Page 66 of Knotty, Nice, & Holiday Lights
“Well, shit,” Matthew mutters.
“Was there an actual wager to this game of yours that you didn’t include Will in?”
The two of them look like scolded children.
“Maybe…” Matthew is coy.
“Then it’s only fair Will gets to choose a prize.” I send him a loving smile and take his hand. “What do you want for your prize?”
Will’s expression turns absolutely smoldering, and I fear the frozen food will melt in his presence when he wraps his arm around my waist, yanks my chest into his body, and captures my lips, his tongue dipping into my mouth when I squeak with surprise.
I don’t know how long the kiss lasts, but I do know my heart is pounding like a drum when he pulls away and says, “I just wanted an upgrade.”
“Upgrade” indeed.
Chapter Forty-Six
It’s going to be okay. They’re your pack. Your family.
Besides, Matthew and Asher kind of started this.
“Will, sweetie? Are you okay?”
At Izzy’s gentle prodding voice, I open one eye and look at my pack as they sit in the living room, Christmas lights and decorations lighting up the darkness. I hadn’t realized I’d closed my eyes.
Izzy’s face is filled with concern, while Asher and Matthew just look confused.
I take a deep breath, then say in a rush, “I want to sell the B&B.”
Heavy silence fills the air, and nobody moves for such a long time. I wonder if I’m dreaming, and I never really asked them to join me in the living room for this chat.
But then Izzy blinks. “Are you sure about this?”
I nod my head. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Now Izzy looks confused while Asher and Matthew are the concerned ones. “I don’t understand,” she says. “Have you been thinking about this a long time? You never mentioned it before.”
I lean forward in the armchair, place my elbows on my thighs with a sigh. “This was never what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” I confess to her. “And, honestly, I was just in autopilot these past couple of years. But look,” I gesture all around. “We’re living here like it’s a house, just the four of us. I don’t have paying patrons. I’m just living on a bit of inheritance, and that isn’t going to last.” My back hits the cushion behind me. “It’s time to make other plans.”
“Do you have any idea what you want to do?” Izzy isn’t judging me. There’s a twinkle of interest and maybe excitement in her eyes, like starting over sounds good to her, too.
“That’s why I wanted to have a sit-down with you all,” I explain. “This decision affects all of us, and we should all have a part in it.”
Matthew glances at Asher in question, and Asher nods at him, like they’re having a silent conversation I’m not a part of. Then, Matthew clears his throat. “I wasn’t going to say anything until after the New Year, but…” He looks at each of us briefly. “We have an opportunity.”
My brows are nearly in my hairline before Izzy narrows her eyes at him. “What kind of ‘opportunity’ are we talking about?”
“A business opportunity,” Asher answers for him.
“What kind of business?” I ask.
Matthew’s tone is assertive when he explains, “I think the four of us should start an indie game developer.”
And I think Izzy is about to faint beside him.
“We would start really small,” Matthew says in a rush, “but we had a meeting with a finance guy to see if it would even be possible, and he’s sure we could make it happen.”
“And we may have gone to City Hall to discuss hypotheticals,” Asher adds. “We could start out of the home, but, if successful, even the mayor seems keen to let us build an official office here, if we agree to prioritize local talent first.”
