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“Hope you’re hungry. There’s enough food for the entire block,” Jason said.
They made their way behind the house, where two men stood on the patio in front of a massive grill. Beyond them was an enclosed porch and a spacious yard overlooking the bay.
“Hey, man,” the tallest of the guys said, and did a handshake slash fist-bump thing with Connor.
“Hey, Ev. You remember Abby, right?” Connor said.
“Sure do.” He offered his hand to shake.
“And this is Emma’s brother, Tyler.”
Another tall, good-looking guy, a few years younger with short, dark blond hair, offered a hand.
“Hi, Abby.” Tyler turned, and she caught sight of a hearing aid in his left ear.
Although she’d never met him, Abby remembered he’d gotten injured when he tried saving Maddy during Hurricane Samantha. While Maddy suffered no physical injuries, Tyler had lost a portion of his hearing in one ear.
Connor held up the pie box. “We’ll bring this inside.”
Abby followed him inside the enclosed porch, which had a long table set for dinner. French doors led to the kitchen, where Emma and Maddy were mixing a frozen drink.
Emma had turned off the blender and poured the frozen concoction into a glass with a salted rim.
Maddy tasted it. “Perfection.”
“Hey, Abby, Connor,” Emma said, taking a step forward to hug Connor.
Abby stood awkwardly next to Connor, unsuccessfully trying not to feel like the odd one out. Most of the people here weren’t family, but they’d been friends since their teenage years and likely knew everything about each other.
Why had she let Connor convince her to come?
“This is for you.” Abby held out the purple and blue hydrangea.
“Thanks so much. It’s beautiful, and will make a perfect centerpiece for the table.” Emma accepted it and gave Abby a hug.
“Nice to see you, Abby. You like margaritas?” Maddy held a glass out to her.
“What’s not to like?” Abby said.
There was a cry, and Dylan came tearing through the house into the kitchen with a puppy on her heels.
“Aunt Emma, Sandy keeps licking me,” Dylan said.
“Because you keep teasing her with food,” Maddy said, and picked up the toddler.
“Who is this little lady?” Connor bent down to pet the puppy, who was loving every minute of his attention.
“This is the newest member of the family,” Emma said. “Meet Sandy.”
Abby bent down and joined in rubbing the dog’s belly. “A golden retriever, right?”
“Yes. Someone in town had puppies up for adoption, and Jace and I had been talking about getting one,” Emma said.
“It’s smart to get all the house breaking in before you renovate,” Connor said.
“Jace said the same thing,” Emma replied.
“Uncle Connor, can you come out and play with me and Sandy?” Dylan asked, wriggling to get out of her mother’s arms.
