Page 100 of Bountiful
“About time, too. My dry spell was two years. But you can’t possibly be doing that badly. Any hotties in your trainingcourse?”
“We’re not supposed to sleep with other agents. And since the training facility is in the middle of the Adirondack mountains, the talent poolwasthin.”
I snickered. “Thinnerthanhere?”
“Nojoke.”
“Ah, well. I need to climb back aboard the celibacy train myself. Sleeping with the father of your child is pretty much the epitome of abadidea.”
“Probably true,”hesaid.
I immediately wanted to pinch him for agreeing with me. SoIdid.
“Ouch. What I meant was—I have no opinion about you sleeping withMcHockey.”
“That’sbetter.”
My brother yawned. “I’mgoinghome.”
“You are home,” Igrumbled.
“Yeah, well. I heard somebody was getting a three-bedroom house on the hill after it gets a coat of paint. So I expect to be slumming it here over the bar in a few shortweeks.”
“I don’t even know what to think about the house,” Iadmitted.
“It’s complicated,” my brother agreed. “Especially if you’re sleeping with him. Or maybe that makes it lesscomplicated?”
“Nothing was ever made less complicatedbysex.”
“Except forconception.”
I pinched him again and helaughed.
Unfortunately,the week had more punishment in store for me. The real low point didn’t hit until the day before Audrey’s return. In fact, she was probably in the air over the Great Plains when the power at The Busy Beanwentout.
Again.
I wanted to wail. Instead, I called my mom, asking her to leave Nicole with me and to please go buy some fuel for the generator. Audrey and I hadmeantto do that after our last incident, but I’d put it off, damn it. And I wasnotabout to lose all the dairy products and food in our walk-inrefrigerator.
Then—even though I’d promised myself I would make it ten days without asking anyone at the Shipley farm for help—I’d called the farm and asked for Zachariah. He was the one who had diagnosed our electrical problem the last time thishappened.
“I’ll be right over,”hesaid.
“Thank you!” I said, sincethank youwas still my mantra. Now I owed Zach on top of everyone else. But Audrey would’ve wanted me to call him, because it cost us a hundred and fifty bucks to get a repair man just to walk through the door. And I didn’t know if I needed the heating and cooling guy or the electrician. Meanwhile, Zach would hook up the generator for me, making sure it kept ourrefrigeratorson.
With Griffin out of town, the Shipley farm was probably experiencing a series of chaotic, short-staffed days, too. But Zach turned up a half an hour later, gave me a hug, then disappeared into the back to try to diagnose theproblem.
Kieran stayed an extra half hour, sweeping up the kitchen and the dining room for me. But then his dark-eyed gaze found mine, and he gave me a wry smile. “I have to go to my other job. But if you need somewhere to stash the cold stuff overnight, text me and I’ll see what I can fit in myfridge.”
“You’re the best.” I pointed at the door. “Now go. I’ve made you late enoughalready.”
He gave me a quick grin anddisappeared.
That left me minding the store alone with Nicole strapped into the baby carrier on my chest. She was cranky about the confinement. Meanwhile, I poured iced coffee and served baked goods to customers perplexed by the unlitbakery.
Also, it was hard to keep Nicole around baked goods without sharing. She kept pointing at cookies. “Look,” I said, removing a biscotti from a jar. “If I give you this one, that’s it, okay?Justone.”
“Appa-da-bah.”
