Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,24
of big gulps before setting down the bottle. “She admitted she hadn’t been honest with me when she asked if Joylyn could stay with me.” He looked at Wynn. “Apparently the problem isn’t the boys, it’s our daughter. She’s turned into, and this is a direct quote from her mother, ‘a raving bitch with psychotic tendencies.’ Nothing makes her happy, she’s unreasonable, demanding and horrible to be around. Alisha couldn’t stand her anymore and sent her here.”
Wynn’s eyes widened. “That’s not happy news.”
“I agree, but what can I do about it? I can’t throw her out. Despite how she’s acting, I don’t want to get rid of her. I love her. I just wish she wasn’t so difficult.”
“I want to say Alisha should have warned you, but I’m sure she was afraid you wouldn’t agree to let Joylyn come stay.”
“Being prepared might have made a difference, but I doubt it. Right now Joylyn is mad at the world.”
And him. He supposed he should be grateful that some of her attitude wasn’t personal, but it didn’t feel that way. The great relationship they’d had before had been lost, and he still didn’t know how to get it back.
“She is dealing with a lot,” Wynn said. “She’s newly married, pregnant and her husband is deployed. That would be hard on anyone.”
“I don’t know why she didn’t stay on base in San Diego. She had friends there and support from the other Marine wives. Going back to live with her mom isolated her.”
“She’s stuck now.” Wynn’s tone was sympathetic. “And now you are, too.”
He appreciated the understanding, but before he could say anything, the front door opened.
“We’re back,” Hunter called. “We saw Jackson’s new puppy. It’s a Great Dane. She’s really big already and her feet are huge.”
Garrick glanced at his daughter and was relieved to see her eyes were bright with amusement. “They said she would be over a hundred pounds when she was grown. That’s a lot of dog.”
Hunter grinned. “That’s a lot of poop to pick up.”
Wynn sighed. “You’re never going to outgrow the bathroom humor, are you?”
“Nope.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Sorry, Mom. You should be used to it by now.”
“I keep hoping for improvement.”
“Not gonna happen. Oh, Mom! Joylyn plays Fortnite. Can we go play before dinner?”
“Sure.”
He took a step, then glanced at her. “Does this count as part of my game time for the week?”
“No. You may have a guest exception.”
Joylyn made a fist and gently hit Hunter in the upper arm. “Girls rule, boys drool.”
“It’s not because you’re a girl,” he said, leading the way back to the family room. “It’s because you’re a guest. And I don’t drool.”
“You do in your sleep.”
“Na-uh.”
Their voices faded as they entered the family room. Garrick stared after them for a couple of seconds before looking at Wynn.
“She’s transformed.”
“For the moment. I’m sure she feels better after moving around and Hunter’s good company, but I wouldn’t hold my breath thinking it will last.”
He knew she was right. “At least I know the real Joylyn is buried in there somewhere. It gives me hope.” All he had to do was figure out how to reach her. Maybe then they could talk and their relationship could be restored.
Wynn sighed. “You look optimistic.”
“I have a sunny disposition.”
She laughed. “Even if that’s true, I would remind you to be cautious. And maybe learn how to play computer games.”
CHAPTER FIVE
TUESDAY MORNING WYNN woke up a few minutes before her alarm. It was still dark outside and the room felt a little cool. Winter, she thought, standing and stretching. At least as much of a winter as Happily Inc ever got. Not that she’d ever experienced real winter. Oakland, California, where she’d grown up, also had temperate winters.
She used the bathroom, then brushed her teeth before walking toward the kitchen. As she turned on the coffeepot she’d prepped the night before, she glanced out of the living room’s side window, toward Garrick’s house. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of days and wondered how things were going with Joylyn. Their dinner together had been relatively pleasant. Hunter was an excellent buffer, and the two got along well. Joylyn had been less pleasant when it came to her father. There was definitely something going on there, although Wynn couldn’t say what it—
Something moved in the living room. Something large that seemed to get bigger. Her heart thundered and her body went cold as she realized there was a strange man in her house. Panic gripped her.