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“Duke wanted to know if they could crash with us for a few weeks while the bathrooms at their place were being redone. I didn’t want to commit without talking to you.”
Somehow the condo had gone from his place to our place, and I’d gone from insta-girlfriend to she-who-must-be-consulted. It felt good. “It’s your place, but I’d say yes, if I were you. They’re family, and she can probably cook better than you, so it’s a net positive all the way around.”
He put his hand over his heart. “Oh, that hurts. I thought you liked my cooking.”
I hip-bumped him. “I love your cooking. It’s the extra garlic I could do without.” We followed the others into the terminal.
When Serena went to use the lavatory, I took the opportunity to get Jennifer’s perspective on today. “Will Dennis be okay with this?”
She nodded. “He didn’t sleep much last night, but I’ll be damned if I let him ruin this for Kelly. He’ll work through it. I’ll make sure of that.”
The lady at the desk had separate cars ready for us and each of the other couples. Josh’s parents had a driver and were the first to leave.
Even though the plane had a bathroom in the back, I’d avoided using it, so I visited the one inside the building before we left. Out by the car, Josh put the address into his phone, but didn’t open the door.
“Are we waiting for Zack and Brittney?” I asked.
“No, just giving Dad a head start.”
“Are you worried about him and Adam?”
“Just trying to give them some alone time to start off. They don’t need an audience.”
Zack and Brittney were standing around outside their car, too, and Serena and her boyfriend, Duke, were still inside the building. The siblings had apparently cooked up this plan together. Dennis stood next to Jennifer, checking something on his phone.
“Somebody in this town has to have it,” he told her.
“Are you worried about this afternoon?” I asked Josh.
“Dad has been very… How shall I put it?… Antagonistic toward the Cartwrights for as long as I can remember. But, between Kelly and Mom, I think they’ll keep him under control. Kelly didn’t give him any say in this, and she’s already engaged, so what can he do now?”
“He seemed in good spirits this morning when we got on the plane,” I noted.
“Yeah. I hope he and Adam’s dad don’t get into it and ruin it for Kelly.” Josh checked his watch. “Okay, he’s had enough of a head start.” He opened his door, and I climbed in on my side.
Not having spent much time outside California, the greenery and the thickness of the trees off the side of the highway as we drove through the Virginia countryside surprised me after the brown of California’s hills this time of year.
* * *
When we arrived,the woman who opened the door had light brown hair and striking emerald eyes. “Josh,” she almost screamed as she jumped forward to give my boyfriend a big hug.
When Josh got loose from her, he put a hand to the small of my back. “Kelly, I’d like you to meet Nicole Rossi.”
I offered my hand, but Kelly wrapped me in a hug similar to the one she’d given her brother.
“Mom and Dad are in the kitchen interrogating Adam,” she told us.
We followed her to the kitchen in back, where we were introduced to Adam Cartwright, Kelly’s fiancé, along with Josh’s brother Vincent and his wife, Ashley, who’d flown down earlier from Boston.
Not long after, Serena and Duke, and Zack and Brittney joined us, but still no Dennis and Jennifer.
I was surprised to learn that not only was Josh’s sister-in-law Ashley an agent with the FBI, but Adam was as well, assigned to the field office here in DC.
The champagne flowed freely, and the discussions were amiable, but getting animated as the alcohol loosened everybody up.
Josh’s father had Vincent in the corner. “Your Uncle Logan is leaving us, and I need someone I can trust over there. I need you,” he said, poking Vincent in the chest.
I didn’t catch Vincent’s full response, but it had certainly included ‘no way.’ His father didn’t look pleased.
