10. Sunny

CHAPTER 10

Sunny

I dug my laptop out of my suitcase, which I had moved to Gray’s room, and went to the dining room where I set up with a fresh mug of coffee, a glass of water, and a handful of the soft mints that Gray kept out.

God, he could be such a grandma.

This area was cozy and conducive to work. From this angle, I had a better look at the door to the backyard and hadn’t realized he had a stained glass panel above it. The way the light scattered the colors of the stained glass across the kitchen reminded me of my mother. She’d had some of the most beautiful stained glass pieces.

Shaking my head from the long walk down memory lane, I winced as I cracked open my laptop. Then, scrunching my eyes closed, I double-clicked on the mail icon. After a moment, I cracked one eye open and . . . son of a bitch .

I had a killer assistant who created automatic sorting for all my emails, meaning my inbox usually only had a few dozen important messages from people I needed to hear from. In the last three days, however, I had twenty-five hundred plus new emails, and over five hundred of them had been sorted into the Important folder.

I took a sip of coffee, flexed my fingers, and got to work.

Four hours later, a text notification from my brother finally broke my focus. I stood, stretching and cracking my neck, impressed that I only had ninety-six more emails to go. I grabbed my phone and my glass, walking over to the refrigerator to refill the water. My phone went off in my hand. Baz’s ring.

Setting the glass down, I hit Accept. “Baz? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just hadn’t heard from you in a while,” my brother answered, road noise in the background. “Thought I should check to make sure you were okay.”

“Please tell me you are using Bluetooth, Baz. We don’t need a repeat of the Michigan Avenue incident.”

“Yes, brother. I’m being a responsible citizen. Now answer the question.”

“Oh, I’m good.” I grinned. “I am really, really good.”

“Ha! I knew it.”

“Knew what?” I asked innocently.

“You said there was no ‘oh no.’ I bet there’s an ‘oh no’ now.”

I laughed under my breath.

“Spill,” he demanded.

“Okay, okay. There was definitely an ‘oh no’ . . . and several ‘oh yeses.’”

“Gross!” He made a gagging sound, just like he did when he was a kid. “Let me guess. You and the grumpy airport guy hit it off?”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “We very much did.”

“But he was an asshole to you.”

“True, his first impression wasn’t great, but once I got past all the sniping and growling, he’s actually quite a thoughtful man.” I couldn’t help the self-satisfied smirk. “Very, very thoughtful.”

“Gross,” he repeated. “I can’t believe you’re fucking the airport guy.”

“Oh, shut up. Remember that summer when you picked up that smelly hot guy who was distributing ‘Save the Whales’ leaflets at the mall?”

“Don’t lie: you’re more embarrassed that I was at a mall than the fact that I picked up a guy with questionable hygiene practices.”

“The humiliation was real, Baz.”

He chuckled. “Maybe I should go down to this Christmas Falls and see what this place is all about.”

“Nah, it’s not your usual scene. Think small-town Illinois where it’s all Christmas, all the time.”

“And yet, there you are. Fucking the guy from the airport, who probably has a tinsel fetish.”

“Gray’s not a Christmas cheer kind of guy.”

I could practically hear Baz roll his eyes. “So, of the three of us, I’m the only one who actually likes the holiday?”

I laughed. “Actually, Gray is showing me the town’s Christmas traditions because he said it would be a shame for someone who used to love Christmas as much as I did to not try and fall in love with it again.”

I was left with nothing but the faint sound of the road in the background.

“Baz?”

“I’m going down there right now. You’ve clearly been body-snatched.”

“Maybe,” I conceded. “Because I’m actually starting to think he has a point.”

“Where should I stay?” he asked.

Shaking my head, I imagined he was driving and pulling up a rental site at the same time.

“Actually, there won’t be a place to stay because everything gets booked out months in advance here.”

That didn’t mean I didn’t want to see my brother, though. I kinda wanted to talk to someone about what I was feeling, and he was usually my person for that kind of thing.

