Waiting On You (Blue Heron #3)(82)

“I’m resting,” she said amiably from the bed. “How you doing, Lucas?”

“Good.” He looked down. “Hello, little girl who plays great baseball.”

Savannah grinned. “I’m Savannah. Her sister.”

“Yes. You look a lot alike.”

Savannah’s face lit up, and Colleen felt another healthy chunk of her heart melt.

“We did some re-org,” Paulie said, getting off the bed. “Your uncle’s sleeping in the other room.”

“It looks great,” Lucas said. He looked at Colleen, and there he went again, saying everything without words. “How was he feeling?”

“I’m great,” Joe said, emerging from the living room. “Oh, Lord, what have you done? Joe’s Cozy Spot? What on earth? Ladies, thank you! This is beautiful!” He went over to the bed and got on it. “What a wonderful cozy spot.”

“Would you like a comfortable pillow?” Savannah asked, offering the red velvet.

“I’d love a comfortable pillow,” Joe said. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

At that moment, the front door opened, and into the kitchen came Didi and Bryce.

“Hey, gang,” Bryce said affably. “Are we having a party?”

Didi’s mouth was disappearing, her eyes narrowed, hands on her hips. “What’s going on here?” she asked, looking as though she smelled raw sewage.

“We figured Joe could use a change of scenery,” Lucas said.

“Mom, this is Paulie Petrosinsky,” Bryce said. “How’s it hanging, Paulie?”

“Hi,” Paulie said, her face igniting. “Um, nice to see you, Mrs. Campbell.”

“Aren’t you the Chicken Princess? From TV?”

Paulie’s face grew even more red, and Colleen made a note to use dishwater in Didi’s drink the next time she came into O’Rourke’s. “The power behind the chicken throne, right, Paulie?” she said. “Mrs. Campbell, Paulie is chief operating officer of her father’s franchise.”

Didi wasn’t impressed. “I’m still not sure why any of you are here.”

“Well, you forgot to pick me up, Didi, I had to get a ride from someone,” Joe said.

“And who gave permission for them to rearrange my house?”

“I did,” Lucas said, and Colleen felt a little thrill at the dark edge in his voice. So Heathcliff. “Joe deserves better than the storage room.” He looked at his uncle. “I’m sorry we didn’t think of it before.”

“Totally great idea,” Bryce said. “Dad, we can watch baseball in here, if you fall asleep, you won’t have to schlep off to your room.”

“Does anyone care what I think?” Didi asked, putting on a wounded look. “This is my house, too! It’s my money that supports us. It’s my hard work...” Her eyes widened with terror, and she staggered back a few steps. “Oh, my God! What the hell is that? Help! Bryce, help!”

Everyone looked around. “It’s just a dog,” Bryce said. “Chill, Mom.”

“Get that thing out of here!” Didi commanded. Rufus, sensing fear, felt fear himself and barked back.

“Stop! Get it out!”

“Don’t yell at him,” Colleen said. “You’re scaring him, and he’s likely to attack when threatened.” Granted, the last thing Rufus had attacked was the bacon she’d left out on her plate last week, but that bacon had been asking for it. “It’s okay, Rufus. Don’t mind the scary lady.”

His tail wagged, sweeping the remote and several doodads from the end table.

“It’s destroying everything!” Didi said. Rufus barked again. “Get it out!”

“Come on, Rufie,” Savannah said. “Wanna go for a ride? In the car? You wanna go in the car for a ride?”

Rufus leaped at the magic words, crashing against Joe’s bed (which only made him smile), jumped onto one of the chairs, barking with joy, then raced through the house to find the door that would lead him to his beloved pastime.

“I’ll wait outside, Collie,” Savannah said.

“Okay, babe. Thanks.”

“I’m sending you a cleaning bill,” Didi bit out. “Joe needs quiet. He can’t stay here. Lucas, move all this back to your old room.”

“Ellen and her parents are coming to visit,” Lucas said, and a little jolt of jealousy shot through her. “They want to see Joe. Can’t imagine what they’d say if he was in that dark little room in the back.”

Didi paused. The woman had always been an ass-kisser, Colleen recalled. “Fine,” she said. “I have a migraine. I’m going to lie down.”

With that, she tap-tapped across the tiled floor and stomped up the stairs.

“Sorry about that,” Bryce said. “She’s under a lot of stress lately.”

“No, of course,” Paulie said. She reached out as if to pat his arm, looked at Colleen for approval. Colleen nodded, and the pat was meted out, Paulie drawing in a shaking breath.

“Thanks, Paulie,” Bryce said. “So, Lucas, is Ellen really coming to visit? That’s great.”

So great, Colleen thought, then chided herself for being petty. “I should get going,” she said. “It was so nice seeing you, Joe. See you, Bryce.”