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Five minutes and four latte orders later, Nora, Jay, and Billie were headed to the Sterling Thread Boutique. It wasn’t until Nora’s second sip that she remembered she might be pregnant. Glancing down at her cup, she made a mental note to add a pregnancy test to her grocery list and to savor what might have been the last fully-caffeinated latte she’d have for a while.
Mitzi still had most of the store front windows covered, so as to hide the interior in its unfinished state. When the women stepped inside, Nora took it all in—impressed with the progress which had been made over the last several weeks. Walls were painted, shelving units had been installed, and most of the furniture was put together and ready to be staged. There werealso boxes of merchandise everywhere, and a couple steamers at the ready.
“Oh my gosh, you’re an angel,” gushed Mitzi as Billie handed over her usual coffee order.
She was dressed down in a sweater, a pair of leggings, and sneakers. Her hair, which was getting longer these days, was pulled back into a little knot at the nape of her neck, indicating she was in full-on work mode.
“How long have you been at it?” asked Jay as her eyes swept the room.
“A while. Titan and I got here pretty early. You just missed Atticus. He dropped by and made sure I stopped long enough to eat somethin’. Scarlett was here all mornin’ after she got the kids off to school. We got the back of the store situated and organized. Finally.”
“It’s lookin’ really good in here,” said Billie. “How can we help?”
“Once we get all the furniture where I want it, we should be able to start unpacking these boxes.”
“I forgot to ask—any chance there’s a new outfit in it for me in exchange for my labor?” teased Jay as she shed her jacket. “I’m still a bit jealous of the hook-up my brother got at Christmas.”
“I’m still swoonin’ over the fact that he was the inspiration behind your entire spring line,” said Nora.
Mitzi grinned. “He is pretty dreamy.” She took a slow sip from her cup, her eyes losing focus for a moment as she got lost in a private memory. Nora chuckled, bringing Mitzi back to the group before she added, “As for an outfit, I think that can be arranged. Andspeakin’of inspiration…” She paused and shifted her attention onto Nora. “Have you set a date, yet?”
Jay laughed as Nora rolled her eyes. “No. Trust me, when there’s a date, you’ll all know.”
“Okay. Just remember, weddin’ dresses aren’t made in a day. I have every intention of designingandsewin’ your dress myself, so a date would be nice.”
“How about this, I promise not to get married before your store’s grand opening. Deal?”
This time, it was Mitzi who rolled her eyes. “Deal.”
It was almost noon when Lawson crawled his way out of sleep. He woke to an empty apartment and was immediately grateful he didn’t have to work for the next two and a half days. He’d moved in with Nora-Jean and Evelyn so he could spend time with them. His last assignment made it so that he hadn’t seen them since Monday. He’d had glimpses of a sleeping Evelyn and he’d gotten to fall asleep wrapped around his woman—but that only went so far. He missed his girls, and he wasn’t afraid to admit it.
With plans to stop by the office ahead of hitting the gym and then picking up Evelyn, Lawson didn’t linger in bed. He showered, dressed, and made himself a sandwich to go before he was out the door. His family weren’t the only people he hadn’t seen in days. He’d been working solo on his latest security detail. It had been a quiet assignment, and he’d made his way through two books while on location. Despite the affluential community in which he’d been posted, it wasn’t the most glamourous work. Nevertheless, it paid the bills and then some, so he didn’t gripe.
As usual, the Vollucci Security office was pretty quiet with only the bosses and Hanna on-site. As soon as he walked through the door, Hanna looked away from her computer screen and smiled at the sight of him.
“Hey, Lawson. Didn’t expect to see you today.”
“Just checkin’ in.”
“Cruiz should be free. He’s back in his office.”
“Thanks,” he replied with a dip of his chin. He then headed toward his destination, nodding a silent hello to Leo as he passed by his open door. Dax, whose office was across the hall, was on a call. Cruiz, just as Hanna had said, was at his desk. He looked up from what he was doing just as Lawson occupied one of the empty chairs across from him.
“Hey. Pretty sure you’ve got the day off. What are you doing here?”
“Checkin’ in, is all.”
“You’re timing is actually kind of perfect. Just finished the schedule for next week. Managed to get you something a little closer to home this time.”
“Workin’ days, I hope.”
“Yup. You and me, both. Might even pull in Finn, if Dax can spare him.”
“What’s the job?”
Leaning back in his chair, Cruiz replied, “Tattoo convention down in Lynchburg. It’s being hosted at the distillery. Skin Deep recommended us for the job. It’s Tuesday through Saturday. Figured you’d be alright with the extra day off this weekend.”
“No shit,” muttered Lawson, immediately thinking of Justice. “My sister told me she was workin’ at a convention comin’ up, but I didn’t realize it was so soon.”
