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“Yeah, man. Don’t worry about it. If you need an extra set of hands, just call me,” Tristan adds.
“I appreciate that, guys. I just feel bad about ruining your plans.” I frown.
“We’re more concerned about you than a vacation,” Piper states.
“Thank you. Summer is the busiest season, and this is going to hurt us big time.” I sigh at how much I'm going to lose not being open right now.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Tristan offers. “Let the fire chief do his job and then file an insurance claim if you can.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Keep us updated, okay?” Tristan says, and I promise him I will.
“Stay safe,” Piper tells me, then we say goodbye.
For the past six months, they've been fixing up the beach house with hopes of coming back for their one-year wedding anniversary, and I feel like absolute shit that they probably won't be able to now. I know they said it's no big deal, but it is to me. Piper's put in tons of time and money to make it special for my family, and they should've been the first ones to use it.
Thirty minutes later, I pull into the driveway and start unloading bags. On my fourth trip in, Tatum's eyes widen in surprise.
“Did you buy the entire store?”
“Pretty damn close. Who knows how long we'll be here, so might as well be prepared, right?”
“Just like a Boy Scout.” She grins, moving George's cage to one side of the breakfast bar where she watches him run around.
I hand her the bags with her items. “If there's anything you don't like, I can take it back. My feelings won’t be hurt,” I tell her.
“I'm sure whatever you got will be fine. Not really in the position to be picky.” She shrugs.
“Keep that same attitude when you try my cooking. When I said I preferred takeout, I wasn't lying.” I smirk, unloading deli meats, cheese, and bread.
“Thank you, Easton. Seriously. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for all of this, but just know that I'm very grateful. I’m really sorry this happened.”
The look on her face is of pure guilt, and I hate that she's harboring blame for something she didn't do. Though at this point, there's nothing I can say to convince her otherwise.
“It's no problem, and this is not your fault. Yes, the situation sucks, but everything is replaceable. Plus, this place kicks our apartments' asses.” I smirk, hoping to get a smile out of her. “Should we take the proper tour? My brother told me Piper added a game room. I've been dying to see it in person.”
“I saw a hot tub on the patio too,” she says as I shove more food in the pantry and new stainless steel fridge.
“God, I love my sister's expensive taste.” I laugh. “She's a huge YouTube star with an even bigger taste for pricy shit.”
“Really? I don't go online or watch YouTube, but that sounds pretty cool. So she makes videos?”
“Yeah, lots of vlogging and beauty-type tutorials. I really only watch them when I have time. However, I wouldn't be surprised that you've never heard of her since you aren't on social media. I should've suspected something when I couldn't find you anywhere on the internet.”
“You searched for me?”
“Of course I did. Had to make sure the person moving across the hall wasn't a secret Russian spy or something. Turns out, even if you were, your coffee was too good to evict.”
“Do I strike you as someone who's a spy?” She arches a brow.
Purposely, I lower my eyes down her body, admiring every inch of bare skin she's showing. She put her pajamas back on after her bath that she was wearing last night, which is nothing more than a thin layer of fabric.
“Honestly, you look like you could probably kick my ass if you wanted.” Just imagining her thick thighs wrapped around my head has my dick reacting. I clear my throat. “But once I got to know you, I didn’t worry about it anymore. I instantly saw how hard of a worker you were and how you were super kind to everyone you met.”
Tatum's far more caring than I would expect from someone who's endured the trauma she has. I would've never guessed had I not witnessed her reaction to seeing Justin yesterday. The asshole turned my sweet and sexy employee into a scared shell of herself. If I ever get the chance to come face-to-face with him again, he won't have the opportunity to say a single word.
“Maybe I was just good at pretending. Could've still been a spy.”
“Very true. Are you?”
She chuckles. “No, but I wouldn't tell you if I were.” She winks. “It would be a cool job, though.”
I burst out laughing. “I think we have different opinions on what I'd consider cool.”
