AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I bet it’s to replace Soleil’s pottery shed since it burned down last night,” Peace says.
“Fuck,” Miller grumbles. “Her shed burned down?”
“Yeah. With all of her pottery in it.”
Which is why she needs a new shed pronto. She has a ton of pottery to re-make since all the pottery stored in her shed was already bought by customers and waiting to be shipped out. Luckily, she can work at the community center in the meantime but apparently the kiln there is much smaller.
“How about this? We’ll all help,” Riley suggests.
I wish I could accept their help. With the five of us working on the shed, we’d be done in no time. But I can’t accept their help. I have to do this on my own. I have to show SoleilIcan take care of her. Not my brothers and me. Me.
“I have to do this on my own,” I say.
“Why?”
“It’s for Soleil.”
I’m not explaining how I need to care for Soleil on my own. I’m not telling them about her background. It’s private. I’m honored and privileged that she told me her secrets.
“This is going to be fun.” Elder rubs his hands together. “I need to contact Sage and place my bet. I’m winning Project Cub.”
“You haven’t placed your bet yet?” Riley asks.
Peace raises his hand. “I did.”
Miller grunts in agreement.
If they think they can rile me up by talking smack about placing bets about when Soleil and I finally get together, they can think again. I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks about the two of us and our relationship. The only person I care about is Soleil.
Elder grins. “Why did the builder shy away from making construction jokes?” No one guesses. We never do. “Because the joke still needed some work.”
Elder’s the jokester amongst the brothers. Unfortunately, his jokes are usually the equivalent of dad jokes. Everyone ignores him since we’re used to him.
“We’re not going to seriously let Brody do this on his own?” Riley asks. “Winter Falls doesn’t have an emergency room.”
“I don’t need an emergency room. I need to borrow your tools.”
“You don’t have the first clue how to build a shed.”
“I downloaded a plan.”
He chuckles. “Of course, you did. All questions can be answered by the internet.”
I ignore his dig on my obsession with computers and the internet. “I have a list of tools I need. I can buy them but I thought it would be a waste to purchase them since I probably won’t use them again once the shed is built.”
“Buy them?” He cocks a brow. “Do you realize how much tools cost? They’re not cheap.”
“I can lend you some money,” Elder offers, and Miller grunts in agreement.
“I don’t need anyone’s money. I need to borrow some tools. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“What about the other supplies – lumber, shingles, windows, a door? The list goes on and on. Building a shed is not a cheap endeavor,” Riley says.
“Especially if you want to insulate it so Soleil can work on her pottery in the winter,” Peace adds.
I open my mouth to tell them I’ve got plenty of money but snap it shut again when I remember it’s not time. Not yet. I’ll tell them about my business and the money I’ve earned as soon as it’s a success.
“I made a budget,” I say instead of showing them the balance in my bank account.
