back. We sit in oversized wooden chairs with leather seats around a fire pit that takes the edge off the chill. It’s surprising how cool it’s becoming as the sun sets.
“Felicity tells me you were trapped by the avalanche in Tahoe. Why didn’t you say anything?” Hamish asks.
Clay leans forward and grabs a few crackers and some cheese. “We were out soon enough, and there was no use in alarming you.”
Hamish turns to Mom. “This boy has nine lives. You should see him in his Navy uniform with a chest full of medals for valor and good work.”
“You’re the president of my fan club,” Clay says with a good-natured roll of his eyes.
“You’re damn right I am. I’m proud of my boy. And I’m excited that he’s met a nice girl. Anna, what kind of work do you do?”
“I’m an interior designer. I do some commercial work but focus mostly on residential in San Francisco.”
“Now, she’s being shy,” Mom says. “Anna here started designing office space when she was still in high school. She worked with my husband. He was in commercial real estate.”
Hamish nods. “I do some of that myself, mostly in the Seattle market. But I’m getting tired. It may be time to retire. Maybe I’ll kick my feet up here by the pool for a few months.”
“Are you still worried about Geraldine taking the condo?” Clay asks.
“I was. But when you asked about coming here, I figured it might be a good reason to hold my ground on this.” Hamish turns to Mom. “She redesigned the house and then decided she wanted to divorce me. I was going to give it to her and her athletic-trainer boyfriend, but maybe I should keep it.”
Mom giggles. “What is there to do around here? If it’s quiet, maybe you do want to just give it to your soon-to-be ex-wife.”
“Palm Springs always has great things going on. And the best part is, most of it is within walking distance.” Hamish drains his beer and goes on to tell us about the light parade next weekend, as well as a gingerbread house display. “I’ll tell you, there’s a reason the architect in town always wins, but there are many people who give him a run for his money.”
Mom’s phone pings, and she looks down at it.Since when does she text?