Page 7 of Careless
Finnian gave a mock gasp. “Hey, I’m a single father of two. I need to save money.”
Teagan rolled her eyes and I sat back and watched the show. “You say that as if Promise isn’t the best ex-girlfriend in the world who co-parents with you in an organized way to the point that it scares me.”
My brother shrugged before digging into his food. “True, I love Promise, and I’m so glad she’s my daughters’ mother. But I’m also relieved that we figured out this whole co-parenting thing after a rough patch.”
“Is she going to open that bed and breakfast when she gets through college?” Teagan asked.
Finnian nodded. “That’s the plan. There used to be one up Heritage Street, and I know she’s is+ looking at the deeds now along with her family’s help.”
“That would be a great place for it. And you’d help her fix it up, right?” Teagan asked as she played with the rest of her food.
There was something going on in my little sister’s head, and I would figure it out. I would figure it out with all of them. I just hated the fact that I couldn’t fix everything for them.
“That’s the plan. Once I finish this program, I have to go through an apprenticeship. But I’m going to end up with all of my certifications. The town needs my special hands,” he said as he wiggled his fingers.
“More like spirit fingers,” Sterling teased under his breath, and I growled as Finnian lifted a chip to throw it across the table.
“We are not children, no food fights in my fucking house.”
“Yes, Daddy,” Finnian said with a roll of his eyes.
How the nicest and yet most sarcastic one of us ended up a father of two, I would never know. Because the man was one of the best fathers I’d ever seen. He didn’t have a blueprint for it, though, considering our father, so I was just damn happy that Finnian was figuring it out.
“So, did you see who’s back in town for the week?” Finnian asked again, and I tried not to look too alert. After all, my brother was talking to Sterling and Bodhi, not me.
“I cannot believe that Felicity’s already twenty-one. Wasn’t she just in braces?”
“You say that as if you aren’t only eighteen months or so older than her,” Teagan said dryly.
“And those eighteen months count. We’ve seen worlds since then.” Finnian rolled his shoulders back, looking like the pompous jackass he sometimes pretended to be.
“She’s almost done with college. What do you think she’s going to do after that?” Teagan asked.
Finnian took a big bite of his food and thankfully swallowed before answering. “No clue. Though with Rune here, and her parents, she might want to come back.”
“Why would she come back to Ashford Creek?” I asked, my voice low. “There’s nothing for her here.”
Bodhi gave me a look that I couldn’t read, or rather, I didn’t want to read, so I ignored him.
“There’s plenty in Ashford Creek and we’re growing yearly,” Sterling said with a shrug.
“We might not be the center family anymore, with the town mayor in our pocket or growing the town’s population and lines, but the town itself is cleaning up and getting a good reputation. Your brewery’s helping with that. With the addition of the bar and grill room put in, and maybe this bed and breakfast, we’re kicking ass.” Teagan shrugged as if she hadn’t tried to cement our family into this town once again.
“Not to mention your gift shop,” Finnian said with a grin.
“It’s not my gift shop. I only manage it,” Teagan said as she continued not to eat her food. What the hell was going on with her?
“I’m thinking about maybe coming back to town after I finish culinary school,” Sterling blurted.
I blinked and set my fork down. “What? Why?”
“The town could use a higher-end restaurant. You know, for the tourists that don’t want to stay in the resort town. Summit Grill is great, as are the diner and bakery...”
“The bakery’s shit, and we all know it,” Bodhi grumbled but didn’t elaborate.
Nobody needed to. Not with the owner and the way she constantly annoyed the fuck out of everybody in town. And frankly, her baked goods didn’t rise to the occasion. I could not believe I just said that own pun in my head, and I was grateful I hadn’t said it aloud. Finnian would never let me live it down.
I leaned forward, focusing on my brother’s words. “Restaurants are hard to maintain. It’s not just knowing how to cook.”
