Page 127 of The Curse of Redwood

“Hey, I know you,” a blond man said, once we entered the parlor. Like the man we’d met when first walking inside, he seemed familiar. “You were at the open house.”

“That’s right,” I said, as the recollection hit me too. They were the gay couple I’d seen that day. “I’m glad it was you guys who bought this place and not the guy in the flashy suit.”

He chuckled before sticking out his hand. “Chris Parrish. My husband’s name is Dalton.”

“Parrish?” Zeke asked as he shook his hand, his interest piqued. The name struck a chord with me too, though I couldn’t place it. “Wasn’t that the maiden name of Arthur Warren’s second wife?”

“You know your stuff,” Chris said, nodding. “When I traced my family history, it led me here to Redwood. When Alice left Arthur, she was pregnant. It was quite the scandal, but she never remarried and started going by her maiden name. I guess this house was meant to be mine. Fate is funny like that.”

Zeke stared at him, shocked. Hell, I’d be shocked too. Chris was related to him. Zeke was like his great-great-great uncle or something.

“I don’t believe I caught your names,” Chris said.

“Zeke.” He rested a hand on my lower back. “And this is Carter.”

“Pleased to meet you both.” Chris studied Zeke, his brow drawn tight. “I’m sorry for staring, you just remind me of someone. My great grandfather had hair just like yours. It’s a rather unique shade of blond.”

My phone rang, and I stepped aside to answer it. “Hello?”

“What shirt should I wear under my gray suit?” Ben asked, as a ruffling sounded on his end of the phone. “I asked Theo, but all he said was ‘Darling, you look good in everything.’” He sighed. “I leave tomorrow afternoon and I have nothing packed. Help me.”

“You’re hopeless, Ben,” I said with a snicker. “If it’s the suit I’m thinking of, wear a dark blue shirt under it.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re going to New York, right?”

“Yes,” he answered. “Lady in Blackis creating quite the buzz. Shane wants me to do some interviews over the next several days to promote the book before it releases in February. I always hate these things. I’m better at writing words, not speaking them.”

“You’ll do great. Is Taylor going to hang out with Theo while you’re gone?”

“Yes. I’m afraid I’ve created a monster with that one.”

“Taylor or Theo?” I asked, laughing.

“Both,” he answered. “How is Zeke handling being back at Redwood?”

I looked over at him, seeing him smile as he spoke to Chris. Beneath the smile, I saw the tension he so carefully hid.

“He’s okay,” I said. “I think it’s a lot for him to take in, but he’s handling it well.”

“Good. Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Oh! You two are coming over for breakfast in the morning, right? My flight isn’t until one.”

“We’ll be there.” After putting my phone away, I walked back over to Zeke and Chris. “Sorry.”

Zeke linked our fingers. “Chris was just telling me about his plan to add to the garden in the back. I said it was an excellent idea.”

“There’s a lot we want to do,” Chris said. When he smiled, he kind of resembled Zeke. His hair wasn’t the same silvery shade of blond, but it was still paler than most. “All in good time.”

“Hey, babe?” Dalton asked, walking up to him. “I need to check on the cookies. Can you watch the front?”

“Of course.” Chris kissed his husband before turning to us. “It was nice chatting with you both.”

Zeke watched him leave the room, then turned to me. “That was odd.”

“You have a living relative,” I whispered, excited.

“Not much good it will do me,” Zeke said, guiding me over to a table with cups. He grabbed one, filled it with coffee, then handed it to me. “If I told him the truth, he’d think I was mad.”