Thirty-Eight

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

"Have you talked to Stone?"

Nico looked up from his computer when Stevie strolled into his office.

"Not today, no. Why?"

"He's not respondin' to my texts."

"At all?"

She shrugged. "One-word responses don't count."

"Depends on the question."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. That's all I've gotten since Saturday."

Nico didn't want to tell her that was all he'd gotten in the past three days, too. He hadn't seen Stone since he left their house on Saturday morning, but he'd traded a few texts back and forth. Nothing of substance, but he figured that was because they'd said all they needed to say on Friday night. They were in a good place now. Or so he'd thought.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll swing by his place when I go out there this afternoon. I'm meetin' Deborah to get things scheduled. You wanna come with me?"

Stevie shook her head, still leaning against the doorjamb, feigning a nonchalance he could tell she didn't feel. "Can't. I've got meetings all day."

It was that time of year. As they inched closer to spring, things would pick up, especially the design consultations. Stevie met with clients to get an idea of what they wanted before handing the file off to him for the preliminary design. The system was one Stevie set up a long time ago, and it worked for them.

He wondered if they would still do that when she went into business with Stone. Would she have time? Would she even want to do it?

Those were just a couple of the questions that had been running through his mind the past few days. He hoped to sit down with Stevie and Stone in the coming days so they could sort through how this would work. He wanted to ensure they didn't get in over their heads on either side, so he figured it would help to set some guidelines in the beginning.

It was still surreal to think this was happening. That they were going to tackle another enormous endeavor together. This time, the three of them. If he were being honest, he would admit it was terrifying in a sense. It was also exciting, and he was doing his best not to confuse the two things.

"I'll check in with him," Nico promised Stevie. "Want me to invite him to dinner?"

She shrugged, her expression sheepish. "If you want to."

He pushed his chair back from his desk. "That's not what I asked."

Her big brown eyes widened as he stepped around his desk and moved toward her.

"I asked if you wanted me to invite him." Nico stopped directly in front of her, ignoring personal boundaries because he could. And when she looked at him the way she was now—eyes wide, chewing on her bottom lip—he could practically see the X-rated thoughts running through her mind.

He couldn't get enough of her. It didn't matter that they now shared the same bed every night or worked in the same office every day. Nico wanted more. More of her time, more of her touch. He was addicted to her. Probably always had been, but he'd been too stubborn to admit it to himself.

And just like Stone, Nico was ready for the next phase of their relationship. He was ready to jump in with both feet. Not just with Stevie. He wanted the same with Stone. More time. More touch. More everything. He simply didn't know how to broach the subject. They'd been moving fast, or so it seemed. At the same time, it felt like they were wading in quicksand, moving nowhere.

Nico cocked an eyebrow. "Yes or no?"

"Yes," Stevie said, a shiver vibrating her small frame when he put his hands on her hips.

"Yes, what?"

"Invite him to dinner."

"Maybe we should make him invite us," Nico teased, leaning in, aching to fuse his mouth to hers.

"Maybe we should," she whispered, her hands flattening on his chest.

God, he could get lost in her so easily. He could spend hours ignoring what needed to get done simply so he could—

Someone cleared their throat.

Nico glanced over to see Tara standing a few feet away. She was looking at the floor as though that offered them the privacy they'd thought they had.

Stevie giggled, then went up on her toes and kissed him. Softly, quickly.

"Need somethin'?" Nico asked her.

"Rex and Jack are here," Tara explained. "They have an appointment."

"First of many," Stevie said as she slipped out from where he'd caged her against the wall. "Let me know what Stone says."

Nodding, Nico watched as she walked away.

***

Stone sat on the couch, staring atthe television's black screen. He'd hardly moved for the past three days, choosing to wallow in his frustration rather than tackle it head-on. Whenever he thought about what he needed to do next, he always came back around to the conversation he had with Zane on Saturday. The conversation that felt like the exclamation point on an exhausting journey to nowhere.

Without Zane's support, he had nothing.

Not yet, anyway.

Yeah, it frustrated him to no end that his cousin was being a belligerent asshole, but Stone wasn't giving up. That said, he wasn't beyond feeling sorry for himself for a bit. He'd failed. Epically. What made it worse was that he didn't know what he'd done to piss Zane off so thoroughly. Perhaps his memory was fading around the edges, but he could only remember good times with Zane. They'd been close at one time. Relatively speaking. Zane was two years younger, but not too young that he hadn't spent his fair share of time with the guy when they were kids.

