Page 3 of Until It Was Real

Between the bathtub and oven, I’m wondering if the owner’s suite was such a good idea. Maybe I’d be better off with a regular motel room. Although, I haven’t been in one of the motel rooms yet.

“No bathtub. No oven. Got it.”

“Do you want me to help you with your luggage?” she asks when we return to the living room.

“No, thanks. I don’t have much.” I hold my breath as I wait for her response. I don’t want Sadie to see how pathetic my car is.

After my previous car – I loved my little Fiat 500 – was repossessed, I had to scramble to buy another car. I didn’t have much cash, and my credit score is scary bad after all the shenanigans Adam pulled.

Did he think I’d never learn the truth? I nearly snort. He probably thought he’d live forever. A car accident ended those delusions of grandeur.

“Here are your keys.”

I shove them into my pocket and head for the door.

“What?” I ask Sadie when she doesn’t follow.

“Um. I wasn’t kidding about our previous night manager running off with a mermaid. I know you’re not supposed to start until next week, but if you could work tonight, you’d be a life saver.”

I have no desire to stay up all night working after driving for the past three days, but I need the money.

“It’s fine. I can work tonight. Once I’ve brought my things inside, I’ll join you at the desk and you can go through my tasks with me.”

“Woo-hoo!” she shouts. “Thank the singing mermaids!”

“Or you could just thank me.”

She throws an arm over my shoulders. “We’re going to be great friends, Dakota. I can tell.”

I hope so. I could use a friend after the way my friends dumped me once the truth about Adam came out.

Maybe moving to Smuggler’s Hideaway won’t be so bad after all.

We exit the apartment and a woman dressed as a mermaid nearly runs into me. The man chasing her catches up to her and throws her over his shoulder. “You’ve been a bad mermaid. I need to punish you.”

She giggles as he carries her away.

I change my mind. Smuggler’s Hideaway is going to take some getting used to.

Chapter 2

Rhett – a man who wishes he could strangle his brothers without his mother finding out

Rhett

Islap the switch to turn on the lights when I enterBuccaneer’s Whiskey & Distillery.Despite being thirty minutes late, I’m the first one to arrive at the offices. My brothers and punctuality do not go together. Whose bright idea was it for the six of us to own a business together?

Oh, right, it was Eli’s. Easy enough for my oldest brother. He lives in California for the most part. He doesn’t have to try and wrangle our brothers into behaving on a daily basis.

Except Eli is returning home next week and he claims he’s going to stay. I’m not certain I believe him. He hightailed it out of Smuggler’s Hideaway for college and has barely returned since.

I pass the offices of my brothers Miles and Zane. Both are empty. No surprise there. I keep going until I reach the door to the distillery. My two other brothers, Kai and Jaxon, should be in here.

I locate Jaxon in his lab. He doesn’t bother to look up from labeling the small bottles filled with whiskey samples when I enter.

“Jaxon,” I call.

“Busy.”

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