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“So, aren’t you going to give me a pep talk? Like, things to avoid, what to be prepared for? I know about Harper, but is there anything else? ”

“Not really. Hope is my aunt; John is my uncle. You don’t have to call them Mr. and Mrs. Mason. They kind of hate that. The only other person of importance is Harper, and you’ll get to meet her, too.”

“So they aren’t your legal guardians? ”

“I’m over eighteen. I don’t have a guardian.” Ugh, he wouldn’t stop shutting me down as I fished for information. So frustrating.

“But when you did need a guardian, were they your guardians? ” I glanced over to find him watching me intently.

“Has anyone ever told you that you ask way too many questions? ”

“Nearly every teacher I’ve ever had. They used to call my mom in for parent-teacher conferences and they’d always write that in my evaluation.” True story.

“It’s a long story, and one we don’t have time for.”

“When will you have time? I’m really not trying to be nosy. I’m just curious.” He was my roommate, and I guessed maybe he was a friend… sort of. I wanted to know about his life. I wanted to know how he became the gorgeous douche who wrote a song about doing the dishes one minute and grabbed my ass the next.

He shifted in his seat, clearly uptight with the direction our conversation had taken.

“Do you mind if I change it? ” he said.

“Sure, CDs are on the visor.” If he was going to answer my questions, he could play whatever he wanted.

He flipped through my eclectic selection and finally settled on Parachute. Huh. Not what I would have picked for him.

“I can hear you judging me, ” he said as I merged onto I-395.

“I just didn’t think you were a Parachute kind of guy.”

“Why not? ”

“No reason. So, you were talking about your aunt and uncle.”

“Right, ” he said, but I knew he remembered. He let out a deep breath that seemed to go on forever. “They took me in when I was eleven. My parents died, and there was nowhere else for me to go.” He stopped, and I waited a few seconds before asking my next question.

“So Hope is your mother’s sister? ” I had no idea, so thought I’d take a stab at it.

“Right. My mother’s younger sister, but they were only two years apart. My mother’s brother lives in Texas. He’s an ass.”

“So it runs in the family? ”

“It’s genetic, what can I say? ” Well, he was okay enough to joke, so that was good.

“That explains why you and Mase are like brothers.”

“We are, more or less. We grew up together, we beat the shit out of each other to solve our issues, and we’d take a bullet for the other one.”

It was like me and Tawny. If I had to stand in front of a moving truck to prevent it from hitting her, I would. She’d saved my life once, and I could never pay her back.

“I know what that’s like, ” I said.

“So do I get to ask you about your family situation now? ”

I shrugged. There wasn’t much to tell.

“My parents split up when I was thirteen. Dad’s an ass who just pretends like he cares. My mom’s amazing and then there’s my sister. I have a few aunts and cousins and such, but they all live in different states.”

“So that’s why you have anger issues with men.”

It took a second for the comment to penetrate my brain. He was getting very close to pushing a button he most certainly did not want to push. If he’d thought I was nuts before, it was nothing to how I could be. He hadn’t seen the worst. Not by a long shot.

“Walk away, Hunter. You have stuff you don’t want to talk about and I respect that. So I’m asking you to walk away.”

“Okay, ” he said, turning the volume of the CD up and staring out the window. “Pie.”

“What? ” Not that it wasn’t great, but I didn’t see what that had to do with anything relevant.

“Hope loves making pie. She’ll probably send you home with one. There’s a tiny apple orchard in the back of the house, and she always goes nuts in the fall, making as many pies as she can. She made so many one year, she walked around downtown handing them out to the local businesses. They started calling her ‘the pie lady.’ So, I hope you like pie.”

“What kind of a question is that? Who doesn’t like pie? ”

“A very fucked-up person.”

“I guess I’m not that fucked-up, then.”

“Not even close, ” he said, pushing his seat back.

I kept driving until we got to Bar Harbor. I rolled the window down to catch the salty air. There was nothing like the smell of the ocean. We’d switched the CD to Coldplay by mutual consent.

“Turn here, ” he said, pointing to a road on the left. I put my turn signal on and made the turn.

“Turn here, ” he said a minute later, and we made another turn and then another.

