Page 44 of An Unexpected Everything
Aston cleared his throat. “You own Caldwell’s, right? The auto shop?” he asked, thankfully breaking the tension between Bella and me. We needed to have that talk, but maybe not in front of her entire family.
“I do. My grandfather started it, thanks to the land that they owned. Though we do lease it from you now,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, if my father was too much of an asshole for you, I’m sure you could talk to James or Bella here. For any of your needs.”
“Really, Aston?” Isabella said with a laugh.
“What? I’ve never had a younger sister before. And now I have four. This is fun. I get to be the overprotective older brother, and lead with innuendo. It’s not just Dorian.”
“You really have lightened him up, Blakely,” Dorian said with a laugh.
“I do my best. Between my best friend being Isabella and my boyfriend being Aston, it is a lot to handle.”
“Hey,” they both said at the same time, and I grinned into the beer that Hudson had given me.
“So you’re a mechanic,” Dorian said.
I blinked at him. “You know this. Why are you acting like you’re just getting to know me? You’ve known me as long as Hudson. Hell, we played summer league soccer together when we were kids.”
“I’m just trying to make sure everybody here knows. We don’t have a note card on you.”
I blinked. “Do you have note cards on everyone else?”
Dorian blushed. “What? Isabella wrote some notes down for me so I would know a few details. I like flashcards.”
“And that’s how I know he’s my brother. Because flashcards are how we get through life,” Bella put in, a smile on her face.
“And that part I don’t understand,” Sophia said with a sigh. “I might own my own business, but I’ll never be the color-coded sticky-note person like you.”
“You own your own business?” I asked, trying to get the spotlight off me.
Sophia smiled. “I do. I own a dance studio. I used to be a professional dancer, and now I get to teach young minds.”
“She’s not bragging enough about herself,” Cale put in as he played with the ends of her hair. The man looked so far gone in love, it was a little startling. Because I wasn’t sure if I looked like that. Or maybe I was afraid I already did. “She was a principal dancer for the Denver Ballet, and decided to retire early so she could work with kids.”
“I didn’t want to keep breaking my body like other girls. I got to the highest point that I wanted, and when it wasn’t as fun as it needed to be anymore, I changed positions.”
“You know, we could use a dance studio here,” Aston said, a thoughtful expression on his face.
I raised a brow. “In the place behind the flower shop? That could work. There’s already enough plumbing to have two small restrooms and dressing areas. Though I don’t know what goes into it.” Everyone stared at me. “What? When I wasn’t working on cars, I was helping with construction in the summers to pay for school. And then my brother did later as well. I forgot what the place used to be, as it keeps changing hands, but if you’re looking for a studio, it could work.”
“Oh, I’m not sure I’m ready for franchising yet,” Sophia said with a laugh.
“We can work numbers,” Cale said, and I looked over at him.
“What do you do?”
“I’m boring, and in marketing, but in the end, I think it might be cool to have another Cage business here. I mean, I think you only have what, fifteen, sixteen?”
“We don’t count, the Cages are everywhere,” I said drily.
“And you love us,” Dorian said, and then popped an appetizer in his mouth when everyone stared at him. Because they were purposely not looking at Isabella.
“Anyway, you have a brother, right? And then the twin sisters?” Blakely asked as she looked between us.
I cleared my throat, not sure what everybody else knew. “My parents died around eight years ago. Wet road, deer, bridge.” Such a trivial statement for the worst moment in my life. “So I came back to raise the kids here. We could have moved down to Denver, but it was cheaper here, and we had the community. Small towns know how to circle back and ensure everybody has what they need. Lance is working on his MBA now, and the girls go to college in the fall. I have no idea how they’re technically adults now. It’s scary.”
“I’m really sorry about your parents,” Sophia said softly.