“If you really do want to come down, let me talk to Gray. He has an extra room that I am no longer sleeping in.”

“Oh. My. God. Are you already sleeping in his bed?”

“Yes, I am. And he doesn’t even mind that I’m an octopus.”

“Shit, maybe I need to go down there just so I can find a man for myself.”

“They’re all taken here,” I joked. “Go find your own holiday-vibing small town. I hear Valentine, Texas is a lovely little place in the desert.”

“Seriously, who are you?”

“I don’t know, but if I’m lucky . . . Mr. Frost at some point.”

Baz sucked in a breath. “ Sunny .”

“Dramatic.”

“That’s it. I was starting to feel like a crazy person getting in the car and driving over there, but now I can see it was important.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You said you would be driving over here, and now you’re saying you are driving over here?”

“I’m about an hour outside of town.”

“ Sebastian .”

“ Sunny .”

I shook my head. “I was invited to a family dinner tonight. Let me make sure there’s enough room for you.”

“Wait. A family dinner as in . . . traditional Christmas fixings?”

“Probably.”

“Yessss. Haven’t had one of those since Mom died.”

That was true, come to think of it. And a little sad, now that I did.

“And now we have the real reason you’re coming here. You don’t give a shit about me; you just want Christmas food.”

“I can do both. I’m a brilliant multitasker.”

“Whatever,” I retorted, smiling despite myself.

My brother loved me, and that felt like a good thing.

“Okay, gotta go. Pretty sure I just passed a state trooper.”

“Be careful. And you have the address?”

“Yep, I dropped a pin on you the second I confirmed your location. I’m aiming right at you.”

“Seriously, Baz. So dramatic. Love you, brother.”

“Love you, too.”

I hung up, then pulled up Gray’s number.

“Sunny? Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice gentle.

I thought of how, just a few days ago, he was so stern and mean. This was infinitely better.

“I’m great. My brother got a little worried because he hadn’t heard from me, so he’s in the car on the way to come see me.”

“Where is he staying?”

“Well, that’s why I was calling . . .”

“Does this mean we’re not gonna . . .”

I shook my head, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “No, we’ll figure out a way to do that. Also, if he’s coming in without an invitation, he can just buy some damn earplugs.”

Gray’s warm chuckle made my face heat.

“He thinks I’ve been body-snatched.”

“Miriam says the same thing,” he said.

“I’m okay with that, though.”

“Me too.”

He went quiet and I wondered if he was smiling like I was smiling.

“So, I know that I was invited to Griff’s family dinner as a solo guest, but with my brother coming . . .”

“Call Griff. I can promise you that Eleanor would love to host your brother as well.”

Someone shouted something in the background, and Gray muttered under his breath, “I can’t believe she jinxed it.”

“What?”

“Miriam said she hoped it was an easy night. I’m pretty sure she jinxed the entire operation.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say that it’s been a very bizarre day.” There was more shouting in the background, and it sounded like he covered the phone to shout back. He came back on a few seconds later. “So, I gotta go and deal with a toilet situation.”

I grimaced. “Good luck with all of that. I’ll see if I can bring you home some leftovers.”

“That would be fantastic, lover.”

My face heated again. I could get used to this.

We said goodbye, and I opened a new text thread.

Me: Hey Griff, it’s Sunny. My brother Baz just called me, and he’s heading into town right now.

Griff: He should join us for dinner, then.

Me: Is there enough room?

Griff: We never ask that question. We just figure it out.

Me: Thank you so much. Can I bring anything?

Griff: Only if you want to offend my mother.

Me: Okay, then. See you later.

Griff: Looking forward to it.

I opened the door to my brother’s smirking face. He held up a small cube, and I tore it from his hand. “You brought me the latest prototype?”

“Yep. Arnold was right—the additional testing revealed a few bugs, which have been fixed. And properly re-tested this time.”