We were off the main road, and all I could see were quaint houses with little porches and cute lighthouse mailboxes and wind chimes. It looked like a really nice place. I kept going until he pointed out one last turn onto Mason Drive. I should have seen that coming.

“Here we are, ” he said as I stopped the car. Oh, Jesus.

The house was effing huge. The little cottages along the rest of the road had not prepared me for this. It was at least twice, if not three times the size of my house. My eyes traveled up to count three floors. It was white, sort of Victorian looking with a huge wrap-around porch that had a handicap ramp leading up to it on one side. There was a huge red barn as well. Somehow I didn’t think there was a tractor in it. I recognized Darah’s Camry nestled between a BMW and a brand new Impala, with an Escalade on the other side.

“Shit, Hunter. You never said your family was loaded.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “You never asked.”

Fourteen

The house was even more gi-huge-ic when I got out of the car and stood in front of it.

“Well, I assumed, since you drive a crappy car and couldn’t find housing that you were poor, ” I said.

“Never assume, Missy. Never assume, ” he said, walking toward the house, swinging the guitar case. My feet seemed to be glued to the ground. I was overtaken with a hard-to-breathe-can’t-think feeling. I was panicking.

“I love how you can punch me in the face and not bat an eyelash, but a large house makes you want to run away. It can’t hurt you, you know? ” He nodded toward the front door. “Come on.”

Somehow, my feet unstuck themselves from the driveway, and I moved forward.

“Jesus, you’d think we were leading you to the guillotine.”

“Bite me, ” I snapped as we stood at the front door. It had fancy swirling glass in it, and I could definitely see a chandelier. A fucking chandelier. Where there was a chandelier, there was a foyer, and a den, and spiral staircases, and taking your shoes off, and other fancy things. Not that I didn’t like fancy things, I just didn’t really belong in a house full of them.

Hunter just opened the door, calling out as he walked through.

“Anyone home? ”

“Hunter? Is that you? ” called out a female voice that I assumed belonged to Hope. It had a thick southern twang to it.

“Yeah, I’m here. I brought a guest.”

“Is it Taylor? ”

What?

I stared at Hunter.

“I may have mentioned your name. Once or twice.”

As I tried to keep myself from craning my neck to check out the chandelier in more detail, a tall blond woman came around the corner, wiping her hands on a dish towel and beaming perfect white teeth. So that was where he got them from. She gave Hunter a hug, kissing him on the cheek before turning her attention to me.

“Oh my goodness, you’re as pretty as a picture.”

Her southern accent only added to the intimidation factor. Not to mention she was wearing heels as if she was born with them, and her hair and makeup looked like they’d been done by a team of professionals. She was the after picture of the before and after.

“I’m Hope. I’ve heard so much about you.”

She came at me with a hug that I had no choice but to return. Hunter must not have told her I wasn’t a hugger. Or maybe she didn’t care.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Mason.”

“Come now, didn’t Hunter tell you to call me Hope? ”

“He did. I just… I don’t know, ” I stuttered. Grace was not my middle name. Also, I felt the overwhelming urge to call her ma’am.

“Taylor was a little intimidated by the house, ” Hunter said as I tried to give him a pinch, but he ducked out of the way and blocked me with his guitar case. Thanks a lot, dude.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. You come right in, ” Hope said.

I guessed I didn’t have to take off my shoes, since she was wearing hers, but the floors were so shiny, I was scared to place my unworthy feet on them.

“Hunter? ” a little girl’s voice called.

“Hey, Seven! ” Hunter’s face lit up as a little red-haired girl in a motorized wheelchair came down the hall. The chair was pink and had glittery stickers all over it. Nice.

“Seven, this is my friend, Taylor.” Her eyes got huge as she heard my name.

“Your name is Taylor? That’s my favorite name in the whole world.”

“Thank you, ” I said, startled by both her sincerity and her wide gold-green eyes. She reminded me of Anne from Anne of Green Gables. I’d always wanted red hair.

“Harper’s favorite musician is Taylor Swift.” A girl after my own heart.

“I’m going to her concert soon, ” she said.

“You are? I’m so jealous, ” I said. Hunter gave me a look.

Seriously, I was. I’d just never found anyone who would go with me.

“Maybe if you’re really nice, Taylor will sing with us, ” Hunter said, giving Harper a wink. She giggled and he put his guitar down to give her a hug and a kiss on her forehead, crouching down so he was at her level.

