It was only a door. Dani didn’t have to bust it down or face a mob on the other side of it.
No. This was ten times worse. She’d been all set to swoop in and play her cool-auntie-surprise-visit card until she’d spotted the familiar Lexus in the driveway.
One or both of her parents were here at Josh and Lily’s.
Maybe she should forget interrupting everyone’s night and get a hotel. The more the idea swirled through her head, the better it sounded.
Yeah, tomorrow would b?—
The door swung open. “Dani?” Josh stood frozen on his stoop with a bulging bag of garbage in hand. The front door shut behind him.
Dani pasted on a big smile. “Surprise!”
The frozen shock on Josh’s face melted. With his free hand, he hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her in. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Baltimore.”
“Here, let me take that.” She grabbed the white plastic bag, and they walked it to the sidewalk, where the big bin waited on the curb. The quiet neighborhood in the foothills wasn’t too far from the one they’d grown up in. The squeal of childish laughter rang out in the night. Streetlights and neatly trimmed lawns lined the sidewalks. It was suburban utopia.
“Dani, you’re stalling. What’s going on?”
“Can’t your sister drop in for a surprise visit? I haven’t held the baby since Christmas. And I owe Simon at least a hundred bedtime stories.”
Josh folded his arms and stared her down in the driveway. “You know I can wait all night. I’m surviving on two-hour stretches of sleep. Believe it or not, Archer is more stubborn than you. I’ve built up a resistance.”
“So you’re thanking me for all the training I gave you growing up. It prepared you to be the awesome dad you are today.” She wagged her eyebrows.
Josh shook his head and chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get inside before Lily thinks I ran away. I’m on baby duty tonight. And this is perfect, ’cause Mom and Dad are here. So you can tell us all what you’re up to at once.”
Yippee. Ready or not, looked like she had to face the onslaught.
Josh led Dani through a cozy living room with toys scattered on the rug, then into the brightly lit dining room, where remnants of dinner were pushed aside as their parents sat on opposite sides of the table, sipping tea, and Simon munched on a cookie. Lily stood at the kitchen counter, rocking Archer.
“Hey, look who I found outside.” Josh pushed her forward. “Dani’s here.”
“Auntie Dani!” Three-year-old Simon launched off his chair and into her arms.
“Hi, buddy!” His enthusiasm thawed the icy dread inside her. This made it all worthwhile. She squeezed him tight and set him back on his chair. Lily and Mom quickly followed suit and demanded their own hugs. Archer looked at Dani, threw his head back, and wailed.
Her father said nothing. Archer’s screams were more welcoming.
Lily blew out a raspberry as she tried rocking Archer back to rest on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, he’s overtired and teething?—”
“Oh, forget it. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening. I just?—”
“What are you doing, then?” Her father’s voice was quiet, yet it had a way of landing like a missile strike. Why did it seem like his frank gaze was constantly weighing her worth? Hadn’t she grown out of this childish need for his approval?
“Oh, hush, Alton.” Jean Kim smiled sweetly at Dani. “We’re glad you’re here. No matter what the reason is.” She settled back into her chair. “How long do we have you?”
“Quite a while, actually.” Dani ruffled Simon’s hair and grinned at him. “My job sent me here. I’m not sure how long the assignment will be. I’m still hoping to get transferred to our New York or Miami locations eventually, but for now, I’ll be here in Renegade. So you can hit me up for free babysitting all you want.” She nudged Josh. “I’ll have lots of time to hang out with my favorite nephews.”
Simon cheered.
“That’s great!” Lily’s expression brightened considerably.
“What kind of work is it?” Josh asked as he reached to take Archer from Lily’s arms. “I’m still surprised you left the bank job you had last year. You’ve always been so good with numbers.”
“Yeah, but the work was so boring.” And the people even more so. They were all about making money and fighting their way to the top. That wasn’t living. But she’d tried for her parents’ sake.
Turned out, being good at something and pleasing people didn’t make a job a good fit.