Page 9 of Wrapped Up in You
“Hi, Shae, Coralynn. Not a problem. I should be thanking you. I appreciate you allowing someone besides me to work on your plans.” This will be the first time I’ll let anyone take the lead on the plans. Sure, I’ll be there with Serena, but she’ll be doing the majority of the work, and my voice will be in the background. Shae and Coralynn will have the final approval, then, if all goes well, it’ll be handed off to Jagger.
“Still, we’re both grateful,” Coralynn says, taking a sip of her drink. Anthony tracks every movement, and I take the time to pull out my tablet for us to get started.
“Any time. Want to tell me what you’re after besides going up? How many rooms, open floor plan, any pictures you have for inspiration?” Shae immediately pulls out her phone, and Coralynn digs through her purse, pulling out scraps of paper. This takes up the bulk of the morning. We only break for refills, ordering food, and even then, we work through it all.
It's not until Coralynn adds in her requests that we stop working. “I want windows, a lot of windows, on the top floor. I’m not sure if that will work with the historical society, but if we can bring in natural light, it would be amazing. Now, that’s all I have as far as input goes. Thank you for brunch.” She stands up,pushes her chair in, and I can tell Anthony is about to follow her lead.
“You’re welcome. We can always do skylights if the historic society doesn’t want us taking out the brick,” I follow up, having dealt with them in the past. It’s a necessary evil, and it can sometimes take a lot in order to meet on common ground.
“Perfect. Well, I’ll see you all later.” Coralynn gives us all a finger wave. It has Anthony pulling his wallet out, tossing a few bills on the table, and standing up pretty abruptly.
“Go, go, go,” Luke chimes in. “Get your girl. At least someone at this table has balls.” I ignore my friend.
“Later, Anthony. I’ll get the plans emailed to you and Coralynn when they’re ready.” Shae remains quiet, hand covering her mouth, probably to hold back her laughter with all the bullshit Luke is stirring up. I swear, if I didn’t know any better, I’d assume Jagger were sitting in his place right about now. “I’m out of here. The peanut gallery has worn out its welcome.”
There’s too much shit swirling in my head, mainly about making a phone call to Jude, having him pull up Serena’s records, and going down a rabbit hole without leaving any footprints, unlike if I were to do it at work. The only problem with that is I’ll fixate on every ounce of information, and it won’t take the edge off from me needing to take my cock in hand. It’ll only spur me on that much more. Monday can’t come fucking soon enough, and that’s saying something because I shouldn’t want her. My rules, her uncle's warning, they’re all spinning in my head, going a million miles an hour. The more I try to deny it, the more I need and want Serena Beck.
“Luke can have that effect on people. Thank you again, Crew. I’ll put duct tape over his lips next time we meet up,” Shae says. I highly doubt she’ll do it. It’s appreciated regardless.
“I’ll bring the supplies.” I put my things away in my backpack, grab my phone, and make to leave.
“Now you two are going to talk about me like I’m not here. And I was going to pay for our food.” Luke acts like Anthony didn’t leave more than enough for him and Coralynn and I wouldn’t do the same.
“Sure you were.” I add cash to the table, bend down to kiss Shae’s cheek, and shake Luke’s hand. We say our goodbyes, they stick around, and I head back to my place for the day. There’s other shit I can catch up on before I head to my parents’ house and do my weekly check-in. Usually, Mom has a honey-do list, and with Dad recovering from his last stint in the hospital for diabetes, it’s up to me.
Mom has him on a strict diet and monitors him morning, noon, and night now after she found out Dad was sneaking snacks and sweet treats. Needless to say, neither of us were too pleased. We came up with a plan: I come over once a week, help where it's needed, and Mom cooks or dad grills.
It works, and it’ll keep my mind and hands occupied from going after Serena in a way that could cause nothing but problems.
6
SERENA
“Finally. Our schedules combined really suck lately,” Talia greets me as I walk across the street with Mackie’s leash in my hand. He’s pulling me in the direction of his mom, and while I’ve been a good substitute, there’s no doubt in my mind who his first love will always be. Mackey’s butt shakes in happiness once he’s trotted up the front porch steps and is in front of Talia.
“Yeah, well, mine are now bankers’ hours to the core. At least you have a few days off a week.” I counter, making my way up behind Mackie. She already has a charcuterie board on the small coffee table, as well as two glasses and an open bottle of wine. My weekend has come and gone in the blink of an eye. That old saying,Time flies when you’re having fun. Although, what I did was anything but fun: I cleaned my house, took Mackie for a walk morning, noon, and night. Then he went on a car ride where I used the last bit of my gift card for a coffee and a pup cup before heading to my parents’.
Needless to say, Mackie got all kinds of pets and goodies while Talia was working her back-to-back shifts. I helped Mom with some sewing projects while Dad got on the floor to playwith Mackie. Plus, a free dinner came with the visit, and Uncle Todd and Aunt Val made an appearance, which meant we talked shop for a while until Mom and her sister put a stop to it. Thank goodness, because playing it cool when it comes to Crew is impossible. Aunt Val brought over a treasure trove of clothing she had gone through after the incident earlier in the week, the plus side of us being the same size and her shopping addiction that seems to have always worked in my favor from the time I was a teenager.
When it came time to eat, a lot of food was ordered, but not a lot of it was consumed, mainly because we were full after the appetizers, and Mom sent me home with enough food for the next few days. I’m well aware that this is her way of helping me out while not subjecting me to feeling horrible, like I’m loafing off them. One day, when I’m back on my feet, steady as they come, I’ll be sure to repay the favor.
“There is that. Come and talk to me. I see a blush appearing on your chest. I know all too well what that means.” Talia has had her fair share of frogs that have yet to turn into princes, and the same could be said for myself. Except never before has a man ever made me feel the way Crew does.
“The ultimate forbidden fruit of any type of man you could be attracted to.” I plop down on the rattan-style chair beside hers, and she goes about pouring us each a healthy glassful of the red wine we both prefer. It doesn’t have to be pricy, but it can’t be white and overly sweet.
“Hmm, well, honey, there are loads of those types: ex-boyfriend’s father, stepbrother, best friend's brother. That one is out because the only besties you have are me, your mom, and your aunt. Unless there’s something you haven’t told me. Like, say, a new friend?” Talia hands me a glass, and I take a greedy sip before she can do the same.
“No, nope, no to all. But there is my boss whom I have the hots for.” Talia looks at me like I have two heads.
“Your boss as in your uncle?” God, what is it with people trying to make me gag this week? First Crew and now Talia, and with the same person. Am I missing something, or what?
“Absolutely not. Gross, like, eww. He changed my diaper, and Aunt Val is his end-all, be-all. But ick.” I guzzle more of my wine, trying to get the thought out of my mind. I might need bleach to burn my eyes at this point.
“Come on, we listen to the same books. You know it’s possible, and I’ve seen the genes in your family. He’s not bad to look at, either, and the same goes for your dad. Even if you don’t want to admit it.” Talia wiggles her eyebrows, making me wonder what type of man she’s interested in. Though, if she thinks my dad and uncle are hot, then I’d hazard a guess she likes them older. But it’s not like I’ve seen her bring any man around, and any time I’ve brought it up, she says Mackie is all she needs for the time being.
“You’re right, you’re right. It obviously isn’t my uncle, but Crew is my uncle’s partner and is subsequently my boss. So, forbidden maybe? I guess it depends on the reader or, well, me.” I go after a piece of cheese and a grape to pop in my mouth at the same time.
“Ah, well, that’s better than breaking up the family.” Mackie nuzzles into Talia’s hand, lets out a whine for attention, and she obliges.
