"I know," I agreed with glee. "And I got the stains out of the sink in Nicky's bathroom, so we don't need to replace that. I'm going to use that money and the savings on the counters to upgrade the tub in your bathroom."
Savannah handed back the tablet, shaking her head. "It's too much, Parker."
"Shut up." Sterling nudged Savannah's knee with her own. "It's not. Griffen set a budget and Parker's staying inside it. No one wants you living in a shit hole. Especially after you've been stuck in the basement."
"The basement isn't that bad," Savannah protested.
"It's not that great either," I said. "When you're in the cottage, I'm going to talk Griffen into letting me re-decorate those rooms for the staff lounge he said you wanted. And we have to find time to go through the attics and see if there's anything you can use in the cottage. That way I can figure out how much of the budget I need for furniture."
"There are some really great pieces up there that would be perfect for Savannah's cottage," I heard from the doorway.
We looked to see Hope at the door, my sister Quinn beside her. Hope was already wrapped in a fluffy robe, her eyes tired, her hand resting on her abdomen over the swell of her pregnancy. Quinn had changed since dinner, out of the clothes she'd worn guiding a canoe trip on the river and into faded yoga pants and a loose t-shirt. She glowed with health, her dark hair shiny and her vivid blue eyes bright against her tanned face and pink cheeks.
"We brought an extra bottle of wine," she said, holding it up. "Can we crash the party?"
"Of course," I said, glancing behind them. "Where are Avery, Scarlett, and Daisy?" If we were having an impromptu girls' night, I didn't want to leave out our other sister or Daisy and Scarlett, Royal and Tenn's girlfriends, who'd both become part of the family.
Hope dropped onto the armchair opposite mine and propped her feet on the ottoman. "Daisy and Royal are on a date, Tenn and Scarlett are at the putt-putt with the boys–I think they were getting ice cream after–and Avery is still at the brewery." Craning her neck, she spotted the cabinet in the corner hiding my mini-fridge, electric kettle, and snacks. "Do you have another of those seltzers in there? Or water?"
"I should." I got up and crossed the room to the cabinet. Savannah, in her brilliance, had outfitted all of our rooms with drink and snack stations so we didn't have to go all the way down to the kitchens if we wanted a quick treat or a cup of tea. I'd spent some of my first meager paycheck on a single-serve coffee maker. I wasn't much for breakfast, and I liked to do paperwork from my online clothes sales in the morning, but I needed my coffee.
I opened the mini-fridge and checked the contents. "Pear or clementine?"
"Does it make a difference?" Quinn asked, pouring a glass of wine from the already open bottle. "They all taste the same."
"Pear," Hope said, reaching out to take the can. "They all taste the same, but the pear smells the best." She took a sip of the seltzer before she went back to the previous subject. "I was in the attics this morning and there's a queen-size bed you should look at for the cottage. It has matching bedside tables, and there's a wardrobe that could go with it. I don't know what the closet situation is."
"It's not bad actually," I said. "There was a small sewing room off the bedroom. Since no one sews anymore, Billy Bob is converting it into a walk-in closet."
"Really?" Savannah's eyes were wide. "That'll be fantastic. I figured I'd have to find a clothes rack or something."
Dealing with closets in a house this old was a problem. Both closets and bathrooms had changed so much in the last hundred years. What was luxurious in 1900 was far too small now. The family suites had been remodeled years ago, but Prentice hadn't bothered with the staff's rooms.
"How long until Savannah and Nicky can move in?" Hope asked.
"Not for another month, at least." I sent Savannah an apologetic glance. "Some of the electrical needs to be updated, and a few of the pipes are shot. Billy Bob are working on it."
Savannah shook her head. "I don't care. A month would be great. Just let me know when you want to go check out the attics for furniture and I'll be there."
"Tomorrow after breakfast?" Hope asked, explaining to me, "I want to come with you and show you some of the things I found. We have a meeting at eleven with your brother-in-law, but I'm free before."
"After breakfast works for me," Savannah said.
"Me too," I added.
Quinn looked up from her lap, where she was playing with Shadow. "Hold up and rewind for a sec. Why do you have a meeting with Parker's brother-in-law?"
I shrugged a shoulder, not sure what to say. I was all over the place on the subject of Nash Kingsley. I kept my mouth shut, deciding to let Hope field this one.
With a glance at me, she said, "We're going into business together. He'll be back in Sawyers Bend next week. Moving into the Manor, actually."
Quinn sat up, displacing Shadow, who loudly complained and picked her way across Quinn's legs to Sterling, her favorite human. Quinn looked from me to Hope. "What? Moving into the Manor? Are you okay with this? Is he a dickhead like Tyler?" Hearing what she'd said, she winced at me. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize, Tyler is a dickhead." I couldn't help but smile.
Why did it feel so good to say that to my sister? Because I could finally stop pretending? Pretending to be perfect, pretending my marriage was wonderful when it was anything but. It felt so good to say it out loud, I said it again. "Tyler is a dickhead." I savored the sound of that for a millisecond before I finished, "Nash is different. He's the one who connected me with my divorce lawyer."
Quinn studied my face for a moment. "Yeah, but did he do that for you or to stick it to his brother?"
