Page 59 of Flowers in Your Hair

I squeeze Josie, holding my arm out to gesture at Thomas. “Thomas, this is Josie, Josie, Thomas.”

“Hey, Josie,” Thomas says. He offers her his hand.

“That’s me,” she says, shaking it.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she answers.

“What kind of crazy day did you have?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

“We got another lead on that drug circle we’ve been chasing for a while, but it turned out to be a dead end.” He runs his hands through his blonde hair. “It’s so frustrating.”

“Sorry, man.” I grip his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“Just part of the job,” he says. “We have a detective from a few towns over coming in a few weeks to do some investigating.”

“Shit, it’s that serious?” I ask.

He nods. “Yeah. There’s been a few OD’s, and they’re selling laced drugs, as well as we think starting up a trafficking ring.”

“Oh my god,” Josie gasps. Her hand covers her mouth. “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah, but we’re working on it. Just… if you see anything weird, call it in. Anything helps.”

Marley finishes her drink, holding up her empty glass. “Tommy, do you want anything? I’m heading up there.”

Thomas shakes his head. “Maybe a water?”

“No problem. Anyone else?” We all shake our heads, and watch her disappear into the crowd.

“Are you still looking for an assistant, Josie?” Beau asks, after he’s finished staring where Mar disappeared.

“I’m not sure.” She shrugs. “I might need to hire one anyway, because I can’t take up all of Andrew’s Saturdays.”

I turn to look at her, my eyes wide. “You’re firing me?” I clutch my chest. “That hurts, petals. I thought I did good today.”

She laughs, shoving my shoulder. Her blue eyes sparkle. “You were perfect, but really, do you want to be spending most of your time off working, with me?”

“Bold of you to assume that I don’t.”

Josie shakes her head “Either way, I need to hire someone as a backup, since I have the occasional Friday wedding too. I’m not pulling you away from work.”

I guess she has a point. Being my own boss has its perks, like picking my own schedule, but I do occasionally have to schedule drop offs around the client’s schedule, not mine. “We will find you someone. If not, I’m happy to help when I can.”

“Thanks,” Josie replies, grabbing my chin to pull me down for a quick kiss. “I’m sure I can find a college student that’s home for the summer, looking for easy work.”

“Smart idea.”

Marley reappears at the table, this time with Jason in tow. He’s taller than the rest of us brothers, at six foot three. His hair is neatly combed, and short enough that you don’t see much of the curls that all three of us have. He’s wearing a Blue Ox Brewing shirt, similar to Beau’s.

“Hey, look who decided to show up!” Thomas calls. Marley hands him his water, and he takes a gulp.

“I’ve been here longer than you, jackass,” Jason grumbles. He’s the definition of a grump for pretty much everyone, except his little girl, Lennie. Though I don’t think anyone could be a grump around her with how cute she is.

“Pretty sure that’s a lie.” Thomas smirks. He’s been pushing Jason’s buttons since the day he was born.

Jason ignores him. “How’s it goin?” Pulling a chair up in between Beau and Marley, he squeezes his large frame into the small area. Our table is officially as fully as it can be. He ruffles Marley’s hair, pulling her in for a quick side hug. “How’s the little sister doing today?”

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