Page 84 of Pinch of Love

When I pulled into the drive, my heart hammered. There was a car in the driveway.

“Shit. He got here.”

My dad put his hand on my arm. “No, it’s okay. That’s Millie Bailey’s car.”

“How in the world do you know these things?”

Feeling my heart slow, I climbed out of the car as my dad followed behind me.

I tapped on the door a few times and entered the code.

“Success,” I whispered to my dad. “It’s just me, Maya.”

Millie appeared down the hall. “There you are. Maya was worried about you.”

She spotted my dad. “Nice to see you, Harold.”

“You too, Millie.”

They traded a knowing glance, which made it difficult to ignore.

“Millie, I hate to ask, but would you mind dropping me off at my house on the way home?” My dad’s brows rose.

“Perfect idea,” Millie said, looking over at me. “Cash, there’s some tiramisu for you.”

“No, there’s not. I ate it,” Maya’s voice rang down the hall.

I chuckled as my dad leaned over. “Sounds like your mother.”

Maya appeared from the kitchen without her scooter and smiled when she saw my dad. But I noticed she was doing a great job of ignoring me. She hobbled down the hall with her walking boot.

“I’m Maya,” she said, reaching her hand out to my dad.

“Harold’s the name. I’m Cash’s dad.” He shook her hand and took a step back, smiling.

“You have an incredible son.” But her words were sharp.

My dad grinned. “We’re pretty proud of him. We’ve been extremely blessed with all three sons and our daughter. I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”

Maya looked over at me, and I shrugged, trying not to smile. I could see she was really pissed.

She brought her attention back to my dad and looked as lovely as ever. “Hopefully, some of them are true.”

“They’re all true,” Millie explained, “because I’m the one who told Harold and Nancy all about you.”

Maya’s brows scooped into an arch. “Nancy?”

“That’s my mom,” I explained.

“Anyway, off we go. It’s already going to be crazy dodging the wildlife on the way home,” Millie muttered. “Don’t forget to finish the book for Thursday’s book club.”

“Yes, Grandma. It was lovely meeting you, Harold,” Maya called after my dad as they went through the front door.

The moment it clicked shut and I locked the door, Maya’s expression turned.

“You lied to me.” Her face hardened. “And you didn’t answer my texts.”

Chapter Twenty-One