Chapter 21
I jumped out of bed and struggled into the first clothes I could find. Breathlessly, I scrambled into the hall, only to stop in mid-stride when I heard a door slam, followed by the sounds of tires squealing in the driveway.
By the time I reached the front door, the only person standing there was Joel, looking surprisingly unruffled in jeans and a T-shirt.
I glanced toward the door. "Was that Derek?"
"Yup."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Nothing. I told him to fuck off."
I stifled a giggle. It shouldn’t have been funny, but for some reason, I wanted to laugh like a crazy person. "You didn't."
"I did."
"But why?"
Joel flashed me a grin. "Do I need a reason?"
In truth, I wasn't sure. I still wanted to laugh. "Uh, yes?"
He reached out and pulled me tight against him. "Alright, here's a reason. I don't want him bothering you. You're done with that."
Maybe I should've objected, but I'd been thinking pretty much the same thing. Somehow, I was going to get control of the estate and stop Derekandhis dad from having any say at all.
Leaning into Joel I said, "Do you wanna hear something funny?"
"What?"
I pulled back to meet his gaze. "The last time I saw him, I told him the exact same thing."
He stared at me for a long moment. "You?"
I nodded.
The corners of his mouth twitched. "No way."
I couldn’t decide if I was proud or embarrassed. "It's true," I confessed.
"Well, aren'tyoufull of surprises?" He glanced down. "By the way, your shorts are on backwards."
I looked down to check. He was right. They were. I gave another giggle. Summer was long-gone. Probably, I shouldn't have been wearing shorts at all. But they'd been the first thing I could find in my top drawer.
I had to tease him. "It'syourfault, you know."
His eyebrows lifted. "Myfault?"
I nodded. "You took my clothes."
"I didn't take them. I threw them in the laundry."
"Why?"
His gaze warmed. "Maybe I wanna see you naked."
I felt a slow smile spread across my face. "Again?"
