Page 10 of More Than Words
I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose at the sound of her voice, because apparently, I now also had another problem to deal with.
I turned to see Delaney storming into the space, her arms crossed over her black sweater, now covered in fine white powder.There was a smudge of dust on her cheek, and if she weren’t glaring at me like she wanted to murder me, I might’ve smiled.
Her cheeks were flushed, lips pressed into a tight line, and her jaw set as she jabbed a finger at me.
“Were you aware that you just vented all ofyourplaster dust intomystore?”
I let out a breath and straightened my shoulders, feeling the knot of tension there.“Well, considering I just smashed my brand-new tank into the vents, I imagine that probably did happen.”
“I have a writing group meeting in a little over an hour and everything—I meaneverything, including me—is covered in this mess.”
I didn’t have time to deal with this.Not on top of everything else.
“Yeah, well, I’ve got tanks to install and a hole in the front of my shop to seal up, Delaney.We all have problems.”
“I get that,” she said through clenched teeth.“But maybe next time you could give me a heads-up before you?—”
“I didn’t exactly plan to hit the vent, Delaney,” I said, a little sharper than I intended.“Maybe next time, you can remember that this isn’t justyourplaza.My business matters, too.This isn’t just a hobby, you know.I’ve got my own bills to pay.”
Bills that were piling up by the day.I tried not to think of it, but Iwason a tight timeline.I needed to get things up and running as soon as possible, or we’d have to start dipping into my savings.
“I never said it was a hobby.”Her eyes flared, but there was a shake in her voice that hadn’t been there a moment ago.
“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered, turning back to the tank.
“Look, Ethan.I have to?—”
“Enough, Delaney.”I spun around to face her.“I’m sorry I got dust in your store, okay?But I didn’t mean for that to happen.I’ve tried to work around your schedule as much as possible, but the fact of the matter is, I have a timeline of my own.If that means there’s a little dust for a few days, you’re going to have to learn to deal with it.”
Her eyes widened.“A little dust?”
Okay, I could admit that came out way worse than I’d intended.But it was too late to take it back, and frankly, I didn’t have the bandwidth to apologize.
She stared at me as though she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to scream at me or hit me.Before she could do either, she spun on her heel and stormed out the way she came.
Brody let out a low whistle behind me.“Damn, brother.You sure know how to charm a lady.”
Grayson burst out in laughter, but I didn’t have the time or patience for either of them.“Shut up and help me get the other tanks in.”
But even as I turned back to my work, I couldn’t stop thinking about Delaney.The way her eyes flashed when she was mad.The way her tits pressed up in her bulky sweater when she crossed her arms.And of course the way she was a giant pain in my ass.
By the timewe got all the tanks in position, the only thing I really wanted to do was go home and take a long shower and crawl into bed.
Unfortunately, when there was a family dinner on the schedule, that wasn’t an option.
And really, an actual meal would probably be good for me.
Brody’s place smelled like roasted garlic and fresh bread the moment I stepped inside what was once our childhood home.My eldest brother bought it from our mother when she decided to move south.
“It smells delicious in here,” I told Avery when I entered the kitchen.Reid’s wife kissed me on the cheek before turning back to the stove to stir the spaghetti sauce.There were a lot of reasons why we all loved Avery, not the least of which was the fact that her sunshiney, bubbly demeanor was a good balance for our grouchy brother.But her cooking was also a very welcome addition to our family.
No matter whose turn it was to cook, the family dinners took place at Brody’s, mostly because it was tradition, but also because it would never not feel like home for all of us.Something just made us all feel good inside to gather around the old kitchen table and share a meal.
Grayson and Quinn were at the kitchen table, bent over the worksheet I’d started with her that morning.“How’s the homework going, kiddo?”I tried to ruffle her hair, but she dodged my efforts.
“Uncle Gray is super smart.”She gave me a pointed look and bit the end of her pencil.
“Are you saying I’m not?”