“Would you? ” Her little voice was so cute, how could I say no to her? God, she’d make Hitler melt.

“Of course. I’m not a very good singer, but I’ll try.”

“Don’t listen to her. She has a beautiful voice.” How the hell would he know?

“Joe’s waiting for you in the study, ” Hope said to Hunter.

“Right.”

I wondered where the study was. Maybe I could somehow excuse myself to go to the bathroom and somehow find myself there.

“Why don’t we go sit down? ” Hope said, leading us into what must be the den. It had leather couches, flowers in painted vases and had a bright cheerful feel.

“I’ve heard you in the shower, ” Hunter whispered in my ear as he walked beside me. His hand brushed my back, and I experienced a bad case of the goose bumps. “If you ever want to duet, you know where to find me.”

I wanted to sputter with outrage, but the thought of Hunter, in the shower… Get your mind out of the gutter, Taylor. You’re meeting his family, for Christ’s sake.

“I’ll be back, ” Hunter said, winking at me before he left the room.

“Can I get you anything? How about some iced tea? ” Hope said as we seated ourselves, and Harper parked her wheelchair. Hope sat down on a floral-patterned chair. No, she didn’t sit. She floated down until she was sitting. Was that something they taught in the south? If so, could I get lessons?

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

She left and it was just me and Harper. I wasn’t very good with meeting new people, but she leaned over and motioned me closer, even though we were the only two people in the room.

“Do you wanna hear a secret? ” she whispered rather loudly after she looked around to make sure we were absolutely alone.

“I’d love to hear a secret, ” I whispered back, cupping my hand over her ear. She giggled and did the same.

“Hunter likes you.” Aw. She was adorable.

“He does? ” I said, playing along.

“A lot. A lot.”

“Like Eric loves Ariel? ” There was no doubt this was a Disney girl. There was more than one Little Mermaid sticker on her chair.

“Uh huh.”

“Whoa.”

I wondered how long I could wait before I could somehow escape and find out what Hunter was up to.

Hope came back with a tray of sweating glasses, complete with sliced lemons perched on the side.

“Momma, Taylor likes The Little Mermaid, ” Harper said as her mother handed her a glass and a napkin.

“She does? Well, imagine that.” Hope gave me a wink as she handed me a glass. I took a sip so I wouldn’t laugh. Delicious. Damn, this woman should have her own lifestyle show. I fiddled with my napkin and set my glass down.

“Um, where’s your bathroom? ”

“Oh, of course. It’s down the hall on the left. There’s a sign on the door that says powder room.”

“Thanks, ” I said, escaping from the room as Harper dropped her glass and brown liquid pooled everywhere.

“Oh, Harper, ” Hope said with a sigh.

I found the powder room, but kept going. Crap, this house was big. I tiptoed down the hall, and ducked into what turned out to be a closet when I heard voices above. I heard Darah giggle. Mase must be giving her a tour of the house or something. I emerged from my hiding place and turned on my hearing, walking slowly and quietly. I paused at each door, listening to see if anyone was inside. Finally, I got to the last door on the right. This had to be it. I paused outside. Bingo.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea, ” said a voice that must belong to Joe.

“I figured you wouldn’t. But it’s not really up to you, is it? ”

“Hunter, I’ve known you your whole life. It’s time for you to grow up and take responsibility for your life. For this.”

“I. Don’t. Want. It.”

I heard a chair scrape back. Shit. I did the most awkward tip-toe run back to the powder room, and shut the door, breathing heavily. I turned the water on, but stayed by the door, waiting to hear Hunter’s footsteps. They didn’t come, and I had to go back into the den or else Hope would think I’d fallen in. I washed my hands just for the heck of it and left the powder room, which was ironically decorated in powder blue.

My mind was reeling with what I’d heard from Hunter and Joe. What wasn’t a good idea? What didn’t Hunter want?

“See? I told you she’d come back, ” Hope said when I walked back in the room.

“Where did you think I was going? ” I couldn’t wait to hear the answer.

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe later you can show Taylor the apples? ”

“Do you wanna see my apple trees? ”

“Absolutely.”

I caught Hope giving me a weird look. I must have had an unnatural expression on my face, so I did my best to try and look normal again.

