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“Sure. And all the women in Magnolia Falls will be all over you once I’m gone. Evie was seething when she saw me sitting on your lap when we watched the fireworks.”
“Does that make you jealous, Queenie? Knowing Evie wants to be in my bed the minute you aren’t?” It was a shitty thing to say. I had no intention of having Evie in my bed. I didn’t want anyone else in my bed. But I wanted to see if it bothered her.
“Never. I know what this is. That’s why it works. We both want the same thing.” She shrugged, and I saw something in her gaze. Sadness, maybe.
I think we both knew nothing had gone according to plan. I should just cut the cord now and make this easier on both of us. But I couldn’t seem to do it. I’d thought about it several times over the last week, but here we were.
“And what is this?” I asked.
“Two people who don’t want anything serious, getting what they need from the other.”
I nodded. “Sounds about right. Let’s go paint this house.”
She helped me carry in several boxes of pizza, a few six-packs of beer, and some sodas.
Rico and Panda were both wearing matching baggy jumpsuits that I assumed were for painting, and they looked absolutely ridiculous. Zane was in an old T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. When I walked around the corner, Demi and Romeo were checking out the kitchen. Saylor was talking with Kingston at the small table in the corner, Nash and Hayes were out in the backyard, looking around, and Cutler came running toward Ruby.
“Rubes, I missed you. We’re going to ride tomorrow, right?”
I took what she had in her hands and set it on the counter, and she bent down to his level so she could hug him. She was so tough on the outside, but there was nothing but heart beneath that exterior.
“Yep. I wouldn’t miss riding with you and Demi for anything.”
“I wish you weren’t moving. My dad said it’s coming up pretty soon.” He pouted.
You and me both, little dude.
“I’m going to miss you, but I’ll come back to visit.”
He turned to look at me and lunged. “Hi, Uncle River. Did you bring my favorite pizza?”
“Of course, I did. That’s why I’m your favorite uncle,” I said, as I fist-bumped him.
He looked up at me and winked. This fucking kid was too smooth for his own good.
“Hey, we don’t have favorites,” Kingston said, shooting me a glare. “Unless, of course, your favorite is Uncle King. And who could blame you?”
Everyone laughed, and Ruby started passing out plates so they could eat before her brothers offered to show her around the house. Obviously, this wasn’t my first time here. She didn’t know that.
She didn’t need to know that.
“I’m going to start in the bedrooms. Let’s bust this out,” Nash said, spoken like a true contractor. He and Kingston had already been here with me to check out the place. Romeo nodded and followed Nash down the hall.
Kingston grabbed Hayes and Saylor and said they’d get started on the family room, and Ruby and Zane headed for the guest bedroom, while Rico and Panda were taking on the laundry room.
“Looks like you and me are doing the kitchen,” Demi said.
I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a few bites. “Let’s do this, Beans.”
She stood on the step stool and started taping off the ceiling, and I got the paint brushes and rollers out before filling the bin with paint. Kingston had recommended we paint the wholeplace in a light gray color. Just getting some fresh paint on the walls was going to make a big difference.
The house didn’t need much. I normally invested in dumps that we could flip, but these were Ruby’s brothers, and they’d been eager to get their own place, so I’d bought this one in pretty decent shape as is.
I knew it would be better for her not to be worrying so much about them after she left.
Her mother wasn’t changing, but her brothers were proving to be capable of more than they’d shown up until now. Maybe having their sister back here had made a difference or motivated them in some way.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” Demi asked, as she held up a paintbrush and smiled at me.
