I turn around to check on Lia, and she’s standing there quirking her mouth at me and shaking her head. “You know, putting your hand over your mouth doesn’t really work. You have to go into another room.”
“So are you coming?” I ask her in a hopeful tone.
“A weekend with your parents?” she grimaces.
“First of all, the place is huge. You can go to the beach or play tennis. You have to go, Lia. I want you to see the place, and it’s such a nice break from the city. Please.” I plead with my best pout.
“And you need a ride.”
“I really just want you there, Lia. Kalin could send me a car if he wants.”
“I almost forgot who I was talking to, moneybags.”
“That’s right. And I’m turning down a limo because I want to ride with you.”
“Okay. I’ll go. But if it gets too weird, I’m bolting with my car.”
“Deal.” I smile.
Chapter Twenty Four
My parents arrive at our apartment from the airport a couple days later.
My mom glances over me with a warm smile. “Sweetheart, you look wonderful.” She winds her arm around me to embrace me.
“Thanks Mom. You look incredible yourself.”
“It’s settled. You’re both gorgeous,” my dad says with a tender smile.
“Hi Dad,” I say as he pulls us toward him in an embrace.
“I missed you both so much,” I say, smothered into his arm.
“Annabelle, sweetheart, are you okay?” My dad asks, his eyes wide with concern.
“Yes, I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt.”
“Thank goodness. We missed you. You’ve been so quiet,” my mom says.
“If you’re trying to keep us from worrying about you, it wasn’t working,” my dad mutters.
I hug my parents for what seems like forever. I breathe a sigh of relief that I never had to mention all those days that I struggled. I knew they would worry. But it had been too long since I had seen them after moving to New York just over a year ago. Now bigger events made those days pale in comparison.
“This is my best friend and roommate, Lia,” I say with a brush of my hand on her arm. My parents greet her warmly, knowing she means the world to me from my phone conversations with them.
“Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Ried, I’m taking good care of her,” Lia says. I glance at her and press my lips together to contain a smile, knowing there is more truth in her statement than my parents realize.
My parents follow us to the Hamptons in a rental car. “How exciting. I get to see the Kalin Hampton home. So much has happened there,” Lia says with suggestive eyes.
“The full spectrum. Pleasure and pain,” I mutter.
“Are we still talking about the escapades of Kalin?”
“I wish.” A ghost of a smile tugs at my lips and vanishes. “I was thinking about the scumbags who got arrested.” I shake my head and stare at the floorboard for a moment.
“Hey, you know you really are a hero, Belle. You’re the one who got them busted and got their confession. You saved the day.” She turns to me and smiles.
“I just want this to be over,” I groan.
“I know.” I point to the side street and then to the driveway where Kalin’s home is located. The gate is open for us. I know that Kalin is expecting us, but I also cannot help but smile at the thought that the threat has faded and the security has lightened.
Lia parks the bright zinc-yellow Ford Focus in the driveway. “We don’t stand out at all here,” she teases. My stomach flutters from the anticipation of all of us gathering here, and my parents meeting Kalin for the first time. My parents pull up behind us and I can already see the expressions on their faces as they get out of the car.
“You weren’t kidding, Belle. This is beautiful,” my mom gushes as her eyes roam over the property.
Her days consist of teaching kids how to read, keeping spirits cheerful, and channeling their high energy into creative endeavors. She loves kids, but can only balance so much. Between raising me and keeping her full-time job, I was a handful all by myself as an only child. Working on a modest salary, she has only seen houses like this in the movies. My dad is retired, living on a pension from working at an aircraft manufacturer, and his focus is on keeping everything they have saved for as long as possible.
“How many acres is this?” My dad asks.
“It’s five acres.”
“And a beach,” Lia grins.
“It’s true. This house has a tennis court, a sixty-foot heated pool, and a beach. And the gardens and hiking trails are heaven. You guys are going to love it,” I smile.