I heard voices from upstairs, and then Mase and Darah came around the corner with a man who must have been John Mason the second. He looked just how I thought he would: tall, dark hair, bronze-rimmed glasses, and a sensible shirt and tie. I felt like I might as well be wearing a hospital gown compared to these people. Except Harper. She had a t-shirt that said Princess in glitter. We were soul mates.

I was going to beat Hunter senseless when I got the chance for not preparing me for this. Also, I was going to beat him so he would tell me about Joe and what he was hiding from me.

If it was any consolation, Darah was also looking a little star struck.

Hope got up to introduce me. “John, this is Taylor. She decided to come up and give us a visit. Isn’t that nice? ” She could make a root canal sound nice with that voice. Mr. Mason’s eyebrows went up when she said my name. It was official. I was infamous.

“Oh, yes, Taylor. How nice to finally meet you, ” he said, holding out his hand as Hunter came back in the room. For a moment, I saw an angry expression on his face, but he wiped it away and turned on the charm. How did he do that? I was still freaking out.

Where was Joe?

I wanted to trip him, but it would have been obvious. He’d probably just dodge me and make another comment, and then where would I be? Also, I couldn’t do it in front of Harper. I had to set a good example,

so I shook Mr. Mason’s hand and said I was pleased to meet him.

“Well, I should get back to the kitchen. That chicken salad isn’t going to make itself. You’ll stay for lunch, won’t you, Taylor? ” Hope said.

“Hope, ” Hunter said, as if reminding her of something.

“Oh! Of course. I’ll make you a salad. Hunter told me you didn’t eat meat, and it slipped my mind.”

“That’s fine; you don’t have to make a big production. I don’t want to be a bother.”

She waved the dish towel at me as she left the room.

“Never you mind; it’s no bother at all. No wonder you keep that pretty figure. I should try that.” Like she needed it. God, if most women looked like her, they’d be walking around naked.

“So, what made you decide to come and see us, Taylor? ” John asked.

“My car wouldn’t start, ” Hunter said for me.

“Again? ” Mase said, pulling Darah down onto the sofa. He definitely didn’t fit in this pristine environment. His jeans were torn on the bottoms and his shirt had been through the wash more than a few times. I wondered what Hope thought of that.

“I keep telling you to get rid of that thing. I told you that Bob Karrigan has an old Audi he doesn’t use anymore that he’d be happy to let you have for a couple thousand.”

Hunter shook his head.

“It’s fine. I’ll get it fixed, ” Hunter said.

“Daddy, Daddy! Taylor said she would sing with me, ” Harper said, using the joystick on her wheelchair to come closer to me.

“Yes, Angel. You should say excuse me when other people are having a conversation if you want to say something.” She thought about that for a second.

“Okay. Excuse me, Daddy. Taylor said she would sing with me.”

I caught Darah’s eye, and we had to press our lips together so we wouldn’t laugh.

“That’s great. Did you ask her nicely? ”

“Yes.”

“Good girl.”

“Give me some skin, Harp, ” Mase said, holding up his hand for a high five. She reeled back and smacked as hard as she could, and he pretended to recoil in agony, rolling over on the couch. Her laughter filled the room like bubbles, and we all joined in. Thank God for Harper, because otherwise, this might have been a very uncomfortable situation.

“Hunter, why don’t you give Taylor a tour of the house? ” John said. It would probably take a few years, at least.

“Sure, ” Hunter said.

“Want to come, Seven? ”

“May I? ” Harper looked at her father with big pleading eyes.

“Why don’t we let Taylor and Hunter do the tour and then you can show her your room.”

“Okay, ” Harper said, clearly bummed.

“We’ll be back soon, ” I said.

“Promise? ”

“Pinky swear, ” I said, holding mine out. We linked, and she smiled again.

“Hunter, ” John said. Hunter nodded in understanding. Wait, what?

“Shall we? ” Hunter said, holding his arm out for me to go first, bowing slightly.

I gave Harper a little wave before we rounded the corner and stood in a long hallway with a set of glorious stairs. I stared at the study door, hoping Joe would come out, but nothing happened.

“I am going to rip your arms off and then strangle you with them, ” I hissed at Hunter when I was sure we were out of hearing range.

