“So, buy shit for the house, make it yours,” I argue. “It’s your house. Do what you want.”
“Really?” she asks, her eyes wide, her voice full of surprise. “I can decorate?”
“You’re weird, Micky,” Jack says, shaking his head at her and smirking.
She frowns at him and crosses her arms over her chest. “Well, you’re rude.”
“Would you both just shut up?” I respond, interrupting them. “You’re ruining this perfect day with your bullshit.”
Jack’s lips twitch. I know he wants to laugh. But the look of death from his sister keeps him from fully enjoying himself.
“Babe, seriously, get the stick out of your ass!” I tell her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her until she giggles. “Stop taking everything so seriously! Just have fun right now. We’re tourists.”
“We should get drunk tonight. Eat at a nice restaurant, have some good food and get drunk,” Jack says. “A big fuck-off Heidi evening.” He lifts both his hands and holds up his middle fingers.
“So, two drinks for this one?” I ask, holding my thumb out and pointing it at Mikayla.
“Okay, Grandpa!” she mutters in an old man’s voice.
I reach over and tickle her, her face turning bright red. “I can’t…” she giggles. “Caine!”
“You two are weird,” Jack says, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as our gondola stops to let us off. But I see his smile.
I throw my arm around Mikayla’s hip, holdingthe bags in my other as we walk along the pier.
“Have you thought about staying in Crystal Falls?” I ask Jack nonchalantly.
I kiss the top of Mikayla’s head as she leans into me. She turns and looks at her brother.
“I sent HR an email asking if I could relocate,” he says. He stops walking and looks at me. “If I stay…”
“The place is yours, of course!” I state firmly.
“Really? Cause it’s bigger than my apartment in Atlanta,” he says. “I’ll just sell my stuff there, pack up and drive back.”
“Wait, you’re serious?” Mikayla asks, walking out of my arms and over to her brother. She takes his hand with both of hers. “Tell me you’re serious!” she yells, jumping up and down.
“I’m serious!” he yells back, a huge grin on his face.
“Jack!” she yells and jumps into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you!” She giggles as Jack twirls her around.
We walk back to the hotel and drop off our bags before heading back out. We walk down the road until we find an Asian fusion restaurant that Mikayla says is amazing.
She orders an overly fancy drink that just makes me think of Hawaii, and Jack and I get beers. The menu has shared plates, so we order shrimp fried rice, seven flavored beef, chicken Pad Thai, bok choy and sea bass with peanuts and fresh Asian herbs and spices.
“Are you gonna learn how to ride a horse and become a cowboy?” Mikayla asks, teasing her brother.
“You’ll be prime pickings for the buckle bunnies, but I don’t recommend dating one,” I tell him as I scoop more fried rice on my plate. This food is like crack! I can’t stop eating it!
“Buckle bunnies?” Jack asks, raising a brow.
“The ladies that follow the cowboys,” Mikayla explains. “Apparently, the town is full of them. Caine hides me away on the ranch, so I have yet to see one in the wild,” she says, placing her hand up and wiggling her fingers as though there’s something mysterious about buckle bunnies.
“You want to go to a bar and watch me get hit on?” I ask, quirking a brow.
Mikayla laughs, throwing her head back. “Or we can sit on a plane, and I can watch you get hit on. You’re hilarious. I have nothing to worry about. You, on the other hand, would get all ornery if a guy hit on me.”
“If this becomes a bet on you guys getting hit on, I’m going back to the hotel,” Jack says.
