“I like yours too.” Vince was Kaylee’s male counterpart—smart, nerdy, reclusive. With their similarities in height, coloring, and glasses, they even looked alike.
“Careful with this.” Kaylee handed her a handblown glass platter to wash. “What’s the latest with Noah’s crazy woman stalker?”
Hailey deflated on a sigh. “Well, the good news is that she’s locked up. The bad news is they still need to figure out if she’s mentally incapacitated. According to Deputy O’Brien, they’re waiting on her psych evaluation, but one hasn’t even been scheduled yet. I guess those resources are in tight supply.”
“And if they find her legally sane?”
“They’ll proceed with a criminal trial. Either way, she should stay locked up for a while. Apparently, she’s donethis before.”
Kaylee held out her hand to dry a fine china bowl Hailey finished washing. “Whoa! Who knew?”
“Not Noah, that’s for damn sure.”
Tongue caught between her teeth, Kaylee buffed the bowl and inspected it. “And what’s the latest with your settlement?”
“My attorney, Tom, just got the check yesterday, and he’s forwarding it to me.”
“Are you excited? That’s a pile of money.”
Hailey handed her a clean salad bowl to dry. “I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it feels like dirty money.”
“But it’s not. The state didn’t want you going through with a full-blown lawsuit, and they knew how much leverage you had. This wastheirsettlement, and I think you let them off easy. What are you going to do with the money?”
“Invest it for now so it’ll grow more money. Reece knows about that kind of thing, and he’s going to help me. It’ll be nice to have that security blanket—unless I decide to use it to expand into a brick-and-mortar setup. It feels a little early yet, but there’s this place—it used to be a crystal shop until its owner died—and it would be ideal.”
“What’s the holdup?”
Hailey dipped another dish into soapy water. “It’s part of an estate, and the executor isn’t willing to talk until she visits the property. Rumor has it she’s a real hard-ass, so I’m not sure if I have a shot. She’ll be here after the long weekend, so I guess we’ll find out then.”
“Meanwhile, your business is doing well in the coffee shop, though, right?”
“It is, and I love it. It’s been a real hit with tourists this summer, but it’s already overflowing the limited space.”
“Sounds like a good problem to have.”
“Yes and no. I’m on such a huge learning curve.”
Kaylee knocked her shoulder against Hailey’s. “But you’redoingit. It’s not a dream anymore. I’m so proud of you.”
Tears glossed Hailey’s eyes, and she pulled her sister in for a hug. “Thanks, Kayl. You’re the best.”
A rap on the counter had them both whirling toward the noise. Noah’s dark eyebrows kissed his hairline. “Uh, didn’t mean to interrupt,but if we’re going to find a decent spot where we can watch the fireworks, we’d better get a move on.”
“Be right there, handsome.”
When he’d ducked out of earshot, Kaylee turned to her and giggled. “He issoadorable.”
“I know. He’s a keeper.”
Twilight was settling inas Noah and Hailey drove back to town alone. Kaylee and Vince had driven to Silver Summit for a romantic evening alone, and Chance had stayed at the ranch with Charlie’s dogs. The spread was far enough from town that the pups wouldn’t be traumatized by the booms of the fireworks show.
“That was fun,” Hailey sighed as she stared out the window at the violet sky.
“It was all right,” Noah agreed.
She swiveled her head toward him. “You don’t fool me, Noah Hunnicutt. You like getting together with your family.Allof them.”
He grunted in response.