“So this is the hallway, ” Hunter said, ignoring me. “Elevator, if you ever need it.”

“You’re not even listening to me. How could you not tell me? ” He started walking down the hallway.

“There’s a music room back here –“

I yanked on his arm to make him stop.

“How could you not tell me? ”

He still wouldn’t look at me. I reached up and grabbed his chin, turning his stubborn face so I could meet his eyes.

“Come on, ” he said.

“No, I want to talk about this.”

“We will, just not here.”

He took my hand and pulled me behind him up the stairs. I caught lots of fancy paintings and furniture that didn’t come from Ikea. Down another hall we went, and he pulled me into a room, shutting the door quickly.

“This is my room, ” he said.

I was momentarily distracted from screaming at him. It looked very much like our room at school, only twelve times the size. Clean and neat and with dark colors. Slate, black, blue. There were a few band posters, including The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20.

“I didn’t tell you because I know you and I knew you’d freak.”

“So springing it on me was a better idea? ” I hoped I wouldn’t get so mad that I would spill that I’d spied on him.

“It seemed so at the time, ” he said, pulling a chair out from behind a huge desk. It looked like something an old crusty writer would use to compose masterpieces on his typewriter. “Now I’m not so sure. You’re freaking anyway.”

I threw up my hands in frustration.

“How else was I supposed to react? It’s not just that you sprung this, ” I said, gesturing to the general situation of the house being effing enormous, “it’s that I feel like I don’t know you. There’s this whole huge part of your life and I had no idea. And you’re meeting with some guy named Joe about some mysterious thing, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were involved with the mob.”

“Why do you care? ” That was the million-dollar question. Why did it bother me so much?

“Because you’re my roommate, ” I said, floundering.

“That’s not enough of a reason. You wouldn’t throw a hissy fit if you found out Darah or Renee lived here or had secret meetings with a guy named Joe. So why me? ”

“Because.”

“That’s not a reason.” He got up from his chair and stood right in front of me, our chests only inches apart. He tipped his head down to look in my eyes.

“I think it’s because you like me. As much as you would rather choke to death than admit it. And you want to know things about the people you like. You want to know what they do when no one is watching, what movie makes them feel better when they’re sick, what they really want to be when they grow up. Am I right? ”

He was so close, every time I breathed, I could smell him. You’d think after sharing a room with him for several weeks, I’d be used to his smell, but it seemed it had gotten even more potent. I had to close my eyes for a moment to gain some composure.

“No, Hunter. I don’t like you.”

“Good. I don’t like you either.”

We breathed in unison for a moment, and for that moment, the world stood still and we were the only two people in it. I opened my eyes and let myself get lost in his blue ones. Most of the time I avoided them. They were hypnotic, and I didn’t like being caught staring.

“I. Don’t. Like. You, ” he said, bring his face a fraction closer with each word. I couldn’t speak, or breathe, or think.

Our lips were so close that I could feel how warm they were. He exhaled once and pulled away. It was like someone had snapped a rubber band in my brain. He stepped back from me.

“I don’t like you, ” he said again. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself.

“You said that, ” I was finally able to say.

“Well, it’s true.”

“I know.”

“So, let’s go see the rest of the house.”

“Okay.” I robotically followed him out of his bedroom.

I don’t like you.

I don’t like you.

I don’t like you.

Well, I didn’t like him either. There wasn’t a word for what I felt about Hunter.

Fifteen

I had one thing to say for Hope Mason. She had damn good decorating sense. The house was absolutely gorgeous and everything seemed to fit together, even if it didn’t look like it went together. There were subtle touches that I noticed. Things that looked like they might have come from yard sales, like a wooden rocking horse and old silver tins and glass perfume bottles.

There were also accommodations for Harper everywhere, from ramps, to the elevator, or a special sink in her bathroom. There were also strange things hanging from the ceiling in her bedroom.

“So she can get herself in and out of her chair without help, ” Hunter had said. “When she gets older, they’ll get more stuff so she can do a lot more, but since she’s still so little, it’s easier to carry her.”

I couldn’t imagine. Harper didn’t seem bothered by it at all. She maneuvered her chair like she was born with a joystick in her hand.

When we’d gotten back from the massive tour, Joe was apparently gone, seeing as there was one less car in the driveway when I caught a glimpse out of a huge picture window in the den. I was no closer to solving the Joe mystery.