Zane was the youngest of seven, and back then, Stone remembered him as the one seeking attention from anyone who would give it. His brothers had given him a hard time, but that was what they did. Stone remembered stepping in, hanging out with Zane and CJ because they always had a good time when they did, but not enough to warrant the sort of reaction he'd gotten from the guy on Saturday.

Stone wasn't going to let it get him down forever. He merely needed another plan. He had far too much going for him to give up now. Stevie and Nico were the only motivation he needed, and he was determined to prove to them that he was worthy of their love. So what if this plan failed? He could easily come up with another. He just needed to get out there and look around.

"Not gonna get it done from the couch, Jameson," he grumbled, sighing as he shifted to the edge of the cushion, prepared to get to his feet and do … something.

He exhaled and looked around, hoping something would spur him into action.

The sound of an engine coming closer to the barn had him getting to his feet. He had pulled the shades on the front of the barn to block out the world for a few days, so he could only speculate about who might be there. If he were lucky, it would be Donovan. He'd been trading messages with him for the past couple of days, seeking his older brother's input on how to go about course-correcting now that he'd been shot down so thoroughly. Donovan had told him he'd give it some thought and get back to him.

Or maybe Nico was dropping by to check on him. They hadn't talked much because Stone wasn't ready to tell him that his dream was dead before it even got off the ground. He intended to tell them both, but he wanted to have a backup plan before then.

The engine shut off, so Stone headed for the door. At least he'd gotten dressed, so he didn't look quite as pathetic as he felt.

He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, only to come to a dead stop when he saw the woman strolling toward him. Her golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her brown eyes glittering with excitement.

Unfortunately, the brown-eyed blonde wasn't the one he wanted to see. Quite the opposite, actually.

Leah Johnson stopped at the bottom of the steps, presumably for dramatic effect since her beaming smile didn't waver. "Well, well, well. Long time no see, stranger."

"Leah." Stone stared at his former employer's daughter. "What're you doin' here?'

"Hello to you, too." She flashed a smile, her glossy lips glistening in the late afternoon sunlight.

Stone was at a loss for words, so he stared at her as she took the steps one at a time, slowly approaching. Her smile amplified a few megawatts with every thud of her boots on the wood.

"Miss me?" Her voice dropped an octave, taking on that silly rasp she used when she was trying to seduce him.

Because he didn't want to be a complete dick, he avoided telling her the truth and went with, "Why are you here?"

She fluttered her lashes. "Don't play dumb. I know you had that guy call because you were hopin' I'd chase you down and ask you to come back."

"What guy?"

Her pencil-thin eyebrows lifted. "Seriously, Stone? I thought we were past this."

"Past what?" He was sincerely confused. Both by her presence and her reasoning.

Leah leaned in. "Invite me inside, Stone. It's cold out here."

He didn't want to invite her in. Hell, he didn't want to engage in conversation with her. After the stunt she pulled with the shotgun, Stone had left the Double J hoping never to see her again.

"Fine. Be rude," she whispered, her smile widening as she slipped past him and into the barn.

Fuck.

Resigning himself to dealing with this shit show, he turned and followed. He left the door open despite the cold breeze that came in with him.

"Wow. This is ... nice."

Based on her tone, his living space was one level up from a cardboard box on a street corner.

"Leah. Why are you here?" He drawled the words out slowly, trying to rein in his temper.

"Would you mind closin' the door?" She rubbed her arms. "It's cold in here."

His manners prevented him from telling her she wouldn't be there long enough for him to care whether she was cold. He closed the door and shored up his nerve before he turned around.

"That's better. Thank you." Leah sighed, then put her hands on her hips as she turned to face him. Her expression was no longer playful. "I've got a proposition for you, Stone. And I think you're gonna want to sit down for this."

***

Reilly pulled down her parents' driveway, stoppingbeside the D S Landscape truck parked near the walkway leading to the front door.

Her mother had mentioned she had an appointment with Nico this week. Something about finalizing the details for the changes she wanted to make to the front yard. Reilly figured it was more like a ploy to get Nico and/or Stevie over to the house so her mother could interrogate the people Stone was clearly getting cozy with.

Okay, maybe that wasn't her mother's intention, but it certainly was hers, which was why she'd timed this impromptu visit to coincide with that appointment.

As she strolled up the path to the front porch, she checked out the flowerbeds. Her mother's yard—both front and back—had always been the highlight of the neighborhood. Why she thought she needed a designer to help out was beyond her. Between the various water features—her favorite was the wagon wheel that slowly turned as each cup filled and weighed it down—and the variety of flowers and shrubs, there wasn't much that could be done to improve it.

