“Oh, I’m going to dowaymore than that to her before you get here.”
“Dad!”
“Well? It’s my last chance to run around the house naked until—”
“Bye, Dad!”
He was laughing as she ended the call.
Then again, so was she. Wasn’t the first time he’d teased her like that.
Maybe that’s why I have a soft spot for sadists.
* * * *
It was nearly one in the morning when she finally pulled up in front of her parents’ house on their quiet rural road in eastern Sarasota County. She wasn’t surprised to see lights on inside, or the front lights on, but she was surprised when the front door opened and her parents walked out to meet her.
It took every ounce of self-control she had not to run into their arms like she was five.
And considering she hadn’t murdered Kelly—short for Kellog—Carling in his goddamned sleep before she kicked his ass out, she had alotof fucking self-control.
Not enough to keep her from pitching a damn screaming tantrum on the side of I-75, but enough.
Her father reached for the keys. “I’ll back it in for you.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
He grinned and looked at his wife. “Ooh, did you hear that? I got a Daddy out of her.”
Her mom smirked. “Still not calling you that, Howard.” She reached for Barksley. “Give me my grandbaby. Come here to Grandma.”
She handed the wagging mop over. “You need help, Mom.”
“Only grandchild I’m getting. Throw me a bone.”
Her father turned. “I already threw you—”
“Howard!”
Skye turned to where her incorrigible father wore a playful grin. “Just sayin’.”
Moon Bauer rolled her eyes as she slowly shook her head. “I promise I’ll tell him to tone it down. He’s like a big damn kid now that he’s retired.”
“How’s that working, anyway?”
“Well, as you can see, he’s still alive.” She threw him a glare. “Barely.”
Twenty minutes later, Skye was stretched out on their couch, Barksley busy getting to know her parents’ dog and their less-than-happy-to-have-an-extra-dog-in-the-house long-haired cat. They’d already emptied their guest room of furniture, having anticipated her moving her bed in there tonight when she arrived.
That meant a night on the couch.
She didn’t care. She washome.
Well, sort of. She hadn’t been back to Sarasota in over ten years, and she’d never visited them here in this house, which they’d bought eight years earlier. They always came up to visit her for holidays, because her father had traveled a lot to the Northeast for work and her mom had usually accompanied him on visits to see her, and they’d been well off enough to afford to do it.
She…hadn’t.
Even while married to someone from the Carling Automotive empire family who usually came up with every excuse in the book why he couldn’t give her money to go visit her family even while keeping himself in good suits and cars.
