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We’d worried about chairs for everyone, but I saw there was no need for that concern, as most that were sitting were on any of the hundreds of pieces of grass around the place. I saw smiles and laughter, people gravitating to Puck and Patch, and I couldn’t wait for them to see Xen’s painting, to see they’d been included.
I found Xen, PJ and Joel by the goats. Well, Joel and PJ were by them, and Xen was in the pen, holding and snuggling two of them. “PJ, thought you’d be back in the tent.”
“They were all over each other. I wanted to meet Joel.”
Joel smiled shyly to me. “He’s real nice, like ya said.”
“Good. Xen, you like our goats?”
He was nodding like crazy and made a pantomime of painting. I was finally getting Xen-speak. “You need to add them to the mural.”
As Xen grinned at me, he gave me a thumbs up. I was quite proud of that.
Joel was a whiz on the grill, and he shined as everyone complemented his food. Damon and I watched from our place on the grass as he shyly smiled at all the people speaking to him, and those that flirted with him got him to flirt back as well.
Though, he always did so after looking at me or Damon. He was a good boy.
“What are we dressing him in? I saw you had a box from Slutae that didn’t go with the rest of it.”
I preened at my sneakiness. “You’ll see. It’s a surprise for you both. Did you get the other thing?”
It was Damon’s turn to preen. “I did, and it’s fucking perfect. Wait ‘til you see it.”
There would be a lot of surprises that night, some good, some not so great, but the hours leading up to the opening were all wonderful. I caught Eli crossing the road, coming from the guesthouse and stopped him. “Whoa, there young buck, where you off to in such a hurry.”
“Young buck? You’re blending right in around here. I’ll see you later tonight.”
I grabbed his arm and growled, “Don’t move. Where the fuck are you coming from? Eli, if you’re…seeing someone…”
“Burke! That’s just fucked up! I’d never cheat on Noah, never!”
“Then what’s going on? You’re looking…as Noah would say, awful jumpy.”
“Just because you caught me,” he admitted, looking around as he pulled something from his pocket. “I had to come get this.”
“What is it?”
“A doctor’s note.”
I stared at him skeptically, twisting my mouth as he squirmed under my scrutiny. “Excuse me??
“My doctor is here; may I remind you?”
“Oh, Lauder? He’s hot, by the way, and his boys…damn.”
“Keep it in your pants, Burke. They don’t play with others.”
“I know. So, what’s the note?”
He handed it to me as he said, “I’m clear to be branded. I’ve worked my ass off on my anxiety and Brian okayed me.”
I gave him a one-armed hug around the neck while I read over the note. “This is great, babe. What you wanted for the opening.”
“Now to convince Noah. Maybe…give him a call later. Just to talk about it. He respects you.”
That caught me by surprise, but it made me feel really great. Noah was a good guy, and knowing I had his respect meant a lot to me. “He…he does?”
“Well, yeah! He loves you guys. Oh, he’s not the sappy kind, like me, but he is really glad you all moved here.”
