Page 19 of Unlocking Hope

Zoey grabbed a nail and pounded it into the wall. She and Bella were putting the finishing touches on the house before it went up for sale. She’d entered the house at the lowest point in her life, and now they were finishing it to be sold when she was on the verge of being the happiest she’d ever been.

“I love that place. Ian took me there not too long ago.” Bella’s eyes immediately went to Ian, and her eyes lit up every time she talked about them. She’d told her the story about her old boss over drinks one night and how Ian and Cole had come to the rescue.

“Do you think this place will sell?” Zoey asked, changing the subject.

“I already have a couple families ready to look. They’ve been hounding me for a house in this neighborhood for a while, it should go quick.”

“I’m going to be sad to see this house sell. I know this is your business, but don’t you ever get attached to the house?”

“Some of the houses, yes. Things happen, and it makes it hard. A few of the houses, I can’t wait to get rid of.” Bella shrugged. She grabbed the abstract teal-and-silver painting and placed it on the nail.

“Cole said you guys already found another house.”

Bella stood back and adjusted the painting so it was straight. “Yes, the auction isn’t until the end of next week. I think we might pick up a couple more houses. They are talking about hiring another team so we can do more.”

Cole had mentioned his thoughts about how he sees the company in five years. He has a plan to turn the two-man flipping team into a large company. They really wanted to start with an apartment building soon.

“I’ve spent the last three weeks helping, and it was fun, but every muscle in my body hurts. I can’t wait to start my desk job again, where the only muscle I work is my brain.” She would miss working with Cole every day, but when they came home at night, they would be able to talk about their days. Cole had told her a few times that she didn’t have to work and could do the company’s books. She planned to continue helping them, and one day, if the company became as large as Cole wanted, she would work for them. Until then, though, she wanted to work full time.

“Do you have plans tomorrow?” Bella asked.

Zoey had planned to spend the weekend getting ready for the new job on Monday. “No, I just have a few things to get ready for work on Monday. Do you want to meet and have lunch?”

“Yeah, my friend Jessica is back in town for a couple days, and her husband Brock is coming in, as well. You didn’t get to meet her last time, and I figured the boys are going to want to hang with Brock. We can have a girls’ night out.”

The last time Zoey enjoyed a girl’s night out, she’d let her ex-friend Sarah talk her into taking a job with Clyde Walker. She imagined things would be different with Bella—they wouldn’t go to a club and wear dresses that were way too short for their age. Nope. They would go somewhere they could talk and get to know each other.

“That sounds like fun. I can thank Brock in person for everything he has done. I can’t wait to meet his wife.”

“Has he told you the story about how they met?”

“Nope. Cole hasn’t told me the story about how Brock and Jessica met, but he told me the story about how Brock saved his life in North Korea and if it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t be alive today.” Zoey knew she would be dead if not for Cole. So in some weird twist of fate, Will had saved her life too . She threwa couple teal pillows onto the rented couch. The furniture helped people picture what it would be like to live there.

“He saved Ian’s life, as well. I’ll let Jessica tell you her story. It’s almost too crazy to believe.”

“Like stealing a video of your boss killing the senator to later find out your boyfriend’s mom gave the instructions?”

Bella burst out laughing. “Yes, exactly that crazy.”

Ian and Cole waved them over. It would be her last time in the house. Cole must’ve been thinking about the same things, as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. They both stared at the house silently for a few minutes before turning and heading to the car. A new chapter would start for them.

All night,Cole had treated her like a princess, pulling out her chair and making sure everything was to her liking. The restaurant was to die for, and the bottle of wine he ordered was so good, she drank too much before realizing it. She stood and wobbled on her feet. Cole was holding her a second later, with one hand on her shoulder and the other wrapped around her.

Later, Zoey lay on the couch next to Cole in his media room. Cole ran his hand along her arm as they watched the latest Avengers movie. She had no clue what was going on in the film; her thoughts were on his fingers and how they was sending pulses through her body. Cole was so easy to talk to, and when the conversation came to a lull, the silence didn’t make her uncomfortable.

Brock had called to let her know everything was still okay. They both checked the news each day, and his brothers hadn’t used the video to take anyone down. Cole was still upset they hadpulled a gun on her. He didn’t care about himself. He only cared they had a gun on her.

Paul had called while they were at dinner, and on the way back to the house, they’d called him. He was so excited to say his son and grandson were coming to visit. After another scare with his health, he’d decided it was time to reach out to his family and get to know them again. She hoped Cole’s brothers were trying to protect him. She wished he would talk to them again one day, but after the gun incident, it would take a lot of talking to let those men near her again.

The movie ended, and Cole clicked off the TV. His hand running down Zoey’s arm sent a chill down her body. “Ready to call it a night?”

“Hmm… No…”

“Are you sure?”

“Do I need to buy a flashing green arrow?” Zoey teased.

Cole spanked her ass lightly. “Smartass, I don’t want to rush you or do anything you don’t want to do.”

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