Page 11 of The Love Ambush
That shocks me so much I have to grab the doorjamb for support. “Are you fucking with me right now?”
“Wish I was,” Deacon says, frowning. Deacon almost never frowns, even when he’s actually feeling sad. He’s the family cheerleader, always lifting the mood. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad they’re going to be living close again, but you know how they get when we’re doing a build for them.”
“I still have nightmares about Mom’s she shed,” Cash says with wide eyes.
“I thought they were happy in Aspen Cove,” I say. “They have so many friends there.”
“They have friends here too,” Deacon says. “And tons of family. It really is the best move for them.”
I don’t hate the idea of them moving here, but it’s going to take me some time to adjust to the idea. Living in a small town is bad enough, but when a large part of the population is related to me, there’s no keeping secrets. And I’m not sure I want my parents that involved in my business.
“We’re going to have to brainstorm a plan of action on how to fit them into our schedule when I get back,” I say. “I’ll work on some ideas while I’m gone, but it’ll take a lot of late nights and careful planning to get the business off the ground here and get their house built.”
Cash looks over at Deacon, brow creased. “I told you to wait until he got back.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I’m not going to stress over it. I’ll just work on some ideas, maybe start on next month’s schedule.”
“Yeah,” Deacon says. “You were right as usual, Cash.”
“Do they have their house on the market yet? I’ve got a list of great real estate agents—”
“We’re on it,” Deacon says. “Trust us.”
I cross my arms over my chest. There’s no way in hell I’m trusting these two chuckleheads with Mom and Dad’s house sale. This is their life savings we’re talking about. I’ll call them as soon as I get a chance and get the real story.
“Don’t call them,” Cash says, eyeing me. “We’re on top of things, Levi. Go have fun and don’t think about work or anything going on here. You need the break.”
Yeah, I’m not going to be able to do that, but I’m also not going to argue with my brothers about it.
“Family meeting,” Sebastian bellows from downstairs. “We need to clear some shit up.”
“Fucking great,” Cash says as he straightens his papers. “I’m blaming Ry for this.”
Deacon snaps my laptop shut and hands it over. “You should get out of here before he realizes you’re back.”
I take the laptop and stuff it into the bag next to my desk. “Let me know if it’s anything important?”
“It won’t be,” Cash says. “It’ll just be Sebastian trying to fix his miserable mood by lecturing us on the importance of sticking to timelines and working as a team.”
I hesitate. Sebastian is miserable, but he’s also not wrong. “We need an actual office and an office manager as good as Stanley.”
Deacon rubs his temples. “I offered her so much money to move with us, but she wouldn’t do it, man.”
“Maybe I should stay,” I say. “I found a couple of potential clients we could talk about.”
Cash stands and gives me a shove toward the window. “If you get into that right now, you won’t be leaving tomorrow. Get out before he comes up here.”
Deacon slides the window open, and I climb out of it, feeling more than a little like I’m abandoning my family. “Just don’t let him do anything too unhinged.”
“We’re on it,” Cash says. “Trust us.”
I climb out the window and slide down to the edge of the roof. From there, I make a small leap onto a sturdy tree branch and climb down to the ground. I haven’t snuck out of a house since I was a teenager, but since my brothers moved back to town, I’ve been doing it at least once a week.
Sebastian is right. We really need to get our shit together.
Since my driveway is short, I had to park about a block down the street when I got here. Earlier, I was annoyed, but now I’m grateful as I sprint through backyards without being spotted by my brothers.
Chapter Three
