In Too Deep

Chapter Two (Scene 2)

Glenna beamed and gestured him over.

West slapped his father’s shoulder and strode across the kitchen. “What’s up?”

Behind Glenna, Piper looked like she was in the process of swallowing a lemon.

“We’ve a bit of a problem with where Piper’s going to stay, but then I remembered your spare room.” Glenna moved closer, and laid her hand on his forearm. His gaze jolted to Piper’s, even as Glenna continued speaking. “—And though Ben’s downstairs, I’m sure you could squeeze Piper in for a wee while?”

Piper. Just down the hall from his bedroom. The idea ranked up there with kicking himself in the balls or a self-inflicted root canal.

He glanced again at Piper, who if she opened that mouth any wider would start attracting insects. “I don’t think—”

Piper blurted, “I’m not staying—”

West shoved his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat. “My office is in the spare room. It’s not designed for someone to—”

“Pffft.” Glenna patted his cheek, like he was still thirteen years old and offering a lazy-assed excuse of why he couldn’t stay to help Ben stack firewood. “Listen to you, Ryan Westlake. I saw your office the other day and you’ve got that futon sofa-bed tucked in the corner. Piper doesn’t need much room, do you darling?”

Piper uttered a strangled, “Mum!”

An out-of-control steamroller had nothing on Glenna Harland. “You, Ben and Piper were always thick as thieves growing up, weren’t they Bill?”

Bill grunted in acknowledgement but West caught the undercurrent of humor in the clipped sound.

Piper finally found her voice. “I don’t want to impose on West. I’ve brought my sleeping bag and I’ll just find a spare bit of floor somewhere—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. My daughter is not sleeping on the floor and you wouldn’t be imposing on West, I’m sure.” She turned back to him. “Right, dear?”

Like Piper, Glenna had piercing hazel eyes and he got the full intimidating force of them from both women. One woman demanding he accept her request, the other demanding he deny it. One woman had been like a mother to him when his had taken off with another man, and the other?

His back muscles knotted into steel barbs.

Going cold turkey off the drug that was Piper nine years ago, he opted not to put into words what she once meant to him.

But she meant nothing now. So really, after he’d moved past his initial knee-jerk reaction, Piper staying at his house temporarily would only be a minor irritation. Personally, he couldn’t care less if she even warmed Smitty’s bed at night. Except he’d feel a smidgeon of sympathy for the old fella.

So West hurled the ball back into Piper’s court. “If she needs my futon, she’s welcome to it.”

 He took an indulgent moment to wallow in Piper’s poleaxed expression.