Harper insisted on sitting next to me at lunch, and I had Hunter on my other side.

Everyone dug into the chicken, while I devoured an avocado, mozzarella, spinach, and tomato salad.

“This is amazing, thank you so much, ” I said, taking another forkful. I’d had one panicked moment when she’d called us for lunch, envisioning multiple forks, and picking the wrong one.

Thankfully, it was a nice day so we ate out on the back porch, which was much more like a terrace that looked out on the apple trees. The smell of the sweet leaves washed over me and made me think of fall and pies and hayrides and pumpkin carving. I loved fall.

“Remind me to give you the recipe for that dressing, ” Hope said, returning my attention to the present moment.

“I will.”

“Momma, can I have some more watermelon, please? ” Harper asked.

“Yes, Harper, you may. Thank you for asking so nicely.”

“You want some, Dare? ” Mase said.

“Sure, thanks.” Darah seemed to be as nervous as I was. She’d already dropped her fork twice and had knocked over her water glass.

“So, Taylor, Hunter told us you’re a women’s studies major. That must be interesting, ” she said, dishing some watermelon cubes onto Harper’s plate.

“I want to work at a crisis center or somewhere that helps women recover from trauma, ” I said, wondering if that was TMI. I didn’t want to seem like the damaged girl, but it was hard not to.

“That’s very admirable. What made you choose that as a career path? ” I’d been asked that a million times, so I had an answer.

“I want to help people, and that seemed like a good way to do it.”

“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest? I’m glad you brought her, Hunter. She’s much better than that other one. What was her name? ”

“Chastity, ” he said, not looking at me. I remembered seeing her name in his phone.

“What an awful name. It’s been my experience that when you name a girl like that, she’s more likely to embrace the opposing virtue, ” Hope said, giving me a knowing look. I’d also had that experience with a girl named Charity, who had been anything but charitable.

I was in the perfect position to kick Hunter under the table, so I did. Who the hell was Chastity? I knew next to nothing about his dating history, except that it was long and there were a lot of names in that little black book. To be totally honest, I didn’t really want to know much. Ignorance was bliss in this situation.

Hope brought out strawberry shortcake, and we all stuffed our faces. The conversation lulled as we chewed. The sun was high in the sky, and it was turning out to be a warm, lazy Saturday.

“So, JJ, I was thinking you and Hunter could give me a hand with that tractor after we’re done here.” I assumed JJ stood for John Jr.

“Excuse me, Daddy, but we’re going to sing, ” Harper said while Hope wiped whipped cream from her face.

“Yes, Angel, we’ll do that first.”

“Okay, ” Harper said, nodding her head.

We finished lunch, and Hunter grabbed his guitar. Darah and Mase went to help Hope with the dishes, and I offered, but Hope refused, so John, Hunter and I sat with Harper.

“ Our Song! ” Harper chanted.

Oh there was no way that Hunter knew that. He seemed to read my mind as he gave me a wink and started the song without further ado. It was clear within three seconds that he had played this song more than a few times.

His normally rough voice blended with Harper’s in the most adorable way. He knew all the words. I hummed along, tapping my foot.

He finished the song and Harper clapped.

“Can we do Love Story? ”

“Sure, Seven. Why don’t you ask Taylor to sing with us? ”

“Will you sing, please? ” Her little voice, combined with her clasped hands was irresistible. This child was the key to world peace. All she’d have to do was bat those eyelashes and smile that dimpled smile and world leaders would be falling over themselves to sign a peace treaty.

“Sure.” Hunter started the song, and I was a little nervous about singing in public, but this wasn’t really public.

I joined in, my voice blending with the other two. My voice was a little too deep to be like Taylor Swift’s, but I did love singing her songs. I hated the fact that Hunter knew I sang in the shower. I should probably put a lid on that.

John got a call on his cell phone midway through the song, and excused himself.

Hunter ended the song, and our voices faded out.

“You have a pretty voice, ” Harper said.

“Thank you, Harper.” She was just the sweetest.

“Do you wanna see the apple trees? ”

“Lead the way, ” I said, getting to my feet. Ugh, I‘d eaten too much.

She zoomed down the little ramp that was attached to the porch as Hunter and I followed.