Page 89 of Mountain Dreams

Avery nodded. “I’ll have it professionally cleaned before you move in. It’ll look brand new.”

“I bet your brothers will love having you back for the summer,” Maddie said. She was usually content to sit back and listen, but when she had something to say, she said it.

“I don’t know about that,” said Dakota, rolling her eyes. “I think they tolerate me more than anything.”

Avery shook her head. “That’s not true, and you know it. But even if it was, I’ll be happy to have you here for the summer.”

“Me too,” added Maddie.

Dakota smiled widely at them both. “It’ll be fun, won’t it? The three of us irritating my brothers together?”

They all laughed, though Maddie didn’t want Cody to think of her as irritating. She wanted him to want her here as much as she wanted to be here.

The doorbell rang, and Maddie rose to answer it. She’d almost forgotten her sisters were coming, and she was anxious to introduce them to Avery. They’d already met Dakota, though it had been a long time since they’d seen her. This was their first visit since she’d moved in, and she was excited to show them her new digs.

She opened the door, and there was a flurry of activity as the sisters greeted each other. Then Maddie led them into the living room.

“You remember Dakota Sawyer, and this is our friend Avery Wilkins. Avery, these are my sisters, Debbie and Sara.”

“Sorry we’re late,” said Debbie. “I had kids and a husband to feed before we left.”

“No problem. It’s nice to meet you,” said Avery.

“Drinks and snacks are in the kitchen. Follow me,” Maddie said.

The three sisters filed into the kitchen, and Debbie and Sara started filling their plates.

“This place is really nice,” Sara said as she looked around.

“The Sawyers must be doing well for themselves,” Debbie added.

“They are. In fact, Cody’s in the process of building more cabins.”

“Where is Cody? I was hoping to get a peek at him,” Debbie said.

Sara chuckled as she poured herself a glass of wine.

“What? Just because we’re married, it doesn’t mean we can’t admire a fine male form.”

Maddie laughed, feeling a twinge of excitement that the fine male form they spoke of was coming home to her later. “He’s hanging out with Jax tonight.”

“Another fine male form,” Debbie said.

“Don’t let Avery hear you say that,” Maddie teased.

“How’s everything going with you and Cody?” Sara asked, sounding concerned.

“Great. Why?”

“We haven’t heard from you in a while, so we were just wondering,” Debbie said.

“I was busy during tax season, but things have calmed down now.” Maddie had purposely steered the conversation toward work rather than Cody, but her sisters didn’t seem satisfied.

“Are you still looking for an apartment?” asked Debbie.

Maddie feigned interest in restocking the cracker tray. “Not recently, but like I said, I’ve been busy.”

“Is Cody okay with you staying here indefinitely?” Sara asked.