Page 6 of Hargrave Health Kick
“What about the day after?”
“Working.” He shrugged. “We’ll figure it out before I leave.”
Leave? He’d just arrived. She didn’t want to let go of her best friend again so quickly. “Where are you staying?”
“They’ve got me at the Inn,” he said, laughing. “But only for a night or two. Let me get a feel for the routine and then I’ll know where to make time for my personal life.”
As they walked away from the beach, the warm, dry sand scrubbed at her feet. “No worries.” She smiled to herself as they crossed the boardwalk spanning the dunes. Breathing deeply, she reveled in the sweet differences as the ocean air was filtered through the tall, swaying grasses. “You’ll love the Inn.”
“Come on, I’m not that guy.”
“What guy?”
“The guy who goes for fancy. Although, I wouldn’t mind some time at the Hideaway.”
“We’ll make sure you get a full tour. You could book your own vacation. I’ll give you the family discount.”
“Look at you, Ms. Entrepreneur.”
She snorted. That wasn’t how she meant it to come across. She paused to slip into her sandals before crossing the parking lot, but Brayden continued to go barefoot, carrying his running shoes in one hand, his shirt slung over his shoulder.
“Here,” he pulled his phone from a back pocket and handed it to her. “Put your info in my phone and I’ll text you.”
While she did, he pulled his shirt over his head. Finally.
Chapter Three
She didher best to put Brayden out of her mind, though it wasn’t easy when he sent silly, random text messages. It felt nice to have that immediate connection to her best friend after so long. She was looking forward to catching up when their schedules allowed.
In the meantime, she had plenty of other things to focus on—primarily her new content plans.
It was early afternoon when she heard Celeste’s car pull into the drive. So far, living together again had been working well. Celeste kept to herself, handling the bulk of the administrative tasks and maintenance issues for The Hideaway along with the welcome packages. Veronica and Natalie appreciated Celeste’s attention to detail. Their sister had the organizational skills to look through drawers and discover what might be missing or broken after a stay.
Lately it seemed as if they needed to create a specific line item in the budget for corkscrews, considering how frequently those disappeared. And the kitchen knives were never dull at the Hargrave Hideaway, because Celeste sharpened them regularly.
It had taken significant encouragement, but finally, Celeste was taking short trips on her own. She’d started with smallexcursions around neighboring states, though more daydreams of a longer, overseas vacation were creeping into her conversation. Veronica had no doubt her sister would continue to gather research and learn from other hosts wherever she traveled.
Veronica was hopeful that the trips—near and far—would help her older sister heal. There had been so much tragedy in Celeste’s life already. She’d lost her husband and their mom without taking time to truly process it all.
Veronica stayed at her desk with her work, grateful Celeste wouldn’t interrupt the way Natalie would have done. Her oldest sister tended to come home and just do stuff. She didn’t need anyone to keep her company or listen to her chatter.
Some of it was her naturally reserved and serious personality, but over the last few weeks, Veronica worried it was coming from wanting to stay out of the way. Of the three Hargrave sisters, Celeste was the oldest but also the most likely to disappear in a crowd. Veronica could still remember going to parties with her older sister and finding her in the kitchen—usually cleaning up.
It had been so annoying.
With that weird vibe in her head, she reached a stopping point on her video edits and headed for the kitchen. Her sister might not need the company, but Veronica was willing to be there for her anyway.
Naturally, the ever-efficient Celeste was nearly done unloading the groceries. “Hey you.” Celeste smiled. “I’ve got champagne chilling for mimosas tomorrow morning. Plus, all the ingredients for French toast casserole.”
One of Veronica’s favorite dishes. The way Celeste put it all together the night before was pure kitchen magic. Even when Veronica followed the family recipe to the letter, it never came out as tasty as when Celeste made it.
“And what are we celebrating tonight that you think will leave us hungover?”
“Being sisters?” Celeste laughed. A sound Veronica didn’t hear often enough. “I figured it would be nice to have a good hearty breakfast in case we have any issues with overindulging tonight.”
“Can’t argue with that logic.” Veronica leaned back against the kitchen island. “And what kind of overindulgence are you encouraging?”
“Chocolate and wine. You and I might be old enough to master our urges, but Natalie is never afraid to cut loose and overdo it.”
