Lance turned to look at us, smiling. It was no wonder Greer and Kyle were both good-looking. Their parents were as well. Lance’s hair was brown and peppered with bits of gray. He had the greenest of eyes. They lit up when he looked at his daughter. He pulled Greer into a hug and whispered something in her ear that made her cheeks turn pink. She shook her head and playfully pushed him. Then, he turned to face me. After a quick once-over, he reached his hand out for mine.
“Hudson, it’s nice to meet you. Greer told me how you’ve already knocked out those projects I saddled you with.”
I laughed. “Yes, sir, I have.”
He nodded and rubbed the day-old growth on his chin. “I can come up with more work if you need it.”
Greer huffed. “Dad, no. He has a book to write.”
“I don’t mind breaking up the day by helping you out, sir,” I said.
He smiled, and I noticed a dimple appear on the right side of his face, exactly like his son Kyle’s. “Nah, I really do appreciate what you’ve already done. Please, feel free to stay in the cabin as long as you’d like. I don’t see us heading up there anytime soon for hunting this year. We’re down a police officer, and since I can’t convince Bishop to join the force, we’re all working extra shifts.”
“Bishop?” Greer asked with a laugh. “Daddy, please.”
Lance let out a short grunt of laughter before he shrugged.
“Hudson, do you like roast?” Karen asked. “I made a roast since it’s Greer’s favorite.”
“I love roast, thank you.”
She smiled wide and bounced her gaze between me and Greer before she clapped her hands. “Greer, give Hudson a tour of the house. Dinner won’t be ready for at least another twenty-five minutes.”
Lance was already seated again, glued to the TVs.
Greer laced her arm through mine. “Come on, let me show you around.”
“Sounds good.”
After following her mother into the kitchen, Greer showed me a small breakfast room and then a formal dining room that still had the original fireplace. We headed upstairs and checked out the five bedrooms. Lance and Karen’s room was huge. The fireplace itself took up nearly a whole wall. The crown molding and woodwork throughout the entire house was incredibly detailed.
“Is the woodwork in the house all original?” I asked.
“It is,” Greer answered. “This right here was the old dumbwaiter system. Kyle and I had so much fun in this darn thing growing up. This was how they moved the food and other items from each floor so they didn’t have to walk up and down the steps.”
“Does it still work?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“How close in age are the two of you?”
“Kyle is five minutes older. We’re fraternal twins.”
“Oh, wow! That’s kind of cool.”
We walked into the last bedroom, and Greer spun in a circle with her arms wide. “Last but not least, my room.”
The room looked exactly like Greer. It was painted a soft buttery yellow with a black iron four-poster bed in the middle of the two windows. A white canopy hung down around it, and an antique settee sat at the foot of the bed. There was a small antique dresser to the side, and a large chair and ottoman in the corner.
“Let me guess, that was where you read?” I motioned to the chair.
Greer chuckled. “You would be right. It’s also where I lost my virginity on the most forgettable night of my life.”
My eyes widened in shock. “You lost your virginity in a chair?”
She nodded and laughed. “The guy I was dating didn’t know I was a virgin, and I was terrified to tell him. He was sitting in the chair, and one thing led to another and, well…you can probably guess what happened. It didn’t take him long to figure it out, and he was so mad at me for not telling him.”
I frowned. “He was mad?”
“Not that kind of mad. More mad at himself. He wouldn’t have had me on top like that if he’d known. Needless to say, we moved to my bed and things didn’t get any better. Kyle ended up coming home, and we cut things short. He climbed out my bedroom window, fell out of the tree, and broke his wrist. I guess that part isn’t unforgettable, I’m sure especially for him!”
“Jesus,” I mumbled.
Greer laughed. “Yeah. Like I said, the most forgettable night of my life.”
I glanced at the chair and narrowed my eyes. “I’d say we could change that, but I think I’ll pass for now.”
She let another beautiful laugh slip free, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. I loved her laugh. It made my chest warm.
“Outside is a two-car garage that used to be the carriage house and barn. My dad’s shop is out there as well. When you can’t find him in the library working or watching TV, he’s usually in the shop tinkering around.”