Holding back the intense need to take her away somewhere private, somewhere I could finally get her alone, I settled for dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Are you really okay with me staying in the Manor?"
Parker swallowed, then nodded.
"Good," I whispered against her temple. Straightening, I stepped away, every cell in my body protesting the lack of contact. Soon. It was almost time. Not yet. "I'll be back in ten days. Don't forget, you owe me dinner."
"I can't cook!" she protested, laughing, one hand outstretched. I grabbed it, hauling her in to press my lips to hers in a kiss far more chaste than what I really wanted. Her family was behind that thick door, but I'd heard what Griffen said about security. There were eyes everywhere.
I wasn't ready, but I stepped away. It was time to go. For now.
"We'll figure it out. See you soon, Parker."
ChapterSeventeen
PARKER
Knock, Knock.I knew that quick rap on the door. A smile was already spreading across my face as I looked up to see Savannah, Sterling behind her. Savannah held up a bottle of wine. "We've come to rescue you from your drudgery. Nicky's in bed and I picked this up on sale yesterday."
Without waiting for me to respond, she pushed the door open and came in. Sterling followed, two glasses in one hand, a bottle of seltzer tucked under her arm, and Shadow perched on her shoulder.
"Shadow thinks he's a parrot," I said, wanting to reach for our kitty, but conscious of the clothes I was wrapping for shipment. No cat hair allowed. I finished packing the dress and sealing the envelope, stacking it neatly by the door before I gave in to temptation, and plucked the kitten from Sterling's shoulder before I sank into one of my soft velvet armchairs.
"She likes riding up there." Sterling rubbed at her shoulder. "But her claws are a bitch."
"Tiny, but fierce," Savannah commented, "kind of like you two."
"I'm not fierce," I protested, nuzzling Shadow's soft head, soaking in the rumble of her purr, outsized and deep compared to her delicate little body.
"You're fierce on the inside." Savannah took a spot on the sofa and popped the cork on the wine, pouring it in two glasses and handing me one.
Sterling flopped down beside her and opened her seltzer. "How's the great clean-up going? Griffen said you've been working your ass off."
Savannah's mouth twisted in an awkward smile. "I feel weird about you cleaning the cottage."
"Why?" Sterling challenged.
"First, because it's going to be the nicest place Nicky and I have lived, and it feels like too much. But I love it, so I want it for us. And second, because I work for you. You shouldn't be cleaning my house."
"Whatever," Sterling scoffed, but I waved away her comment, understanding where Savannah was coming from.
"Get over it," I said, sipping my wine and trying to keep Shadow on my lap instead of climbing my shirt with her needle-sharp claws. "Why shouldn't you have someplace nice to live? You work hard. This place feels more like a home than it ever has. Part of that is our father being gone, and Griffen and Hope, but a huge part is you. You make magic happen every day."
"Trust me," Sterling cut in. "We want you to be happy. We want you so happy you never leave us."
"I'm not going anywhere," Savannah said. "But–"
I held up a hand to stop her. "And second, I asked Griffen for a job. He offered me something at the Inn–"
"My old job?" Sterling interrupted.
I couldn't tell if she was annoyed, her expression revealing only curiosity. "Yes," I admitted, "But I wasn't sure if you'd want to come back–Tenn and Royal want you back, you know–" At that, Sterling shrugged but didn't comment.
"I turned it down. I didn't want to work at the Inn. I wanted this project, and I knew it would come with grunt work and getting dirty. I'm not looking to scrub toilets and floors forever, but this is different. Did I show you the marble I found for the counters?"
"No! Show me!" Savannah's excitement dimmed as soon as the words were out. "Isn't marble more expensive than granite?"
"Usually," I said, grabbing my tablet and scrolling for the picture I'd taken at the vendor's warehouse the day before. "But your kitchen isn't huge and the L-shape counter and farmhouse sink let us use smaller pieces. This was ordered for a client who changed their mind at the last minute and their measurements were an exact fit for yours. It was a win-win. We get marble at less than the cost of granite and Victor doesn't have to sit on marble countertops he can't move."
Savannah took the tablet and scrolled through the pics, taking in the white marble cut with bands of light gray. "This is going to look gorgeous with the sage green cabinets and those dark floors."
