Page 10 of Secrets at Dawn
Riley took his hat off and handed it to Toby. “Only if you can swing a hammer.”
“No problem then.” Toby had helped his dad build their cabin. He knew construction better than most. And he knew how to do things the way they’d done them in the past, when builders notched logs together and used dirt and water to fill in the gaps.
Toby could smell the hat even from a distance. His fangs dropped when his wolf came to the surface. He hid behind his computer just in case his stalkers were watching, but he put on the hat, pulling it to his forehead as low as he could get it without looking like an idiot.
Riley chuckled. “Either you love it or you hate it. I can’t tell, but you look very incognito.”
Good, but the last thing Toby wanted was for his stalkers to see him wolf out over a hat and come to the right conclusion. And the right conclusion was that there was a scent on the hat that belonged to his mate. He wasn’t sure who it was, and he wasn’t sure he should find out, but his wolf definitely wanted to know. Toby just didn’t want to get his mate caught up in whatever Head Dickwad and his wolf dickwad friend had in store for him, and he would if he gave them even one inkling of a connection with whoever the scent belonged to.
“Come to the bakery later and I’ll introduce you to my brother. It’s about time you met him.”
Toby had been reluctant to get to know people. The fewer people he knew, the less likely they were to figure out his scent was different. And it went with his lone-wolf persona, so he got away with it. But Riley had been saying something about Toby getting to know his family. And Toby really could use the money, so he nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Chapter Five
Griffin had made the countertops by hand. They were essentially butcher-block countertops, but Griffin had used rare woods like purpleheart and black walnut, along with some lighter woods to break up all that color. It wasn’t cheap, and it took forever to make because he had to make two. One smaller one for the side and a longer countertop for the front of the store.
He hoped Riley loved them because they were his gift for Riley's birthday, which wasn’t until next month, but Griffin needed to install them soon. He also needed help carrying them inside the bakery, as they were still in the bed of his truck. He’d wrapped them in blankets to protect them. The sooner they were inside, out of the weather, the better. He’d put his heart into those countertops after all.
He couldn’t keep relying on his brother, who had an almost full-time job and also went to school full time. It wasn’t fair to him, even though it was his bakery that Griffin spent most of his time working on these days. He was doing the work for nothing, giving his time and expertise in exchange for a piece of his brother’s business. He’d be a silent partner. All he really wantedwas free pastries. Riley made killer muffins. They were as big as his head and delicious. Give him a couple of muffins and some coffee, and he counted it as a good day. But Riley would give him a piece of the profit at some point. His sweat equity would pay off in the long run.
The bell above the door dinged when it opened, and Riley came inside. But he didn’t get very far. He stood in the doorway, the door open, and looked up. “You put a bell up there.”
His grin was so big, it might as well have been Christmas morning.
“I’m glad you like it. Got it from Mom. She saves everything. That came from my grandfather’s hardware store. Mom shut it down after he passed away, but she kept the bell.”
Riley closed the distance and hugged him. “I love it, and I love that it came from family.”
Griffin smiled and hugged him back. “That’s not the actual gift.”
“There’s more?” Riley pulled back to meet his gaze.
“It’s in my truck. I need help carrying it inside.” Griffin led the way outside. He’d parked at the front of the store because it was a shorter distance to carry something so heavy rather than using the back entrance.
Griffin climbed into the bed of his truck.
Riley tried to move the blanket out of the way, but Griffin had everything strapped down and taped so the blankets wouldn’t move. “What is it?”
“The storefront countertops.” Griffin’s stomach did this little flip thing it always did when he was nervous. “I hope you like them.”
Riley squealed a little and then grabbed onto the blanket-covered countertop. One counter was on top of the other. The smaller one was first so that it would be a little easier to move. But they were covered separately.
“Oh my god, I’m so excited. Let’s get it inside so I can see it.”
Griffin chuckled. “Let’s take the top one first.”
Riley sucked in a breath. “There’s more than one wrapped up in here?” Riley fingered the blankets, trying to get a peek.
“There’s two. The one at the bottom is bigger. That’s the one that goes in front.”
They took the one on top first as planned, but Griffin quickly learned they might need a little more help with the other one. They were huffing and puffing, and Riley cursed three times by the time they got the first smaller counter inside.
They set it on a long workbench Griffin had built at the start of the renovations.
“I’m gonna see if Dad can help with the other counter.” Griffin grabbed his phone.
Riley shook his hand. “I asked a good friend of mine from school to come by. He can help carry it. He’s the small but mighty type.”
