Katrina found it easy to tell her about her mother and father and raising the kids on her own as they made the drive over to the other house. It was odd to be so open and comfortable with Lydia, since it wasn’t a story Kat typically told anyone.
Except Grant. And now his mother.
“That must have been so hard for you, being basically Anya’s age when you had to become an adult.”
“I managed.”
“You did. And you managed well.”
“Thank you.” She never wanted kudos for doing what had been, for Katrina, the obvious choice. She couldn’t imagine her life without Leo and Anya in it.
They approached the house. She’d expected something small, like a guest cottage, but it looked just as amazing as the main house … and almost as huge.
“Does someone live here?” she asked as Lydia stopped in front.
“Not at the moment. When we bought the property there was a home here, but it was run-down and in dire need of renovation. So we fixed it up, knowing we’d have family and friends who’d want to stay over.”
She grabbed their bags and followed Lydia inside.
“There’s a master bedroom at the end of the hall.”
Lydia led her past a spacious living room and dining area, and a wide-open kitchen with a lot of room, much like the main house, only on a slightly smaller scale.
The master bedroom was good sized as well. Katrina put their luggage in there and turned to Lydia. “It’s beautiful.”
Lydia smiled. “Easton and I enjoyed the renovation, and I had fun decorating.”
“You must get a lot of guests.”
“Easton has a big family. I have two sisters. And of course all his football friends. There seems to always be someone visiting. Which we love, of course. Plus I’m waiting for the day these kids decide to settle down, get married, and start giving me grandchildren. We have a few houses on the property.”
Lydia gave her a pointed look.
Uh-oh. Time for Katrina to make Lydia understand it wasn’t going to be her and Grant. “Won’t that be fun for you?”
“Yes. I can’t wait.” Lydia looked around. “Anyway, did you want to unwind and take a nap?”
“Oh. Not at all. I’d like to help you get dinner started. I’ll go on back to the house with you.”
“Great.”
They drove back, and this time, since Katrina wasn’t in deep conversation explaining her past, she had the opportunity to gaze out the window. She spotted deer in the thick woods, and saw a creek running parallel to the road.
“It’s beautiful here,” Katrina said.
“It is. I fell in love with the place as soon as Easton and I saw it, and I knew we had to buy it. The terrain changes in so many places. There are high hills and low valleys, and sparse vegetation along with lush greenery. It’s really amazing.”
“I can see why you love it so much. I live in an apartment in Manhattan that has zero greenery other than the plants.”
“Oh, but Central Park is lovely. I’ve been there several times.”
Katrina nodded. “It is, but it’s not exactly my backyard, and I think they’d frown on me trying to grow a vegetable garden there.”
Lydia laughed. “That’s true. But you could surely buy another place out in the country somewhere if you wanted to.”
She could. But the idea of being out somewhere remote with just her and the kids kind of unnerved her.
They pulled up to the house and she noticed an additional car parked out front.
“Oh, Tucker must be here,” Lydia said.
“We went to one of his games the other night. He’s very good.”
Lydia put the car in park and turned to her. “Did you get to meet him?”
She shook her head. “No, he had to leave town for an away game.”
“We’ll take care of that now. Come on.”
When Lydia opened the door, the noise level had increased. Katrina spotted her sister in the kitchen with Mia. Grant was in there, too, along with his dad and Leo. And another guy who had to be Tucker, because she noticed the glasses.
They seemed to all be arguing about something.
“They’re arguing the curveball again,” Lydia said. “A frequent argument around here. Mainly because Tucker’s is so good. It mystifies them.”
“You can’t argue physics,” Mia said. “It’s a natural curve.”
“Bullshit. It’s an optical illusion,” Grant said.
“And you’re just jealous because you can’t throw a baseball like that,” Tucker said, offering up a smug smile to his brother.
Grant leaned against the island and folded his arms. “No, but I can throw a sweet spiral that’ll land a wide receiver in the end zone. Which you can’t do. There’s a reason you chose baseball over football.”
“Yeah,” Tucker said. “Because I’m damn good at it.”
Easton rolled his eyes. “How about we end this argument, and Tucker, give your mother a hello hug.”
Tucker turned and grinned. “Hey, Mom.”
Wow. Katrina was right. Up close, Tucker was incredibly good-looking. Very tall, a little leaner than Grant, but still built just … fine. And those glasses did nothing to detract from how very handsome he was. In fact, Katrina swore the glasses made him look even hotter.
When he pulled away from Lydia, his gaze zeroed in on her. “So I’ve met Anya and Leo. You must be Katrina.”