“Not much,” the kid answered.
The paved road curved and transitioned into a dirt two-track as the horses continued on for another few minutes, until it was nothing but woods all around them. Begrudgingly, Ryan had to admit that the pine trees did smell good. A squirrel ran across the road, and birds were chirping all around him. He could hear the waves rolling over the shore, and just off to his left, in the small spaces between the branches, he could see Lake Huron. This island was pretty. Definitely pretty. Not I want to quit my job and move here kind of pretty. But certainly I could probably hang out here for about a week kind of pretty.
“Whoa, girls. Ease up,” the driver said, and the taxi came to a lurching halt. Ryan slid forward and bumped his knees on the seat in front of him. The kid could use some parking lessons. Ryan adjusted his tip accordingly. He handed the driver some bills and climbed down from the carriage. “Keep the change.”
“Hey, thanks, mister. Enjoy your stay here. Git’up, girls. Let’s go.” The driver slapped the reins against the horses’ round backsides, and off they went. As the sound of the taxi faded away into the noises of the forest, Ryan found himself standing in front of a little gingerbread-colored cottage that Hansel and Gretel would have found very enticing. There were window boxes full of flowers, and yellow-trimmed eaves. If his father answered the door wearing lederhosen, he would not be that surprised. Although that was German, not Victorian. He was getting his cottages and eras and fairy tales mixed up, but he could hardly be blamed for that. This place had an otherworldly, time-warpy quality that had him all turned around.
Ryan crossed the small expanse of grass to knock on the door, but his dad opened it before his knuckles hit the wood.
“Hi there. I heard the taxi.” Tag seemed a little breathless, a little overly animated.
“Hi, Dad,” Ryan said cautiously and curiously.
“Listen, before you come in, I want to let you know I’ve invited my friend to join us. I was going to wait a few days and let you settle into the idea, but then I figured the best way for you to understand things is just for you to meet her.”
“Meet her? Tonight? Dad, I was hoping we could talk a little shop tonight. I’m here to work, not socialize.”
His father patted Ryan’s chest. “Shh, keep your voice down. We can talk shop tomorrow. These projects aren’t going anywhere.”
Sure, they weren’t going anywhere because his father didn’t seem interested in pushing them. This was not the Tag he knew. The Tag he knew would have dragged him to the worksite before Ryan had even had time to set down his luggage. The Tag he knew would’ve shoved blueprints under his nose and asked for a market analysis before Ryan could have even said hello. This one-hundred-eighty-degree change in his father’s personality just confirmed to Ryan that something was very, very wrong. He quickly sorted through his options. They were few, and none seemed particularly helpful.
“Yeah, okay, Dad. Whatever you say.”
Tag’s grin was more disturbing than encouraging. “You’re going to like her. I promise.”
Someone saying I promise was a lot like someone saying trust me. If they had to make a point of saying it, then it probably wasn’t true.
His dad turned and led the way through the doorway and into a narrow foyer full of tiny framed paintings of kittens. No lie. Kittens.
His father pointed at them, and his grin remained. “It’s a rental. These aren’t mine.”
That was a mild relief. They turned the corner into the family room area. There were more dime-store-quality paintings and an odd assortment of mismatched furniture. A blue-and-green plaid couch. A burgundy leather recliner. Tiny end tables with spindly legs. All the kind of dated stuff you might expect to find in a summer rental place, but what Ryan hadn’t expected to find was the woman. He felt his mouth fall open stupidly. Because this must be the woman. The Gold-Digging Bimbo.
He’d thought Tag’s new girlfriend would be modestly attractive, a mature woman with a few extra pounds on her frame. Maybe some glasses, probably wearing a Trillium Bay T-shirt with a lighthouse or something on it. Someone who looked like she might have been a retired high school English teacher, or maybe the cashier at the grocery store. That was not this woman.
“Ryan, I’m so glad you’re finally here. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” Her smile was warm as she extended a tan, toned arm to shake his hand. “Tag has told me so much about you and your brothers, I feel like I already know you.”
It took all of his mental capacity to reply with anything coherent. “Um, well you have me at a slight disadvantage then. Dad’s been a little secretive about you.” It came out sounding rude, and he hadn’t intended to. It was just that she was so not at all what he was expecting. She had long brown hair, dark soulful eyes, a beautifully bright smile.
And she looked to be about twenty-five years old.
Now, Ryan knew he was a terrible judge of such things. She might be older than she looked, but even being generous with his margin of error, there was no way she was older than him. What the hell was his father thinking? Ryan would have chuckled at his own question if it wasn’t so glaringly obvious what his father was thinking. But still! What the hell was he thinking?
“I haven’t been secretive, Ryan,” his father said. “I’ve just been too busy enjoying myself to fill you boys in on all the details.”
What a bullshit comment. His dad had most certainly been withholding details. He may have hinted to Bryce that his new romantic interest was younger, but not that she was younger than Ryan! And his dad could have warned him at lunch that she was fresh out of college. This wasn’t love. It was straight-up scandalous lust. It was practically criminal. His father must be having one massive midlife crisis, and any question of her motives was obvious. She must absolutely be after his dad’s money. Why else would a woman like her fall for a guy so much older than she was? Ryan had no idea how to handle this, but since he couldn’t very well turn and leave, his best option now was to gather as much intel about the situation as possible.
He made a point to smile, although it felt stiff and unnatural. “Well, I’m certainly interested in the details now. Tell me everything. Dad said you grew up here?”
She nodded. “Born and raised. I’ve lived here all my life.”