Hopefully he was nothing like his brother.
“Okay, so can I come in?”
He chuckled. “Right. Yes. Come on in.” He moved to the side and mock bowed as he gestured for her to enter the foyer. The dog trailed along behind her.
The house was beautiful but not in a could-be-on-the-pages-of-a-magazine way. More like, warm. Cozy. Comfortable.
“Yeah, I feel the same way every time I come home.”
Camila jumped at the sound of Tommy’s voice, far, far too close behind her.
She twisted around, and he immediately lifted his hands, palms out. “Sorry. Betting you probably don’t like guys walking up behind you.”
She shook her head and blew out a breath. “Yeah, not really.”
“Anyway, my parents’ house. It’s, I don’t know…”
“Comfortable?”
“Yeah, exactly. I travel a lot, so I don’t get to experience the creature comforts of home very often. Makes coming here even more special, I guess.”
What was she supposed to say to that? Tell me more? “Um, okay.”
He waved to indicate she should follow him. “Everybody’s out on the deck.”
With her overnight bag still in her hand, she walked through an office that probably had once been a formal living room and passed under an arched doorway that led into a kitchen-slash-dining space that spilled out onto a deck overlooking the backyard.
The sink was built into an island in the middle of the room, which contained plenty of counter space for food prep and also for eating. Four cushioned stools were lined up on one side. Between the island and the door wall leading outside was a high-top table with six chairs. Through another arched doorway was a formal dining room with a long, wooden table that Camila was pretty sure could seat twenty comfortably.
“Yes, they like to entertain,” Tommy whispered next to her ear, making her jump once again. How did the man read her thoughts like that?
He opened a screen door and the dog rushed outside. Camila stayed on Tommy’s heels as he followed the dog. A pergola draped with purple flowers shaded the seating area where her sister perched next to a younger version of Tommy, talking animatedly with an older couple lounging on cushioned chairs across from them.
“Camila,” Maddy shrieked then jumped up and charged toward her, knocking the wind out of her with her hug. Tommy casually reached out and pressed his hand against her back, presumably to steady her.
“Guys, this is my sister,” Maddy announced to the older couple, her grin splitting her face in two.
It was nice to see her too.
“Hi,” Camila said, offering up that awkward wave everybody did when they were in an uncomfortable situation.
The woman, who she presumed was Tommy and Elliot’s mother, had dark hair swept back into a ponytail and laugh lines around her eyes. She leaped up with surprising agility and grace. “So nice to meet you,” she cooed.
“I’m Camila. Thank you for opening your house to me.”
“Oh nonsense.” The woman flapped her hand. “This house is plenty big enough for all of us. And grandkids.”
“Mom…” There was a warning in Tommy’s voice, but Camila was too focused on the woman who was hugging her.
Grandkids? What the hell?
Oh God, Maddy wasn’t pregnant, was she? Camila extracted herself from the embrace and narrowed her eyes at her sister.
“Stop staring at my belly. You’re making me self-conscious,” Maddy said.
Camila cleared her throat. “Um, how far along are you?”
Maddy’s eyes went as wide as saucers. “Holy shit, did you just call me fat?”
Shaking her head, Camila said, “No, not at all. In fact, you look amazing. Totally in shape. You aren’t showing at all.”
“Not showing…” Maddy clapped her hands over her mouth and when she spoke again, her voice was muffled. “Ohmigod, you think I’m pregnant? Why in the hell would you think that?”
“Well, you two are a little young and you still have to finish school, but if you need help with the baby, I’ll make myself totally available,” Tommy and Elliot’s mom announced, waving her hand like she was hoping to be picked first for the kickball team. “Also, if it’s a girl, I have a long list of names for you to choose from.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Maddy practically shouted.
Then what was up with the grandkids comment?
Tommy and Elliot’s mother placed one hand on Camila’s arm and the other on Tommy’s and squeezed. “Look how cute you look together.”
“What? Whoa.” Camila took several steps backward, shaking her head. “No, we aren’t, I mean, I don’t even know him. This—I’m just—I don’t…” She wasn’t here to hit on the woman’s other son; she was here to hide from a stalker. A fact she could articulate perfectly in her head, but the words would not spill out of her mouth.
“Now that that’s settled, I’m Deanna,” the older woman cheerfully said. “And that’s Joe.” Deanna pointed at the older man with salt and pepper hair who headed over at a much slower pace to shake her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you your room.”
As the woman headed back into the house, Camila glanced at Tommy, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. Hopefully, that meant he was on the same page as Camila and intended to set his mother straight about this idea that they looked cute together.
They went up the stairs in the foyer and then hung a right. Camila glanced over her shoulder at Tommy, who was following behind and—was he staring at her ass? She snapped her fingers and he glanced up.
And grinned.
Yep, definitely checking out her backside.
He better not be thinking along the same lines as his mother.
They stepped into a bedroom with blue-and-red striped wallpaper and trophies displayed on various white shelves. A full-sized bed with a navy-blue comforter was the focal point. A
