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He responds with one of his rare beaming smiles. “Fucking perfect. Should be completed soon. Charlene is going to suggest a family party in a few weeks where we can surprise her.”
I clap my hands together in excitement as we both break out into an easy jog. I wonder if golf carts would fit down here. Would be even easier to get around. Maybe some of those electric scooters or bikes. Not a bad idea.
“Who won?” I ask a few minutes later. I know it can’t have been either Luca or Declan, because they definitely would have already bragged about it by now. Smug assholes wouldn’t be able to help themselves.
Declan grumbles incoherently. I wait and he curses. “Fucking Ryder.”
I scoff. What a fucking dick. “Is that why he’s missing today?”
D rolls his eyes. “Too fucking smug to be around her without giving the whole thing away,” he grumbles.
“Fucking prick,” I curse and Declan snorts.
“At least you didn’t get Luca.”
The words make me stop short. “No,” I say, my eyes wide. One look at his face and I bend over as I cackle, my entire body shaking with the force of it. Oh, I can not wait for Scar to realize her surprise.
It’s going to be epic.
Chapter Eighteen Luca
The doorbell ringingjars me out of my thoughts.
Looking up, I find Scar in the same position she’s been in most of the day, hunched over her laptop with her phone against her ear. Yesterday, she started working on Steel Roses reopening and has barely done anything else since. It reminds me of the days when we first opened it. The thought makes me smile.
The doorbell rings again and I curse. There’s only so many people who wouldn’t just open the door and make themselves at home. Opening the door, I find my least favorite option being the one behind it.
I grunt an acknowledgement to Charles, and open the door wider to let him in. He gives me a tight, awkward smile and nod in hello before walking past me and heading straight for the kitchen. I follow behind him, annoyance simmering at his presence. I promised to be okay with her forgiving him, doesn’t mean I have to like the guy.
As soon as he walks into the kitchen, Scar looks up and beams when she sees him. “Oh perfect timing! I want your opinion on something.”
What the fuck?
Before he can respond to her, I ask, “Do you have updates on Donahue?”
Scar gives me a cool look over her laptop before rolling her eyes. Charles rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, should we wait until everyone gets here?”
I don’t answer, instead just grunting as I pull out my phone to text everyone to meet in the kitchen. I’m not leaving them to go find everyone.
He turns his attention back to my girl, walking over to sit beside her. “I’ll give you my opinion while we wait.” His smile is soft and hesitant, like he also can’t believe her willingness to let him back in. It annoys me. Everything about him annoys me.
Scar ignores me as she points to something on her screen to Charles. “Which design do you like more?”
His brows scrunch together as he studies the screen, pressing his face far too fucking close to hers while he does.
“I like them both, but what are they for?”
She starts explaining Steel Roses to him and how we built the club up into what it is now. Noah walks into the room and comes to stand at my side. “What is happening?”
“Don’t fucking know,” I grumble under my breath. “She’s telling him about our clubs.” Even I can hear the thread of bitterness in my tone. Noah doesn’t call me out on it. He watches them just as warily as Charles laughs at something she says.
Declan comes in next, his gaze less wary and more curious as he takes in the scene on the other side of the counter. He picks up an apple from the fruit basket and takes a loud bite from it. “What are we all staring at?” he whispers sardonically.
I narrow my eyes at him but don’t even bother to respond as Charles starts explaining why he likes one design over another for our waitresses. I don’t care what he says, I vote we go with the opposite of what he chose. Not that Scar would ever let me choose something like this anyways. Why does he get to?
Ryder and Kade are the last to come in together. Kade stops mid-sentence and Ryder’s quick reflexes are the only thing that stops Kade from putting his foot in his mouth with our girl. His eyes flare in anger at how close they’re sitting together, but he also made a promise. No more punching Charles. No more being openly antagonistic toward him. For Letty’s sake.
Declan looks to me to get things started but I just grunt. Apparently, I’m not feeling very eloquent today. Much more caveman if I had to choose how to describe it. “Okay then,” he says under his breath, a slight smile playing on his lips. Fucking asshole.
