The Summer of No Attachments (The Summer Friends #2) - Lori Foster Page 0,50
dynamics and possibly ruining it. At the same time, they were both adults and the chemistry between them was through the roof. “Next weekend?” Corbin asked.
“Sure. Whatever works for you. As it happens, my schedule is wide open.”
Corbin smiled. “I’ll have to ask Ivey.”
“Like you don’t already know she’ll be a solid yes.” Lang scoffed. “Thanksgiving dinner, remember? She’ll be all about it.”
Corbin gave in to a satisfied grin. Ivey was rather plainspoken about wanting him. He said only, “I’ll keep you posted.”
Lang was quiet a moment. “This is nice, right?”
“The setting?” There was something very relaxing about being near the water. It was like your problems got sucked away. “Yeah.”
With a twist of his mouth, Lang said, “I meant this.” He gestured between them. “Brothers talking. Sharing concerns and shit.”
Corbin laughed. “Yeah, that’s nice, too.”
“Hope never had that.” Showing his frustration, Lang rubbed the back of his neck. “She went through everything and her sister wasn’t there for her. What the hell kind of family is that?”
“Not our kind, that’s for sure.”
“If Hope ever really opens up, she’ll like us. As a family, I mean. I get the feeling she could use that foundation, you know? Not that Ivey isn’t great because she is. Hope thinks of her as a sister. That’s obvious. But her own sister should have backed her up, too, even if her parents didn’t.”
“No argument from me.” There’d been many times in his life when Corbin had relied heavily on his mother and brother, and vice versa. He couldn’t really imagine life without them. “Maybe someday they’ll come around, but until then, she’s got Ivey.” Taking in Lang’s determined expression, he added softly, “And now us.”
“Yeah.” Tiredly, Lang got to his feet, then clapped a hand to Corbin’s shoulder. “The squirt will be up early. You should get some sleep.”
“I’ll head in soon.” Corbin waited until Lang had closed the sliding doors behind him, then he sat forward, his hands held loosely between his knees. His head dropped wearily. It was a disturbing realization that for the first time in his life, he was actually terrified of things out of his control.
He loved his son. He would do everything in his power to make a good life for him. But he couldn’t predict if Darcie would come back, or if she did, that she’d have Justin’s best interests at heart.
Chapter Eight
The busy day had prevented their usual chitchat, but Ivey could tell by Hope’s breezy attitude that all was still well between her and Lang. She couldn’t wait to get details, and to share a few of her own.
She’d spent Monday and Tuesday with Corbin at his house, and to her surprise, Maurice enjoyed the trips. Initially, he’d been a little suspicious of the new location, but he was a smart kitty and recognized Justin right away, and he was beside himself with joy at seeing Daisy again.
Maurice loved to snuggle with the dog. Around her, he seemed younger, friskier and all around happier. Maybe Ivey had been the old grump and just projected that on her poor cat. What a dismal thought.
Things were better now, though. Corbin had even set up a litter box for Maurice. So far he’d turned his nose up at it, but thankfully hadn’t had any accidents. Or actually, with Maurice, it would have been an “on purpose,” because he did tend to go outside the box whenever something irked him. The cat used ingenious methods to make his discontent known to her.
Tonight Ivey had some of her monster collectibles ready to gift to Justin, so she was doubly anxious to wrap up her day. More and more, she wanted to hand the entire assortment over to him, knowing he’d get a lot more enjoyment from it all than she would just by keeping everything stored. Of course, she’d have to discuss that with Corbin first. It would be a rather extravagant gift.
“Whew.” Stepping through the door, Hope slumped back against the wall and used a file folder to fan her face. “What a day. I don’t think we slowed down once.”
Ivey looked her over. Hope’s inky bangs were stuck to one side and heat flushed her cheeks. Perspiration dotted her temples and her shirt clung to her in select places. On top of their busy schedule they’d had two emergency surgeries—which had thankfully gone well—and the air-conditioning had gone on the fritz. It was a very lucky thing that she worked with even-tempered women who persevered.