Page 109 of Take This Heart
UGH.
Dad
Give your sister a break. She’s subjected to the grandmas almost every hour of every day.
I fan my face.
“What’s going on?” Milo’s eyes narrow. “Who’s making you so red?”
“No one to be jealous of.” I snort. “My brothers are calling me out for not being home this morning.”
He grins and comes up behind me, hugging my back to his chest. “I’m sorry we overslept. It’s all my fault.”
“Itisall your fault.”
“It is. You didn’t want me keeping you up all night long. When you were screaming my name, you meant, ‘Stop making me feel so good, dammit!’”
I laugh and he turns me around in his arms, leaning his forehead against mine.
“Seriously, I’m sorry. I told you I’d get you back before they all woke up and I didn’t. I’ll do better next time.”
“Ifthere’s a next time,” I tease.
“Oh, there’ll be a next time. I’m the only man for you…remember? You said that last night.”
I groan, leaning my head on his chest. “You areinsufferable.”
Whenever the brothers are all in town, we get a lot done. I show them the sample boards I have of nearly every inch of the project and let them vote on the final decisions for everything from furniture and wood choices to paint and lighting. It’s a painless process since I’ve already narrowed it down to my favorites and have a good idea of what they each like.
Noah has called in every favor around the state, and because he and my dad have a great reputation with everyone they’ve ever worked with in construction and real estate, they’ve all been happy to help. We’re also paying them well, but at least twelve guys have said they would have done it for nothing. I’m happy that Dad’s seeing how loved he is, not just in this community, but from all over. All the extra hands are making everything go faster than usual, which is exciting. Most of the exterior work is done and anything we can finish before winter will be amazing. All the indoor work will get done during the cold months. The restaurant is almost complete, besides decorating it, and Camden thinks he can be here full-time in September, which is just a month away. He’s conducted online interviews and will finalize the hires once he’s met them in person nextmonth. The restaurant’s grand opening will be in early October.
When I originally made a plan to take Kevin to visit Sabrina, I didn’t realize my brothers would all be in town, so I’m torn about leaving them. However, both Erin and Juju got off work early to make this happen, and after my brothers teased me so much all morning about Milo, I gladly bail right after lunch. We’re all at Erin’s place, a cute little house on Wildbriar Lane. The puppies are adorable together, rolling around on the floor. We’re sitting on the floor too, so we can pet them and be close if they get too rough.
“Can you believe how big they are now?” Erin says, her lips poking out in a pout.
“I know. It’s gone so fast.” I lean against the couch.
“They make me want a puppy, but I don’t think I could pull it off. Too underfoot at the bakery,” Juju says wistfully.
“Oh hey, before I forget, I wondered if we could do a Paint and Sip night at Cox,” Erin says.
“That sounds fun!” Juju says, laughing when Sabrina rolls into her leg.
They both look at me.
“Yeah, of course, I’m in. When are you thinking?”
“Whenever you’d agree to be our instructor,” Erin says, giving me the side-eye.
I laugh. “Oh, I see how it is now.”
“I’d open it up to everyone…they’d have to pay for supplies, of course, but I’m thinking something a little more exciting…”
“Like what?”
“Like those acrylic pour paintings you’ve done before. I’m dying to try one of those,” Erin says.
“Sure.” I nod. “Should we do a practice night first? We’ll need to do it in your back room, so we don’t ruin anything.Or maybe The Cozy Palette? Hey—I can’t believe I haven’t asked before now. I haven’t seen Percy around since I moved here. Is The Cozy Palette even still up and running? Are they still in town?”
