Page 17 of Hartley

“Juice, please.”

He nodded and went back to the kitchen.

“Anyway,” Cat said, continuing where she left off. “I’m guessing you like them too?”

“They’re great. And the romance between Casper, Reed, and Elic…” She grinned.

“Ah, a romance lover like me. We have so much to talk about.”

Ava leaned closer, engrossed by the conversation with my sister. I couldn’t help but smile as I grabbed a muffin, interested in how they came out.

The muffin only got halfway to my mouth when Cat asked, “Didn’t Vail tell you he knows the band, as in he’s friends with them?”

Oh shit. I should have, but in my defense, I didn’t even think about them until we were here, and Cat’s shirt was in my face. It shouldn’t surprise me Ava would like them too.

“You know the band?” Ava asked, eyes big in shock.

It was a good thing I cared about her, or I would have taken a bite first. The muffin looked really good, and the scent was mouthwatering. “I’m friends with them.”

“He’s being modest,” Cat stated. “He gave Slater, Cody, and Milo a cooking lesson.”

Ava gasped. Now she was leaning closer to me.

If this was something we could bond over, I was all for it. Plus, it gave my sister a way to connect with Ava. Too bad the band was touring overseas, or I’d introduce her. Now I had something to look forward to doing with her when they got back.

Sheldon moaned loudly, drawing our attention to him. He froze, muffin in hand. “What? This muffin is damn good.”

We didn’t bother telling the guards not to swear in front of Ava. I’d been there when Celine had, and when Gil had as well. Neither in anger, more in conversation. So, I didn’t feel like I was going against Celine when we did so in front of Ava. That didn’t mean we’d start cursing up a storm, but every once in a while didn’t matter.

“You’re gross,” Oleander told him. “Also, I’m hungry. Take Ivy so I can have a muffin.”

Sheldon took three measurable steps back, bringing his muffin with him. “You’re on your own. I’ll let you starve before I take that baby.”

Ava looked at him curiously. “You don’t like babies?”

Sheldon shook his head. “Nope. I like this muffin though. So much I’m going to enjoy it outside and send Vinny or Julia in.” With that, he slipped out the door, Vincent stepping in a few seconds later.

“I hear there are muffins and also a baby I get to cuddle.”

Oleander stood to hand off Ivy and swiped a muffin from the plate. I finally got the chance to eat mine, and it didn’t disappoint. I’d have to get the recipe from Dana.

8

HARTLEY

“You made these?” Ava asked as she ran her fingers along a sweater I had on a mannequin.

I was in the middle of making a pair of butter-soft slacks to go with it. They were for Jordan’s nephew. He wanted something out of his usual to wear when he had to travel, so he wasn’t in a suit all the time. This way, he still looked professional. He was a lot like Jordan in that regard. Always wanted to have a commanding appearance and make a good impression. Or any impression, for that matter, where Jordan was concerned.

“I did.” I grinned. There wouldn’t be a moment when I wasn’t proud of my work. This was where I thrived, and I loved every second of it.

Ava walked from table to table around the shop after she looked at the mannequins. Hazel was in the studio today, even though it was Saturday. I didn’t mind paying her overtime as long as she knew she didn’t have to work it. Everyone deserved rest. The people who worked for me were no exception.If they weren’t happy with their job, it would come through here, which I didn’t want.

“Wow, this scarf…” Ava said, lifting the silk. It had big, bold, deep purple flowers on it with a silver backdrop. The edges of the scarf were a delicate purple stitching. I didn’t want to hide the detail there. Instead, I brought it to life and made it part of the design. She turned it over and found my initials stitched on the corner. “HW,” she murmured.

Lifting her head, she turned to look into the floor-length mirror I had propped against the wall. It was arched at the top and trimmed in silver, lightly brushed with lilac paint, so some of the metal shone through. Ava carefully draped the scarf around her neck and turned to see it from another angle.

I slowly made my way over to her so as not to startle her, then lifted my hands, giving her ample time to move away before I adjusted the scarf just so. It sat beautifully on her. Ava’s dark hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and the scarf made her features pop. On anyone else, it wouldn’t have looked as good.

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