Reilly stopped suddenly, again scanning the area. She thought back to the last time Nico came over. The very same day that Stone came back. And then she'd conveniently gone out of town That sneaky, sneaky woman. Deborah Jameson didn't need landscape design. That sneaky (and brilliant) woman was playing matchmaker.

"I'm on to you, Mom."

She laughed as she hurried up the steps, her smile now firmly rooted on her face.

"Hey, Mom!" she called out as she let herself in.

"In the kitchen!" Deborah hollered back.

Reilly closed the door and forced herself not to skip through the house. "Tell me you're makin' cookies. I—" She cut herself off and feigned surprise when she saw Nico sitting at the kitchen island, an iPad in front of him while Reilly's mom stood beside him.

"Oh, crap," she said. "You have an appointment. I totally forgot."

She silently praised herself for her acting skills.

"Sure you did." Her mother grinned. "Nico, you know my nosy daughter, Reilly."

Nico glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey." Reilly approached, making eyes—I know what you're doin'—at her mother when Nico turned back around. "Whatcha doin'?"

"He's walkin' me through the design plan for the front yard."

Not bothering to pretend she wasn't curious, Reilly peeked over his shoulder at the iPad screen. "Oh, wow. That looks nice."

"I was aimin' for awesome, but I'll take nice," Nico teased.

Reilly giggled, walking around the island. As she turned, her gaze snagged on the window over the sink. More specifically, the view from the window over the sink. She moved closer, her smile dimming when she saw the big white Ford dually parked beside Stone's truck. She leaned in, reading the decal on the side of the truck.

"What the…?" Reilly turned to look at her mother, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why's there a Double J truck parked at Stone's?"

"I have no idea, honey. That's a question for your brother."

Reilly looked at Nico, wondering whether he had an answer. Based on his expression, he was as surprised by the revelation as she was.

"Good idea," she said, flashing a bright smile. "I'll just head on over and ask him."

Pretending not to hear her mother's words of warning that followed, Reilly slipped out the back door, across the patio, out the back gate, and down the driveway toward the barn. She ignored the urge to pull her keys out of her pocket and drag them down the side of the truck that didn't belong there. Maybe whoever it was had a good reason.

Doubtful. But maybe.

Reilly bounded up the steps and marched straight for the door. She tried the knob, but it was locked. For shits and grins, she pressed her thumb to the biometric lock, only a little surprised when the lock disengaged. She thought for sure her brother would've changed it by now.

Taking that as an invitation to come in whenever she wanted, Reilly opened the door and walked in.

"Hey!" She closed the door, pretending she didn't know he had company. "Just wanted to—" She cut herself off when she turned around, her eyes on the woman sitting on the couch just a few scant inches from her brother. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize…"

Stone shot to his feet, his expression rife with … was that guilt? Or maybe he was grateful for the interruption? She hoped for his sake it was the latter. Otherwise, she was going to put the hurt on him.

Either way, she chose to take it as an invitation to introduce herself.

"Hi." Reilly looked between the two of them before focusing on the woman. "I'm Reilly. Stone's sister. And you are?"

The woman stood, her expression one of exasperation for being interrupted. "Leah Johnson."

Reilly frowned, pretending to be searching her memory for the name. She didn't have to search hard. She knew exactly who she was.

Right before her eyes, Leah's countenance shifted from annoyance to downright pleasant as she thrust out her hand.

Reluctantly, Reilly shook it, casting a death glare at her brother.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you," Leah said with a smile. "Stone's told me so much about you."

"Is that right?" Reilly pounced on that opening immediately, using her most eager tone. "What did he say?"

As expected, Leah looked at Stone for help.

She wasn't getting it. Stone stood back, watching the two of them as one might watch a lion approaching a gazelle.

Reilly liked to think of herself as the lion in this scenario.

"You got any beer?" Reilly asked her brother.

"What?"

"Beer? You know. To drink while I get acquainted with your … friend."

Stone frowned. "No. I don't."

"Hmm." Reilly looked at Leah. "He's not big on house guests." She looked back at Stone. "Mom's got some up at the house. Why don't you go on up there and grab a couple? I'll entertain your … friend … while you do."

She could tell her brother wanted to argue, but she cocked an eyebrow and gave him a look that told him she expected full obedience. It rarely worked on anyone she knew, but she'd been perfecting it over the years, so…

Whaddya know. It worked this time.

"I'll be back in a minute."

"Take your time," Reilly told him. "We've got a lot to talk about. Don't we, Leah?"

She got tremendous glee from the confused and possibly terrified expression that flashed on Leah's face.