Page 39 of Back in the Country
16
MARLEE
“Will you knock it off?” Case grumbles as he starts pruning the next set of bushes in the greenhouse. “You’re upsetting the vibe in here.”
“I’m not—” I start to argue but stop when Otto cuts me off.
“Dude, you’retotallyupsetting thevibe,” he sasses and moves just out of my reach. Lucky jerk.
It has been a few days since we’d been out to the barn, and all that loving family energy that we drummed up dissipated with every smart-ass comment from Otto and Case. The twins are a year older than I am, but no one would accuse them of being mature.
They both wear light gray T-shirts with theTwinscapeslogo on the front, but aside from their brown hair, that’s where their similarities stop. Otto has icy-blue eyes with crazy thick hair that naturally flips up in the front. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t tame it. When he was in high school, he embraced the look that was as wild as he was.
Case, on the other hand, looks more like Waylon than the brother he had shared the womb with. His hair is darker, and he keeps his facial hair neat and tidy. He is handsome with soft blue-gray eyes that are soulful with a side ofaw shucks.
I sigh and look around the enclosed space. The greenhouse was a labor of love that Case had designed, constructed, and then redesigned until every facet of the space was exactly the way he imagined. It is mostly run by solar power and maintains an even, albeit warm, temperature.
Flowers, shrubs, and hybrids line the glass walls with careful precision. Case has a special system for cross-pollination, and it is working because he and Otto have been getting more business along with requests for unique designs and the plants to match.
Gorgeous blood-colored hydrangeas sit in pots next to baby-pink lilies and stunning eggplant-colored blooms I can’t name. Case is undoubtedly an artist with his attention to details—from petals to soil, each plant is meticulously cared for and loved.
“Honestly,”—Case turns with an annoyed look on his face instead of the charming smile he uses on the old and young alike— “what is wrong with you?”
“Ask him! He dragged me over here against my will!” I shoot accusingly at Otto. He shrugs without a care in the world.
That would have annoyed me more if I thought that it wasn’t an act.
“She was makin’ hot laps around the living room and needed to chill her ass out before Sorren gets home.”
I glare.
He shrugs again, and like the petulant child I’d been when he’d found me doing exactly what he accused me of, I stomp my foot.
“Aww, don’t be like that.” Otto pulls me in for a bear hug that smooshes me against his broad chest. I flail in search of oxygen as he chuckles and squeezes me tighter. He isn’t as big as Waylon, but he is still ridiculously strong.
“Argh!” I bark when I wriggle free of his annoyingly effective grasp. Otto chuckles, but Case just shakes his head as he returns to whatever he is working on.
“Mar, you have to chill out. You’ve got enough nervous energy to light up Case’s greenhouse for a week.”
“He’s not wrong,” Case says as he turns with arms crossed over his chest.
I relent and sigh. “I’m just worried. And anxious and just really freaking terrified about how he’s going to be when he gets home.” My gaze drops to the floor. “He’s always been everything to me.”
This time the quiet steps that approach me belong to Case. I melt into his embrace as he wraps me in a firm—but breathable—hug. He kisses the top of my head before tilting my chin up to look at him.
“We’re all worried about Sorren. We’re also worried about you.” My eyes well with tears as the words sink in. I’ve been tryingsohard to keep my shit together, and now I am falling apart before he’s even gotten home.
“You and Sorren are going to get through this, but you don’t have to do it on your own anymore, kid.” The sincerity in Otto’s gaze nearly guts me. “You’re our family too. Let us help.”
Going for levity, I hold on to Case for another moment before making wide eyes at both of them. “Like with your website?”
Groans echo from both of them like I am asking them to wear matching Christmas pajamas.
A girl has a fun ideaone timeand no one ever forgets.
“You know we’re not fancy, Marlee,” Case says like I’m trying to bedazzle his favorite pair of Nikes. Again it wasonetime.
“I know and I promise I won’t even touch your logo. I think it’s great.” I paste on my best smile because it’s the truth.
