man there who is almost as handsome as this one,” Pamela said with a nod.
“You’re out at the B and B?” Zep asked. Sera had mentioned someone had rented all the rooms they had ready. “My sister runs the place. And Harry is definitely not as handsome as me.”
“Is everything all right?” The man who had to be Roxanne’s dad stepped out. He had silver hair and looked to be on the thin side. He was dressed almost like his wife, though his slacks were dark and he’d tucked his button-down in. His shirtsleeves were rolled up. “You must be Armie. Somehow I thought you would be older. You’re the sheriff around here?”
“No, I am not.” That was another reason why he couldn’t pretend to be Armie. He was far too young and pretty to be a grizzled sheriff. Why the hell had she told her parents she was dating Armie? Armie was too old for her. Armie was too much like her in some ways. They would never be compatible.
Did she have a thing for Armie?
“This is Zéphir—” Pamela began.
“You can call me Zep.” He held out his hand and shook Mr. King’s. “I was explaining that Roxie hasn’t dated Armie in a while. He’s gotten married and we’re together now.”
“He’s living with her, Tony,” Pamela explained. “Living together and she didn’t even mention it to her parents. She’s gone wild since she moved down here. I told you. But he seems like a fine young man.”
Roxie stepped in front of her father. “Dad, it’s nice to see you, but I’m a little unprepared. I had no idea you were coming.”
“Because we wanted it to be a surprise,” her father replied. “Though we did try to call.”
“I was working the late shift. I turned off my ringer.” She directed the comment to her father as though she knew her mother wouldn’t care.
“Sorry. We don’t know your schedule,” Tony King replied, though his tone was a bit disappointed. “You don’t talk to us much. You haven’t even congratulated Brian on his engagement.”
“I sent him a text,” Roxie shot back.
Oh, she needed someone to smooth the way or this whole visit was going to go poorly. “We hadn’t decided on what to get them yet. We were debating on what to send them as a couple.”
“A coupon for a good lawyer,” Roxie said under her breath.
His fake girlfriend was a little overstimulated. It was time for some honesty. “Mr. and Mrs. King, we’re so thrilled you’re here, but Roxie and I were working late last night and she took a little tumble. Hit her head pretty hard. She needs some more rest. Why don’t you let me take you all out to dinner at my family’s restaurant tonight?”
“She hit her head?” Pamela’s eyes had gone wide.
Roxie sent him a death stare. “It’s fine. I’ve already seen a medical pro. Lila says I’m good. I just need a little rest.”
“Isn’t that the woman who stole your boyfriend?” Pamela asked. “I don’t think we should trust her. She might let you die so you can never get him back. I saw it on Dateline. The same thing happened to a woman in Yonkers, though the other woman was a dental assistant. I don’t trust them. They’re always young. Why are there no older dental assistants? Because they marry the dentists. That’s why.”
“Mom, Lila isn’t trying to kill me,” Roxie said with a sigh. “But I do need to rest and I’m not even dressed and Zep isn’t dressed. I wasn’t ready for any of this.”
“Well, you would have been if you—” Pamela began.
Her husband put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll head back to the B and B, sweetheart, but we will take your boyfriend up on his dinner invitation. Will you be all right by then? Or would you like me to drive you into a bigger city to see a doctor who didn’t marry your ex?”
“Lila’s solid,” Zep explained. “She’s connected to my family. See, her sister married my brother, so we’re all good. It’s a small town. Everyone’s connected, but Lila’s excellent at her job. Roxie’s fine, but I stayed up so I could make sure she didn’t get sick. I could use a nap before we all get together.”
Tony nodded as though he’d made his decision. “Come along, Pamela. It wasn’t fair to ambush her like this. Roxie, give your boyfriend my number so he can text me where and when to meet you for dinner tonight while you