Duke glanced up long enough to flick her a smile. "I'll owe you," he said softly. It nearly got lost under the other awkward conversation happening in the foyer.

"So do you want me to, uh, you want me to go with you?" the Chief asked Nathan. "I'll help you pick out a room."

"Actually thought I'd walk the grounds before the rains hit," Nathan said.

"Well, you want me to, uh. Just place your bag in one of the rooms up there?" The Chief idly blew on his party horn with a little fwee!

"Uh," Nathan said, looking nonplussed. "Okay. Sure, yeah. Thanks."

Thunder rumbled again as the Chief grabbed Nathan's bags and headed upstairs, and Nathan ducked out the front door.

"That was interesting," Duke said.

"Yeah, that was a big bucketful of awkward," said Audrey.