He couldn’t stop smiling as she brushed out her wet hair, a towel wrapped around her body. Her butt peeked out from under, and he couldn’t stop himself from giving her a playful pinch. She returned the favor by pulling his towel off completely. Unaffected, he shrugged and continued to brush his hair naked.

“No shame,” she teased.

“Not around you.”

Their eyes caught in the mirror. “Don’t look so satisfied. Everyone’s going to know.”

He tried to frown.

“Forget it.”

Oh, no . . . he wouldn’t be forgetting any of that anytime soon.

Nora had the news on when they all showed up in the kitchen for dinner. She’d set the table that was part of Colin’s great room and stacked plates by the stove. When Parker and Colin joined them, Austin was already sitting at the table shoveling food in.

Erin had brushed her wet hair back in a ponytail, and Mallory was still in the shower.

Apparently what Parker thought was a long shower with obvious outcomes, no one seemed to be wise to. “This looks amazing, Nora. Thank you.”

“My pleasure, hon.”

Colin gave his mom a hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Everyone’s talking about the flooding,” Nora told them.

Erin took her plate to the table. “It was hard to believe.”

“How long will it take to clean up?”

Parker didn’t want to think about it.

“It has to stop raining before I can give you an estimate on that,” Colin told his mom.

Colin walked behind Parker, ran a hand around her waist.

She smiled up at him. “I think we’re going to be battling dirt all summer long,” Parker said.

“Really?” Nora asked.

“The county project won’t be active all summer. What I think Parker is saying is the runoff on their land,” Colin said.

“It’s everywhere,” Austin chimed in. “Like two feet of mud . . . everywhere.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. And no running water?”

Mallory walked in the room, like all of them, her hair wet but her disposition brighter because of the shower.

“I’ll get on that tomorrow, hopefully find a temporary fix to get the basics going.”

“If the break is under the wash, we can’t get to that until the water stops flowing,” Austin said.

“We might be able to when it slows down,” Colin said as he took a seat at the table.

Parker sat beside her brother and dug into the roast Nora had made. She moaned. “This is perfect.”

“Brilliant,” Erin added.

“So glad you’re enjoying it.”

They decompressed from the day by talking about it throughout their meal. At one point Austin pointed to the TV that was playing in the background. “Look, we’re on the news.” He jumped up and found the remote, turned up the volume.

“Creek Canyon was ravaged by wildfires last summer and is now suffering from devastating mudslides that are threatening homes throughout the area. Parker Sinclair lives at the epicenter of activity and had this to say.”

Parker saw herself on the TV, larger than life. “The force of the water running off these hills needs to be respected. It doesn’t abide road signs and speed limits. If you see it coming, get out of its way.”

“Well said,” Erin told her.

The news flashed to a car stuck in another wash downstream where the driver didn’t heed the road signs that said “Flooded.” Then the camera came back to the point where Matt’s crew lowered the ladder over the wash so he could turn off the water at the house.

“Look, it’s you, Erin.”

Parker looked over to see Erin’s smile fall. “This is local news, right?”

“Is that Matt?” Nora asked.

“Yeah. Baby brother manages to get air time on my project.”

Austin tossed more food in his mouth. “Upstaged again, eh, Colin?”

They were all laughing, and Erin looked like she wanted to throw up.

Parker looked at the TV again. The footage showed other sections of their valley before moving on to a new story.

Colin pushed back from the table. “I’m going to pack a few things to bring over,” he told them.

Parker looked at him. They hadn’t discussed him spending the night.

“You guys don’t mind if I stay over, do you?” he asked anyone who listened.

“I don’t care.” This from Austin.

“Whatever,” Mallory said, her eyes glued to the TV.

“I think it’s a great idea.”

Parker turned to Erin, surprised by her words.

“It’s settled, then.”

Colin kissed the side of Parker’s cheek before leaving the table.

“Let’s help clean this up, guys.”

“No, no. I got it. You all have enough to do. Just relax,” Nora told them.

Parker took her plate over to the sink, ran it under the water before putting it in the dishwasher.

Erin walked behind her. “It’s okay, isn’t it?” she whispered.

“That Colin stays over?”

“Yeah.”

Her head bobbed like a doll’s. “Good. We’re bound to get trespassers.”

Parker didn’t want to remind her that trespassers were better off with Colin than they were her.

“Why don’t you stay in the guest room for a couple nights? Until we get the water back on at least.”

“I think that’s . . . yeah. I like that idea.”

“Good.” Parker smiled.

Some color returned to Erin’s face.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Parker cradled the phone in her shaking hands. She’d dreaded this moment for months, knew it was coming . . . but that didn’t stop her insides from turning to mud.

“Hello, Parker.”

“Good morning, Janice.”

“You received my e-mail?”

Yes, the one that told her to call before showing up the next day. “I did.”

“You know what I’m going to say.”

Parker swallowed. “The mudflow was impassable.” She looked up to see Colin watching her from across the table, coffee in his hands.

“I’m sure that’s what you would say. Our other staff managed to make it in.”

Your other staff doesn’t live at the epicenter! The words screamed in her head. “It wasn’t possible for me. If I’d left first thing in the morning, I would have made it. By the time my shift started, the police couldn’t even make it up the street.”

Colin reached out and took her hand in his.

She smiled at him, felt her nerves settling.

“Then there’s your answer. You could have made it had you left earlier. But you didn’t.” Janice sighed as if the noise was an exclamation point.

Parker refused to grovel.

“Nothing else to say?” Janice asked.

What could she say? She was sorry? She wasn’t. That it wouldn’t happen again? She couldn’t promise that either. “No.”

“Okay, then. Your final paycheck will be available at the end of the day. If you have anything here, I would appreciate you clearing it out.”