Page 82 of His North Star
Landon was competent. If he wanted to find new employees, I’d happily hand over the responsibility. We just had to make sure we were on the same page about the future of the B&B. It wouldn’t do for him to hire people we’d only end up firing. If only we could find someone with experience and fresh ideas to bring to the table. Why was that so hard to find?
“No, I trust you.” He pulled out the stainless-steel chafer, setting the first batch of bacon strips inside before closing the lid. “Just talk to Landon and see if he can help.”
“Thank you. I will.”
After breakfast was served, I quickly changed, then walked over to Ty’s house. The weekend after he moved in, we were totally watching baseball all weekend, and I was stealing a soak in his bathtub. I didn’t care about any other team besides the Nationals. The point was I could sit next to my best friend and relax.
“You ready to party?” Ty’s grinning face greeted me when I walked into his family room. He had on a black T-shirt splattered with paint, gray basketball shorts, beat-up running shoes, and a red Nationals hat sitting backward on his head. There was no reason this look should induce flutters within my stomach, but sure enough, they were there.
“Not sure that painting counts as a party,” I pointed out.
“I’ve already done the ceilings, so we’re upstairs today. Starting with the master.”
“How did you get all the ceilings done? And by yourself?” Had he even slept the last week?
“Charlie, Jackson, and Colton have been helping. They’ll do anything for free pizza and pie.”
Without the offer of food, guaranteed his brother and friends would have helped him anyway. Heaven knew Ty had done his fair share for them in the past.
He picked up the five-gallon paint bucket as if it weighed nothing and jogged—yes, jogged—up the stairs. His physical fitness level amazed me. It also made for a good view as his arm and shoulder muscles strained from the weight he held. I followed at a normal pace, enjoying the sight before me.Stars, his backside looks good in those gym shorts.
In his bedroom, he opened the lid and pointed to the supplies sitting in the middle of the room on top of a plastic sheet. “Want to do the trim or roll?” Ty poured the paint into a pan.
I looked up at the vaulted ceiling, impressed again with the beams. “Roll.”
Ty nodded. “I’ll get the scaffolding brought up. Want some music?””Only if you sing along.”
He smirked. “I’m always happy to serenade you.”
Little did he know, that was exactly what it was like when he sang.
Ty set up a speaker, then hauled metal poles into the room. It took him an hour to get set up and start on the trim along the ceiling. I may have snuck a few glances at his ripped biceps and abs in the process, but only when he wasn’t looking. If he caught me checking him out (was that really what it was called when it was your best friend? Admiring him, that’s what I’ll label it), he would make it awkward. But since we were both single for the first time since middle school, I didn’t feel like it was wrong, just different from our norm.
Two hours later, the bedroom and master closet had their first coat. I groaned while rolling my tight shoulders. I had no idea how Ty still painted after doing the ceilings all week.
“So, guess what happened at work?” Ty said excitedly.
“You sold your thousandth house and are retiring early?”
“Now that”—he pointed his paintbrush at me—“would be awesome.” He grinned. “But this is almost as good.”
“Spill it.”
“The Peaks Lodge went on the market.”
My brows rose high, wrinkling my forehead. “The Peaks Lodge, as in the hospitality property down the street? The one that got built right after Grandma and Grandpa built ours? The one that stole our business?”
He sighed. “That happened decades ago. Surely you’re not still upset about it?”
Grandpa talked about them often enough that part of his bitterness had rubbed off on the rest of us. “Annoyed is more accurate.”
“Why?” He went back to painting.
I picked up the roller and started on the second layer of paint. “Because they expanded over the years, and we can’t do that.”
“Jealous much?” he teased.
I rolled my eyes at him.
