Nerds on Fire (10 page)

His suspicions were confirmed, as a
few people knew about the man. They had continued to be seen
together throughout Rylan’s involvement with her.

“
You said we weren’t
engaged any longer.”

“
I said we don’t love one
another. Meaning I have no intention of dating you either.” He
began to suspect Chrissy truly didn’t understand.

“
This is about your
daughter, isn’t it?”

“
What are you talking
about? It has nothing to do with either of my
daughters.”

“
You have more than one?”
she yelped.

“
Yes. Trixi has a college
roommate without much family, who I informally adopted. Katy is
always included in all family functions and calls me
Dad.”

“
Oh, Katy.” Rylan pictured
her waving away his other daughter with casual elegance, as though
unimportant. “I was speaking of Trixi. This is because of the
house, isn’t it?”

He had no idea what she was getting
at, but decided to end it all here and now. “It has to do with the
fact I don’t love you and you don’t love me, so there is no reason
for a relationship. You need to move on, Chrissy. As I plan to
do.”

Not that she needed to move on, since
she was entertaining the man who had been at her house, but anyway,
he didn’t plan to see her again.

As she sputtered, he said, “Goodbye
Chrissy. I have three more calls blinking at me and I need to take
them.” Then he disconnected with her and picked up the first one
flashing at him.

He forgot her as his mind turned to
business.

Chapter 11

“
No, Leo. Remember
I’m going to supper tonight with Trixi and Dad?” Katy reminded him
as they loped toward the door after work on Friday.

“
Oh yeah, I forgot.” His
glance was quick but assessing. “You know these people?”

It was a legitimate question, if a bit
silly. “Of course I know them. I’ve celebrated every holiday with
them since college. I’ve lived with them off and on for
years.”

“
You have a
house.”

“
Yes, I bought it while I
lived with them. Rylan, Trixi’s biological
father
—
and my
adopted one
—
helped
me pull it all together, especially settlement.”

Trixi converged on them from a
bisecting hallway. “He wanted to help her pay for it too. They had
about five fights, but Katy won.”

Leo’s eyebrow rose. “You turned down
financial help from your dad?”

“
Yes, I didn’t need the
money. Another inheritance had kicked in by then, and it was plenty
to buy my house outright.” People brushed past them, eager to start
the weekend.

“
He caught on after Katy
finally showed him her bank statement.” A couple passed them,
talking animatedly. In the packed lobby the woman tipped into
Trixi, who knocked into Katy.

Leo caught them both and waved off
their thanks. “That’s how you won the fight?”

“
Correct. She had to prove
to him she really didn’t need him to help her because she had
enough in the bank to cover it.”

“
You used your entire
inheritance to finance your house?” Leo questioned.

“
No. I asked Dad to help me
invest the remainder after I bought the house.”

Trixi sighed as she skirted a chair
someone left in the middle of the floor. “Her place is a respite
for me when mine gets overwhelming.”

“
I don’t know how it
couldn’t be.”

The doctor Trixi worked with stopped
to ask her a question so Leo leaned down to whisper, “You bought a
smaller house so you could help Trixi out if needed.”

Since he was close to the truth, Katy
tweaked his nose. “Know-it-alls are annoying.”

He laughed and playfully tried to bite
her fingers. She snatched them out of reach. Trixi returned to
their conversation. “Supper at Gran’s is at six-thirty
tonight.”

“
I’ll be ready.”

“
You’re on our way. Do you
want us to pick you up?”

Katy nodded. Riding together sounded
nice. It would give her more time with them. “Yes. I’ll be
ready.”

“
Did Katy tell me you also
have a family function tonight?” Trix peeped up at Leo.

He grinned. “We have family
functions
a lot
.”

“
Is Mark going with
you?”

“
I imagine he’ll show up at
some point.”

“
Don’t you two live
together?”

“
We do, but he’s got
appointments to look at some houses tonight, so I expect he’ll be
late.”

“
I have appointments all
weekend,” Mark intoned as he joined them. “Let’s get out of here
before they ask me to look at more brains.”

“
Overworked?” Amusement lit
Leo’s eyes and tone.

“
I know I’m not the only
neurosurgeon on staff.” Mark cleared a path to the door. “Let’s
leave before I miss my appointments.”

“
I thought you already
bought a house?” Trixi’s head tilted as she transferred her gaze
from Leo to Mark.

“
The people took the place
off the market.” He sounded glum.

“
Now you have to start all
over again.” Katy shuddered at the thought of starting that process
again. “Yuck.”

They reached the parking lot where
Mark and Leo headed toward Leo’s SUV while she and Trixi hurried
toward their vehicles.

“
We’ll pick you up a little
after six.” Trixi’s reminder was helpful.

“
I’ll be ready.” She hoped.
Sometimes time got away from her.

Trixi laughed. “Yeah, I doubt
it.”

Lips twitching, Katy tried to swat her
friend, who knew her all too well.

“
You’d think after all
these years of schooling and playing doctor, you’d have a better
sense of time, but I think it’s gotten worse.” Trixi’s giggles were
infectious.

“
I don’t play doctor. I’m a
surgeon,” Katy refuted, since her medical career was the only thing
she could.

“
Does Leo know how bad you
are about time?”

“
I don’t know. Should
he?”

“
Well, you’re probably
going to make him late a lot into the discernible future. I imagine
he
should
be made
aware of your unfortunate tendency.”

“
You can tell him next time
you see him.”

Trixi’s tinkling laughter rang after
her as she waved and climbed into her car to head home. If she had
to be ready by six, she had better move along.

