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“You’re the one who stormed out of here like the Wicked Witch of the West,” I call out as she heads up the stairs with a scoff. “We’re talking later, Daisy Girl.” I clear my throat as I hear a bedroom door slam.
“Hmm, her friends called her theirlittle daisy.” Quinn’s arms fold as her head tilts to the side with curiosity.
“Daisy Girl is a name I coined.” Even though Emery was going through hell, there was a time before where her laugh was pure, and her face radiated innocence and joy. I was doing whatever I could to keep her spirits up like they once were before her parents died.
“And why didn’t I know about you and her back then?” She eyes me curiously, eyebrow quirked.
“You were busy with med school. Emery and I weren’t romantically involved. I just leveled with her because I lost my mother a few years prior.”
“Fair enough.” Her voice deflates as a hopeless tone kicks in. “No wonder she left. I was a shitty guardian at twenty-three.”
“You weren’t. Emery felt bad thatyouhad become a stand-in parent for your sister.” I might be oversharing, but Quinn looks so lost right now.
“That girl, man.” She shakes her head and blinks back tears. “I hope you two work out whatever is going on.” Quinn laughs, slightly unstable, and nods toward the backyard. “Come on, I’ll show you one more thing I’d like to add on out back.”
I follow Quinn and meet my friend and business partner, Rhett, outside while we go over new plans. This town is expanding, and she’s been given quick town council approval to host tourists and add a little rental house on her property. After Quinn heads inside, Savannah pulls into the driveway and Emery hurries out. Her red hair reflects the sun, and her cut-off shorts are distracting as fuck.
“What happened when you went inside the house?” Rhett adjusts his backwards hat as his brown eyes widen for an answer. “If you fucked her in that short amount of time, she’d have every reason to bolt out of there, all pissed off.”
“You know I’ve stopped hooking up.” I shove a drill into his tattooed body. “I’m not like you. That was Emery, if you remember.” I speak slowly, trying to figure out why she’s taking her anger out on me. I was there for her, and now I seem to be the whipping post.
“I haven’t gotten laid in weeks, Ian.” He brushes his hand over the stubble on his chin. “We are too damn busy with work, and I’m exhausted by the end of the day.”
“Take it as a sign to wait for a woman you have chemistry with beyond the bedroom.”
“Like how obvious it was that your chemistry with Emery was stronger than what you had with Hallie.” He met Emery one fucking time.During a group hike at The Falls, when we weren’t even alone together.
“Hallie’s better suited for Justin.” I introduced Hallie to my best friend Justin shortly after we ended, and it was basically love at first sight.
“I’m surprised Hallie didn’t dump your ass on that hike.” Rhett’s deep voice chuckles. “You and Emery were just firing conversations back and forth.” He stares to the side as if he remembers the moment so clearly. “It felt like all of us were intruding on your date, even though you two weren’t flirting. But you brought out a damn sparkle in Emery’s eye.”
“Hallie and I were kind of on the outs at that point. Mutual agreement.” I think back on us acting more like friends than a couple. We were both at different stages in our lives. She was studying her ass off, and I was taking any building job I could. “We didn’t mention anything to anyone, because Hallie didn’t want Emery to have another big change after her parents died.”
“So y’all stayed together to keep things normal for Emery?” He shoots me a look, and I know, it sounds ridiculous. “But you seemed to be hitting it off with Emery.”
“Who was very vulnerable and needed a friend to relate to more than anything.” Any feelings I had beyond friendship I kept on reserve until she had learned to cope better with other things.
“How long is she back for?” He doesn’t press for deeper info on the past, but his smirk is smug. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a lady home. Maybe she can be the one to break my dry spell.” I don’t bother taking the bait. If he’s doing this, he already knows my depth of feelings for her.
“You just said you’re too tired, so we’ll see about that. But really, no chicks have been doing wonders for business, Rhett.”
“Speaking of our growing business,” Rhett muses. “More work is coming in for some commercial buildings. We are going to need professional help with interior design besides mimicking people's Pinterest boards.”
“And hire a few more laborers.” I make a mental note to ask our workers if they know of any good prospects. The few we have now are great, but there is no way we can expand and give people a decent turnaround for completion. “We should hire more before breaking ground on the Theil project downtown.” I think out loud.
“I’m gonna head back to the office and put together an estimate for Quinn.” We now own I & R Construction. Offering almost anything you need. Except top-notch interior design…but that’s a back burner issue for now.
“I’ll line up interviews this week for new workers.” Rhett squares his broad shoulders and clears his throat. “Finding a qualified designer who will relocate to a small town is probably not going to be the easiest,” he says, as I sense his aggravation rising.
“Nope.” Our budget isn’t as high as what big cities can offer either. “So, when we finally hire one, don’t sleep with her and put our company at risk.” I’m serious and he knows it.
“You know fancy materialistic women don’t pique my interest.” He’s got a point. Rhett tends to go for one of the many line dancers in cowboy boots at The Painted Pony.
“Right. I’ll meet you back at the office.” Climbing into my truck, my phone beeps.
Chickpea: Can you pick me up from school today and tomorrow so I don’t have to walk? Mom is taking time off work to have an afternoon date. *eyeroll emoji*
My twelve-year-old niece is someone I’ve all but raised and taken care of since my sister got pregnant at seventeen. This is nothing new. My sister has her routine of dropping Sophie off unannounced or asking through a last-minute text. I’d drop anything for my niece, but there are times I have meetings and can’t cancel.
