Page 37 of The Plan

“You two are late,” Genesis said then took a loud sip through the straw. “Were you making out or something? Ronnie, I have boy questions for you today, if you have a minute.”

“I’ll do my best, but to be honest—this guy here is my only real boy experience.”

“Her viewpoint is going to be completely warped, Gen, if George is all she’s got to base it on.”

“So? At least I have kissed a boy, Gia. What have you ever done besides study?”

“I am focused on my future. Besides, none of the guys around here are ones I want to kiss, so who cares if you’ve kissed a guy before I did? I don’t.”

“For which I am very grateful,” George told her. “I don’t want either of you kissing boys until you are thirty-five, understand? Careers first, boys last. For my sanity.”

George handed Veronica’s bag to her and turned his attention to his sisters. “You sticking around, Genesis? I have a project in the back room I will pay you to handle for me. We’re turning it into a small nursery.”

“That’s awesome. So you’ll bring the baby to work every day?” Genesis peeked in the back room. “It’s small, but you can get a crib in here, definitely. And a changing table. What color do you want to paint it? Yellow and mint would be pretty. I can help, since it’s summer now.”

She just kept chattering away. Like she always did.

“You finish it by the end of summer and I’ll pay you five hundred dollars,” George told her. “I’d do it, but with the house…”

“Just no time. I get it. And I think it’s cool. Mom and Daddy wanted me to get a job, but I’d only make about five hundred dollars this summer working at the diner anyway, when I figured it up. But if I’m working for you, and the lady at the hospital said they’d let me work in the cafeteria one day a week, too…Guthrie asked the lady in HR if they had any jobs I could do this summer and they said they had a woman retire from the cafeteria and I could work there if I wanted, but she only worked one day a week. They said after school starts again, I can work there one night a week or more, if I want. That means I’d make even morethan if I worked at the diner. I can do it. And I’ll do a really good job, too.”

George kissed her on the forehead. “I know you will. I’m glad Gia brought you today. Otherwise I’d have had one of the twins do it. And make sure you two help Veronica, if she needs it.”

“Babysit Ronnie,” Giavonna said. “Got it. Will do.”

Veronica groaned, placing her bag on the desk. “Yay, babysitters. I will need babysitters after the first week of April, ladies. Not in late June… George is just being a dork.”

George ignored her, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. “Humor me.”

Humor him.Yeah, not happening.

Genny plopped down beside Veronica, grinning.

“I take my job very seriously.” She grabbed a stack of sticky notes, plopped down next to Veronica, and started drawing faces on the top note. “You’re stuck with me today.”

“I can think of far worse things.”

George checked his watch, he was going to have to get moving or he’d be late. Her Georgie—wasn’t so great with time. “Giavonna, focus on sorting the Tolben appeal paperwork. Prioritize anything that looks off or rushed. I also left a list of cases I need you to print for me, if you can find them in the database. I’m going to go after Felner hard. It may take me, you, and Veronica to get everything figured out in time.”

“Something was seriously wrong with that judge that day. Think he got into the wacky weed?” Giavonna asked.

Ronnie had had the same thought. Nothing about what Judge Felner had ruled in the Tolben case made any sense at all. She’d double-checked the cases he’d referenced, too. And noneof what Judge Felner said was accurate. She’d meant to ask Cam if he had time to go over it, as well. He knew how corruption worked on a deep level.

“Decide what you want for the nursery here, too, if you get time.” He leaned over and kissed Ronnie next. She wanted to cling. George just made a girl feel all gooey inside when he looked at her like that.

Genny leaned over the desk and her precious sticky note. “I’m thinking lots of colors, maybe a castle theme.”

She was just as enthusiastic as her brother about things at times, apparently. “Genny?—”

“You two figure it out. I’ll be back this afternoon.”

Ronnie watched him leave, thinking he dominated even the sun out there. The world just seemed to bend for Georgiano Maxwell Hiller at times.

“You’re drooling over my brother,” Genny said. “I’m trying not to hurl here.”

“I love your brother.” Her cheeks flamed. This was the first time she had ever said those words to anyone other than the man in question.

“So… how do you know when you love a guy? For real?” Genny asked.

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