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“You’re welcome. I’ll see you later.” I wave and rush next door to grab the other container, my purse, and at the last minute, I grab a flannel shirt just in case it gets cool tonight. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into.
When I get back outside, the twins are standing by the driver’s side of Alyssa’s car, and they’re chatting. I slide into the passenger seat, shuffling everything to the floorboard between my feet.
“I can’t believe y’all didn’t catch that you were neighbors.”
“We’ve seen her but never got a good look at her face, and we didn’t know what she drove,” one of them explains.
“Well, now that we know, we can keep an eye out.” One of them, I can’t tell which, leans down to peer at me through the window.
“Thank you, but I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.” I offer him a kind smile.
“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But with Mav and me living next door, you won’t have to.”
Instead of arguing with him, I just nod and smile. Many say they’re going to reach out or look out for you, but in my experience, they’re just being nice. Never do they follow through. I keep that thought to myself.
“We need to get going. You two behave.”
“Always,” they say at the same time.
“Keep that brother of ours in line, will you?” Maverick says.
“You know that no one keeps Sterling in line.” Alyssa chuckles.
“You do,” they say at once. She waves them off, rolls up her window, and we’re on the road. “If they bother the hell out of you now, just let me know. I can have Sterling talk to them.”
“Oh, they’re fine. I met them earlier on the way to the grocery store, and they hinted that they liked snacks, so I made a double batch.”
“A double batch of what? Whatever it is, it smells incredible.”
“Sausage balls.”
“Tell me more.”
“They’re super easy to make. I brown sausage, I usually do hot, but I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I did mild this time, add a box of cheddar biscuit mix and lots of cheddar cheese. They’re so good.”
“My mouth is watering,” she says.
“Right? So, I made a double batch, and that’s what I was doing. Dropping them off with the twins.”
“You know Rush is going to be all kinds of jealous, right?”
“What? Why would he be jealous? I was just being neighborly.”
“To his little brothers. And you live next door to them. Rumor has it that you’ve been shooting down his requests for dinner.”
“Wow. Word travels fast in the Kincaid clan.”
“You know it. But this time, it was the little Kincaid who spilled the beans. I guess Blake heard him ask, and you tell him no.”
“Ugh. I really need to watch what I say around my students. I’m trying to get them to renew and extend my contract, not get fired for fraternizing with a student’s uncle.”
“That’s a lot to unpack.” Alyssa chuckles. “First of all, you did nothing wrong. If there’s anyone to blame here, it’s Rush asking you while your students, even if it was just our niece, were within earshot. Second, this is a small town, Crosby. You’re going to be hard-pressed to find a man who’s not connected to one of your students in some way, shape, or form. Don’t stress. It’s all going to work out,” she says, pulling into Kennedy and Declan’s driveway.
Together, we grab our things and head inside. As soon as I step in the door, Blakely shrieks.
“Miss Crosby Greene!” She comes rushing toward me, and I barely have time to brace before she’s barreling into my legs and hugging them tightly.
“Blake, let her go. She has her hands full,” Kennedy tells her daughter.
“I’m so happy you came to my girls’ night.” Blakely smiles up at me.
“I’m happy to be here. Thank you for inviting me.”
“This is going to be the best!” She skips off and disappears down the hallway.
“Sorry about that,” Kennedy says with a kind smile. “She really likes you.”
“She’s a sweet girl.”
“Come on in. Kick your shoes off and relax. Can I take that?” She nods to the bowl in my hands.
“Sure, it’s sausage balls.”
Kennedy lifts the lid and peeks in. “They smell amazing.”
The next ten minutes or so is a flurry of activity and shrieks from Blakely as each guest arrives. Finally, Declan comes into the room and hands Beckham to his wife. “You sure you don’t want me to take him?”
“Back off, daddy-o.” Ramsey points at him. “We’re getting all the baby-loving in this evening while Blakely does our hair. So be gone.” She waves her hand, dismissing him.
“You are aware that this is my house, right?” Declan raises his eyebrows at his cousin.
“But this, my dear cousin, is Blakely’s girls’ night. No boys allowed.”
“Yeah, Daddy. No boys allowed,” Blakely chimes in.