Chances were good she still wouldn’t
be presentable.

It didn’t take Trixi long after she
got home to clean up and climb back in the car with her father.
They pulled into Katy’s driveway at six. Katy met them in a robe.
While their dad caught the game scores and drank some iced tea he
found in Katy’s fridge, Trixi helped her slow friend
along.

“
You are the world’s most
scatterbrained person alive. You do know that, right?”

“
Yes.” Katy pursed her lips
and glanced around her room for the third time since Trixi had
joined her. “I also have no idea where my shirt is.”

“
Did you take it out of the
closet?”

“
Yes, I laid it on the bed
before I went in to shower.”

With long familiarity of Katy’s brain,
Trixi entered the bathroom and checked the back of the door. Sure
enough, a cute top hung there. She took it down and waved the shirt
at her friend.

“
Oh, yeah, right. I hoped
the shower would steam out the wrinkles.”

“
Maybe the problem isn’t
that you’re scatterbrained, but you’re just too efficient for your
own good.” Trixi delivered this whopper with barely a
smile.

Katy just rolled her eyes as she took
the top. “Very funny. Now go find my shoes, or we’ll never get out
of here.”

“
At least you do have your
skirt on.”

“
Yeah, I laid it on the
bed, so no problems.” Katy tugged a sweater on over her shirt after
checking the weather forecast. Trixi found the cute boots that went
well with the outfit. It was chilly, rainy, and blustery so boots
were the best defense. Since it was nearly October, Trixi was
resigned to fall’s imminent arrival.

After Katy dressed, they hurried back
to the car and still made it on time. The clock struck six-thirty
on the dot as they entered Gran’s house.

If you could call the
estate a house
—
it
was a well-maintained, gorgeous manor.

Miriam and Johnny greeted them.
“Gran’s arthritis is acting up,” Trixi said. It wasn’t a question
because they all knew the cold, damp weather caused her
pain.

“
Yes, she’s already sitting
at the table.” Johnny hugged her and Katy and shook her father’s
hand. He must have caught her chagrin or Katy’s because he shook
his head. “We seated her a moment before you arrived.”

He did dart an amused look at Katy who
hung her head. “Of course it was me who made us late.”

Miriam laughed. “What did you lose,
love?”

“
My shirt.” Katy was long
used to this gentle teasing; she took it well.

They all hurried into the dining room
where they greeted Gran and then took their places. Bernadette,
Gran’s housekeeper for as long as Trixi could remember, served the
first course. She tousled Trixi and Katy’s hair and kissed Rylan.
He was a special favorite of hers.

They were partway through the meal
when Gran clarified about Chrissy. “You’ve broken off your
relationship with her?”

Rylan nodded. “Yes, we’re done, and
thank goodness.” Her dad said this with heartfelt relief and while
they all laughed, it was obvious he was grateful to be
free.

“
Congratulations. I didn’t
plan to announce this before, but I feel free to do so now.” Gran
set her fork down. “Now that Miriam and Johnny have bought a place
nearby and Trixi is in her house, I thought it was
time.”

“
Time for what, Gran?” Katy
picked up her water goblet.

“
With everyone settled it’s
time for Rylan to become the owner of this house.”

Miriam and Katy both gasped while
Trixi gaped at her grandmother.

“
Mom, have you thought this
through?” Her father met his mother’s eyes.

“
Of course I have. You’ve
slowly taken on more and more of the financial responsibility of
Wintermyer. I’m ready for a change and you belong here.” She took a
swallow of tea before she peered around the table at all of them.
“It’s time, Rylan.”

Trixi was pleased for her father. It
did make sense for him to live here. She shared a quick look with
Katy. They were both thinking Nina would look perfect in this
setting. She would be a gracious, warm hostess and the manor would
glow under her tutelage.

“
Wait,” Trixi said
suddenly. “Gran where are you planning to live?”

That lady smiled. “I thought I’d move
in with you, if you’ll have me.”

Utter joy washed over her
so she laughed. “Yes,
absolutely
. I would love to have you
live with me.”

“
Hey, what about me?” Katy
declared. “Gran, you can come and live with me.”

“
I know, love. Believe me,
it’s nice to have two wonderful granddaughters and my daughter to
choose from. What decided me on Trixi was she has that downstairs
suite where her maternal grandmother lived. It’s perfect for
me.”

Katy backed down. “Actually, it
is.”

“
If Trixi throws me out,
I’ll come live with you. Or if she has to be away on business or
something.”

“
That works. But I do want
you to come visit me.”

“
Never fear, love. You can
make me dinner sometimes.”

“
I’m holding you to that,”
Katy warned, her eyes shining. “I might move back in with Trixi now
I know you’re going to be there. The fun you two will get up to is
going to be indescribable.”

“
I agree,” Miriam
exclaimed. “It’s perfect. Of course, Mom, you know you’re welcome
to live with us, as well.”

“
I know, and again, it’s
wonderful you all want me. But I think living with Trixi is the
best solution.”

Trixi was so happy she probably glowed
as bright as the chandelier. It was perfect to have Gran come live
with her. Now she wouldn’t be alone and her Gran was great company.
Hopefully the wind was moving the trash can and there was nothing
to worry about. She didn’t want anything to thwart Gran’s
move.

When they were ready to leave, she
hugged her grandmother and whispered, “I’m so happy you’re coming
to live with me.”

Gran patted her cheek. “I know, pet. I
knew you’d hate to see your father go, and it occurred to me he and
I could just swap houses. It suits me well and he needs to be in
his ancestral home.”