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I’m getting too used to all the little routines we’ve developed. Jameson comes over every night when he’s done work at the farm. He makes us dinner. I do the dishes because he cooked. But Jameson sits on the kitchen counter or at the table with a beer, talking to me. And then he takes me to bed and fucks me better than I’ve ever had.
And Saturday mornings are for sleeping in, morning sex, and breakfast, damnit.
I’m running late and I’m even more annoyed by the time I get out of the house and to the shop. I’ve been working away at the shop, ordering stuff, and getting organized. But I can only throw so much crap out into the town garbage and recycling every week. It’s time to really make some progress on emptying the place out. Right now, it’s a mix of old crap and all the new stuff I’ve ordered. It’s getting pretty chaotic in there. When I ordered my paint ages ago, I was being overly optimistic about how long this was all going to take. My expensive paint has sat right next to the front door where Jameson left it.
When I pull up in front of the shop, there’s no parking spots. So, I pull around the side. That’s kind of weird. Long lines and no parking spots are two problems you don’t really have when you live in a town of twelve-hundred people.
As I walk around the corner, I notice the trucks. And they all look familiar. Every single one of them. Jameson. Gunnar. Jarrett. Jensen. Jasper. What the hell? Maybe they’re all at Selena’s bakery for breakfast or something? If they were at the diner, they’d all be parked across the street in one of the ten empty spots right outside it. No, they must be at the bakery. And not a single one of them apparently thought to invite me? Assholes. Especially Jameson and Gunnar. If Jameson left my bed to go to a secret breakfast with all of my other friends that I wasn’t invited to, he’s going to have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight. And Gunnar’s my best friend… even if I have been dodging him lately.
When I turn my key in the lock, it doesn’t turn right. Because it’s already unlocked. Tugging on the door, I throw it wide open.
“What the hell?” I mutter, seeing everyone I was just pissed at a second ago standing right in front of me in my shop.
And Jacks and Selena.
“Lily!” Selena squeals and rushes over to hug me.
“Selena?” Glancing around the room, I can barely take it all in as Jacks walks over to us. “Jacks! What are you two doing here? You’re supposed to be in L.A.!”
Jacks doesn’t wait his turn. He wraps his huge arms around both of us and squeezes tight. I can barely breathe, they’re squeezing me so close. I love these humans so freaking much it hurts.
My eyes dart to Jameson. He’s frowning at us.
When Jacks and Selena finally let go, I shake my head again. “What are you doing here? I didn’t see your truck outside.”
“It’s around the back. We wanted to surprise you. We came to help you with the shop!” Selena says, excited and full of even more energy than usual.
“Jacks is actually going to try his hand at some real work today,” Jarret calls out from the back of the shop.
Jacks throws his middle finger up at his brother. “I do real work.”
“You wear makeup for a living, man,” Jasper says with a laugh.
Jacks smiles, and rubs his hand over the beard he always grows when he’s not filming. “He’s not wrong, actually. But I could still work any of you under the table.”
“Bring it, old man,” Jensen challenges.
Wincing at his words, I look to see if Jameson noticed. Jacks and I are the same age, born only a couple of months apart. So, if Jacks is an old man, then I’m pretty sure what that makes me. I don’t let myself even think the words.
Instead, Jameson’s words pound through my head: You’re beautiful. You’re young. And we need to get you better, so I can fuck you again.
Glancing over to look at him, I see him frowning at Jensen. He looks like he wants to beat the shit out of his brother. That man is always trying to take care of me.
Jameson has me so distracted that I can’t really think when I turn back to look at Jacks.
“My landlord came to help with clearing out my shop?”
“Your landlord?” Jameson nearly growls.
“Oops, sorry Jacks,” I mutter before shrugging and just admitting it. “Jacks owns half the town now. So, if anyone needs cheap rent for anything, he’s your guy. Although, the in is probably through Selena. She got me a great deal on this place.”
A really great deal. It’s free until I turn a profit. And then it’s two-fifty a month. I’ve always said no when Jacks tried to buy me anything extravagant. I let him fly me around the world to visit him and pay for that kind of thing because that was the only way I ever got to see him since he moved away when we were eighteen. But I always said no to anything else. But I said yes for the first time to the insanely good rental terms because my little shop and I need all the help we can get. And I really, really need this shop to work out. I need the win.
“Lily!” Jacks looks pissed.
“Sorry, bestie! It was going to come out sooner or later. You know, small towns and gossip.”
“The only two people in this town who knew about it were you two,” Jacks mutters, eyeing Selena and me.