I gestured for him to come inside. “What are you really doing here?” I asked, pretty sure I knew the answer.

“I told you. You went quiet, and that worried me.” He took a turn in Gray’s living room. “This place is really nice.”

“He said snobbishly.”

“You know what I mean. Some guy who works for the local airport isn’t going to have much to his name.”

“Actually, I own the airport,” Gray said, slipping in behind Baz and shutting the door. “Gray Frost,” he said, holding out his hand.

My brother looked at me with a sheepish grin. “Sebastian Day,” he said, returning Gray’s handshake. “Baz, actually. Sorry for making assumptions.”

Gray’s answering smile was unnerving. “Even the folks who just work for this l ocal airport are paid well and Christmas Falls is the kind of place that hasn’t been overrun by big-city CEOs jacking up all the prices.”

Baz’s expression was far too easy to read. He turned to me. “I get it now. It’s the whole air of disapproval thing, isn’t it?”

“Well, that and his stern eyebrows,” I tossed back, grinning at Gray.

Gray raised his brow—to prove my point, I was sure—then pulled me in, first for a hug, then a deep, slow kiss.

We finally separated and Baz stood there, gaping at us. “Oh, this is bad.”

“No, it’s good,” I said, looking into Gray’s eyes. “Promise.”

“That’s what I meant, jackass,” Baz said in only that way that a brother can make sound loving. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look at another human being like that. This is awesome.”

“Is it awesome because now you’ll have something to make fun of me for?”

“Mostly, yes. But also, you’re my brother, I love you, and I want you to be happy. And apparently, this asshole makes you happy.”

“He does,” I said, my grin widening.

Gray shook his head. “You two are the same person in different fonts.”

It was true. I’d been nicknamed Sunny for my attitude, but also for my lighter hair. Baz, on the other hand, was my height, a bit broader through the shoulders, with thick ink black hair, intense eyebrows, a strong nose, and an enviable, perfectly razored beard.

Baz laughed. “You know, I had never heard it put that way, but that is a perfect description for us. Sunny got all of Mom’s coloring, and I got all of Dad’s. But we have a lot of the same features, a mix of our parents.”

I turned to Gray. “I thought you weren’t getting back in until ten?”

Gray sighed, shaking his head. “We had to shut down the airport. First, a skunk got loose, then the women’s bathroom flooded, then we lost power to the runway lights. I've got a crew out there fixing it, and one flight had to be redirected. It’s actually been kind of a nightmare.”

“Sounds like it.” I murmured, leaning in for another kiss.

“Don't lie, you also wanted to check me out,” Baz said, already teasing Gray. A good sign.

“And I wanted to check you out.” Gray admitted. “Also, to make sure that everything was okay for your room.”

I patted Gray’s chest. “Don't worry. I changed the sheets, wiped the lube off the wall, and hid most of the toys.”

Gray nodded seriously. “Good call.”

Baz shook his head. “Oh, this is so dangerous. I have a feeling that my brother is bringing out a sense of humor in you that I assume has been dormant for years.”

“Not true,” Gray said with a small smile. “I’ve never had a sense of humor.”

Baz laughed. “Worse, you’re showing my brother the meaning of Christmas, apparently.”

Gray hugged me from behind and I rested the back of my head against his shoulder. “Now that is true.”

“Is there anyone else like you around here, Gray? Any available brothers? Sisters? Cousins?”

“No, but the family that you and Sunny are having dinner with tonight is pretty big and has a few irredeemable cranks, last I checked.”

Baz looked between us, shaking his head. “I swear, if I weren't spending the next year getting our new offices set up in Paris, I would already be moving here.”

“Well, maybe you'll be back by next year,” Gray said, tightening his arms around me.

The unspoken subtext was that I would be here with him. Nothing about that felt too fast, nothing about that felt unreasonable. It just felt right.

Baz had been right. This was bad. In the very best way possible.