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My pancakes tasted like sawdust. Weird, because Adam was usually a great cook. I cleaned up after myself and headed down to the shop to work. Both of my employees had called in, due to bad weather conditions, but I didn’t expect many customers, for the same reason, so it wasn’t a big deal.
I returned a few calls about the furniture people saw on Adam’s channel, and since I had to keep an eye on the shop, I settled in to wait.
When theAdam’s Familychime rang through the store, I stood. Theinterestedlook I adopted faded to a scowl when I saw Travis strolling toward me. “What can I do for you?” I clipped off the words.
“I heard you’ve been doing some electrical wiring in a basement you aren’t supposed to have.”
I wasn’t going to take any chances with the nuance in his words. “Iwasn’t. I had a licensed electrician do it. And since the basement is original to the building, I can’tunhaveit.”
“If by licensed, you mean Brooke, is her work the reason the power went out on the whole block last night?”
I clenched my fists as suppressed frustration from this morning rushed back in the form of fury. Could I get away with it if I threw a punch? “The power went out because the transformer blew. Same one that dies in a noisybangevery six months or so. Brooke is more competent at her work than anyone I know. Get out or I’ll make you.”
“I didn’t say what I came to say.”
“I don’t care.” Maybe I should—he had a lot of say about what happened to this block—but fuck him. “This is still my shop and still private property. If you want to tell me something, send an email.”
Travis shrugged. “Probably safer for me anyway, but you’ll wish you heard me out when you read it.” He turned and walked toward the door.
Adam was coming back as he was leaving, and jarred Travis with his shoulder on the way past.
Childish? Without question. Did I laugh anyway? Without question.
“What’s The Tool want?” Adam asked when he reached the counter.
“Don’t know, don’t care. How’s Brooke?”
“She has to stay off her feet for at least two weeks and she’s not happy about it.” Adam didn’t look happy either.
I was disappointed, but this was as good a time as any to remind myself of the rules I’d set on our relationship. Brooke was a friend I was giving lessons to. If the teacher couldn’t practice what he preached, what good was he as a teacher? “She has to do what she has to do.”
A frown whispered across Adam’s face.
“We should check with some other people on the block, see if they can help us while she’s out of commission,” I said.
“Good idea.” This time Adam’s frown lingered. “Brooke did say—more than once—that we should visit and keep her updated, so she didn’t get lonely.”
I wasn’t sure that was smart, but if we weren’t having sex, I’d go see her as a friend. “Okay.”
Adam’s sigh almost sounded like a growl.
I wasn’t going to ask why, because I wasn’t sure I had a retort to whatever was bothering him. “Do you mind working today?” I asked instead. “I want to do a full inventory of the basement, now that we have power.”
Adam’ssurewas as unenthusiastic as anything I’d ever heard, but he settled onto the stool behind the register.
I headed into the basement. A light switch sat at the bottom of the stairs, and when I flicked it, the entire space lit up. Brooke was good. I spent the next several hours cataloging everything, moving as much of it as I could into some semblance of order while I worked.
Was antique sex furniture subject to the same zoning laws as adult toys? There was what we’d told Travis, and then there was the reality and I had no idea if I could actually sell this stuff. I hoped so.
My phone chimed with a new email from Travis, and I ignored it.
About fifteen minutes later a text from Aubrey came through.What the fuck is he thinking?
This couldn’t be good.
It was followed quickly by one from Adam.You should get up here.
Nope. Not good at all.
