“Well, these are for your toast, so let’s get that out of the way.” Rarity whistled, and the crowd settled around them. “Good evening. Thank you all for coming. I just wanted to wish Darby an excellent school year in Scotland. May you learn a lot and enjoy your time in the castle. And if you fall in love, remember us fondly back home if you decide to stay.” Everyone laughed, and Rarity held up her glass. “To Darby, have fun and stay safe. We’ll see you in a year.”
“To Darby,” the crowd repeated.
They took a sip, then Archer gave Darby a hug. “Be sure to send me pictures of the trails. Maybe I can get Rarity to step away from the bookstore, and we’ll come visit you.”
“Maybe.” Rarity gave him a hug as she turned back to Darby. “Are you all ready to go Saturday? Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“Malia and Holly are taking me. They’re staying over tonight and tomorrow to finish packing what I need to get shipped. Then we’ll close up the house. Drew, you’ll check on it while I’m gone, right?” Darby asked.
“Of course. Leave a key with me, and I’ll do a walk-through every couple of weeks and make sure everything’s working. I’d hate for your heater to go down and burst some pipes,” Drew offered.
Darby pulled a notebook out of her dress pocket. “I’ll put ‘drop a key off’ on my must-do list. Seriously, keeping this going is insane. I’m sure I’m going to forget something.”
“If you do, just call. We’ll take care of it,” Rarity assured her. “Or ship it to you.”
Darby nodded, then waved at another group. “I need to keep making the rounds. Thank you all for coming, and, Janey, good luck with Rarity. She can be a pill of a boss.”
After tossing a wicked grin at Rarity, Darby hurried over to the next group.
Rarity shook her head. “Children are so ungrateful these days. I’m an amazing boss.”
“Sure you are, honey. Keep telling yourself that.” Archer pulled Rarity into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “So, Janey, tell us about yourself. What made you decide to work for this monster?”
They talked as a group for a while, then Marcus asked Janey if she wanted another drink. The couple walked away as the other two couples watched.
“Uh-oh,” Drew teased Sam. “I think your brother isn’t going to be at your beck and call anymore.”
Sam elbowed him. “They’re just getting a drink. But that would be nice if Marcus found someone to hang around with. I think this last girlfriend kind of messed with his head a bit. He seems a little wary of jumping into the dating pool again.”
Archer snorted. “He doesn’t seem wary at all. I would have been scared to death to ask a girl I’d just met to go get a drink. He’s got smooth moves, that one.”
“You just don’t know him. He’s all cool and confident on the outside, but inside, he’s jelly.” Sam turned to watch Marcus and Janey get their drinks, but instead of coming back to the group, they headed out to the patio and pool area.
“I can see he needs so much hand holding,” Drew deadpanned.
“Come on, guys, stop teasing Sam.” Rarity sipped her drink. “I hope Darby has fun this year. If I was going to study abroad, it wouldn’t be in Scotland. Isn’t it cold there?”
“Darby’s going to be fine. Man, both of you need to rein in your mother hen genes. Let the kids fly.” Archer glanced around. “And we all need a second drink. Drew, come help. And bring your wallet. I didn’t realize this was a cash bar.”
“Then I guess you and your date are drinking water, right?” Drew punched Archer playfully in the shoulder. “Besides, I can see the outline of your wallet, dude.”
“That doesn’t mean I actually have any money in there,” Archer teased as the men walked toward the bar to get beers for the foursome.
Sam was still watching the now empty doorway where Marcus and Janey had disappeared.
Rarity stepped closer and snapped her fingers. “Earth to Sam. Why are you so worried about your brother?”
Sam bit her lip, then shook her head. “It’s nothing. Water under the bridge, I guess. So Janey worked today? What did you think?”
“She’s smart, catches on quickly, and has killer ideas. I’m happy. Caleb’s working on Friday afternoon, then they both are coming in Saturday to run a mock book club. We should have the first elementary club up and ready to happen the next weekend.” Rarity set the empty champagne glass on the tray and picked up a shrimp skewer. “I really lucked out on hiring both of them.”
“You need to knock on wood somewhere.” Sam grinned as she glanced around the room. “Was Caleb coming to the party?”
Rarity scanned the room. “I thought he was, but maybe he got held up on campus. I don’t see him in the crowd.”
The men returned to the group and handed off the drinks. Archer leaned next to Rarity. “Drew has a great idea. After this beer, we should go to the pub and grab dinner before all these kids decide it’s a clever idea too. We can get the early bird special.”
“That sounds good to me. I’m starving.” Rarity glanced over at where Janey disappeared. “Janey’s parked at my house, but I’m sure she could find her way if I left. Let me text her the address and tell her I’m leaving in a few minutes. I don’t want her to think I ghosted her here.”
“Not sure if that’s the correct usage of the word, but we’ll give you an A for effort.” Sam looked up at Drew. “I know you and Marcus aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye, but I appreciate you being nice to him.”
“I just don’t like the way he talks down to you at times. I get that family’s different, but there’s also a respect level that I expect. Especially to your sister. Joanna would punch me if I talked to her that way. Even after all these years.” Drew pulled her closer. “I’ll give him some leeway for a while, but if he does stay around, we’re going to have a talk about his manners.”
Sam reached up and stroked the side of Drew’s face. “My knight in shining armor.”
Archer held up his hand. “And his trusty sidekick, Sir Hikes-a-lot.”
“What about Sir Mountain Tamer?” Rarity added as the foursome moved toward the door, where Darby was saying goodbye to some of the guests. “Sounds better and less like a Monty Python character.”
“I don’t care what you call me as long as it’s not late for dinner.” Archer squeezed Rarity’s side. “Are we ready to blow this popsicle stand?”
“We have to say goodbye to Darby; then we can go eat.” Rarity set her empty glass on a side table. She’d call tomorrow and see if Darby needed some help cleaning this place before leaving. And with that thought, she waited in line to say goodbye, hoping she wouldn’t cry.