| |
I can’t believe what I am hearing. “Mold?”
Wolf and Jack stare at me as I try to wrap my head around yet another fucking disaster. At this point, I have been sleeping on Jack’s couch for weeks and there is no end in sight. If we didn’t just do what we did, I think I could handle it, but as it stands; we are in a weird spot. Like when you are at the end of a date and he goes in for a kiss and you offer your hand instead. Except with us, his charms no longer seem innocent but dialed up to a level of sexual tension that my panties just can’t fucking handle for much longer.
“It’s going to be alright, Harper.” Jack leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “The crew will make sure the house is healthy before we put it all back together. There is no way we would cut corners on this.”
“Of course you won’t. That isn’t the Lawson way. I’m just... frustrated, I guess.” I flop back into my chair, causing it to swivel around. Without having Jack and Wolf staring at me, I take a deep cleansing breath, letting it out slowly, as I watch the trees outside of my office window sway in the late fall breeze. The leaves are all gone, most fell earlier than normal because of the storm. And now the view is looking suspiciously like winter.
Turning back around, feeling a little renewed about the situation, I find a pile of catalogs on my desk.
“What’s this?”
Wolf hands me a list. “This is everything that needs to be replaced. Once the mold has been cleaned up, we will need to have this sorted out.” He gestures to the stack of catalogs. “Take a look and select what you like.”
“You’re asking me to pick out things for the house?” Fanning out the catalogs, I find options for flooring, cabinets, countertops, appliances, even paint colors.
“It’s your place, Harper. And even if you and Silas move out at some point, whatever you pick will be perfect for the next tenant. But for now, I want you to have what you love.” Wolf and Jack share a look, but I shrug it off. Whatever is going on with them is just another thing I don’t need to stress about. I have enough on my plate.
A text notification goes off and I ignore it. I know who it is.
“Pick out what you want and just make sure that Rusty has it at some point. He’s doing the orders for the project.”
“Can I pick out a small barn for the backyard?” I say with a smirk.
“What for?”
“A horse, obviously.”
“No horses, Harper.” Wolf stands and buttons his blazer. “I’m really sorry about all of this. If you can just hold on a little longer, we will get you back in there as soon as possible.” Wolf gives Jack a gentlemanly pat on his shoulder before leaving.
“Not the news we were hoping to hear today.” Jack pulls a countertop catalog from my desk and flips through.
“Not at all. I really wanted that horse.” I laugh. “I just don’t want to put you out for too long. I already feel like I have overstayed my welcome.”
Jack stops his perusing and looks up from the catalog before smacking it on the desk. The sudden movement and loud sound startle me.
“I’m going to say this one last time. My home will always be open to you. The last thing you are is a burden. You are wanted and I will never send you away. You can stay for the next year and I wouldn’t be bothered. Do you understand me?” His voice is firm, but his words are tender. Tears sting my eyes as I try to hold them back.
“So, I’m not putting you out?” I smirk, knowing I am pushing his buttons this time.
“Woman, the only putting out I want you to think about is what we did the other night.”
* * *
The water that now covers my desk used to be in Aubrey’s mouth. Just moments ago, she was calmly taking a drink while I flipped through the catalog for wood flooring.
“I’m sorry... you what?” she says in between coughs.
“It’s not that big of a deal, Aubrey.”
“Sleeping with Jack isn’t a big deal?!”
“No. It’s just something that happened. We are not making a big deal about it.”
“What do you mean, you aren’t making a big deal about it? This is huge!”
Extracting a napkin from my takeout bag, I swipe the water off the catalog and place a page marker on the edge, flagging a flooring option for the kitchen. I slip the catalog into the plastic page protector and clip it into the binder. With so many decisions to make, I created a project binder after Jack left.
Aubrey leans back in the chair; her gorgeous hair frames her adorably round face. I can almost feel her hazel eyes beginning to bore into the top of my head. Just pleading for me to break the silence. Grabbing the next catalog, I ignore her and place it into its protector.
“So, we’re not going to talk about it?” She gives me a grand total of two seconds to respond before she pipes up again. “You can’t just drop a bomb and leave me hanging.”
I close the binder and push it off to the side. Over the last few months, Aubrey has weaseled her way into my life. In a good way. Normally, I would have pushed back for a lot longer, just like I did with Jack. But she is an undeniable force.
“Haven’t you ever slept with a friend? I can’t be the only one.”
“I’m sure you’re not the only one, but Jack isn’t just a friend. This is way different. This isn’t a one-night stand, Harper.”
“It has to be. Jack and I worked hard to get where we are now. And things are good. Really good. He’s an amazing father and a great friend. Our relationship has never been stronger. The last thing either of us need is sex getting in the way and fucking ruin it.”
Aubrey rubs her chin but doesn’t say anything. This is not the first time we have talked about my relationship with Jack. Months ago, I encouraged her to go on a date with Jack without filling her in on our history. After she found out, we had a great conversation about everything that happened between us. The beginning, the end, the pregnancy, the proposal.
“Alright Harper, what flooring did you pick out?”
Victory, for now.
She isn’t one to let things go. I’m sure we will come back to this later on.