Seven

After hanging up with Stevie, Nico headedhome.

It was still early, and he was hoping to settle in his office for a couple of hours and take care of a few things he'd been putting off. He had several quotes to finalize and a few designs he was eager to start. It was difficult to get those things done in the office due to the constant coming and going and/or questions that arose throughout the day. He could find peace and quiet at home.

As soon as he pulled into his driveway, he knew his plan for a productive evening was about as hopeful as a bonfire in a hurricane. And it had nothing to do with the fact Stone Jameson was back in town or that he knew Stevie wasn't as okay with it as she pretended. Nope. His productive day was about to get quashed by five feet, eight inches of smiling sister.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was his fault. He'd completely forgotten that Niyah was coming over today.

That was a lie.

He hadn't forgotten.

The truth was, he'd been putting off thinking about it because he didn't want to.

He parked the truck and got out, wondering if it would've been worth his while to stick around and let Stone pretend he didn't remember that night all those years ago instead of coming home to find his sister waiting because she wanted to say goodbye. Nico would've much rather put up with Stone's blank stare than have to say goodbye to the only family he had left. He was going to miss her.

"I knew you forgot," Niyah said with a wide smile.

Nico's attention shifted to the wiggly puppy in her arms.

"Is that a—"

"Yellow Lab? Yep." She held him up like he was a sacrifice to the sun gods. "Ain't he cute?"

"Adorable," he said, giving the puppy's head a scratch.

"I was hopin' you'd say that. He's yours."

Always joking that one.

At least he prayed she was joking.

"Whatever," he shook his head and frowned at the little dog. "You know I don't have the time or patience for a puppy."

"Seriously? There's no way anyone can be that hard-hearted," she teased, shifting the puppy so he was cradled like a baby in her arms. "He's not a mean man. Just grumpy."

"You and Stevie have fun last night?" he asked as he spared the dog another glance.

"We did. That girl can hold her liquor better'n people twice her size."

Nico laughed. That she could.

"Speakin' of…" Niyah glanced back at the driveway. "I thought she'd be here."

He shook his head. "She's at the office."

"You mean she's avoidin' me because she knows we'll both cry again if we have to say goodbye twice?"

Nico figured that was what prompted Stevie to get up early and head to the office, although it was her day off. Their house was set up so they could work from here as easily and as comfortably as they could there. That was due to Stevie's persistence. From the day she became his roommate—shortly after Niyah got engaged to Adam—she'd been slowly but surely transforming his space into something that resembled a home rather than a structure that contained his furniture.

Although he hadn't been thrilled with the idea back when he'd made the initial offer—the result of a night of too much booze—turned out Nico enjoyed having a roommate. Especially one as low-key as Stevie. She was the polar opposite of Melanie, his ex-fiancée. Stevie was about as laid-back as they came, while Melanie had been high-strung and needy. Not that Stevie was perfect. She was a complete and utter slob. Since Nico had gotten used to Melanie's obsessive-compulsive housekeeping, it was taking some time to get used to.

Despite the mess Stevie left in her wake, Nico wouldn't change anything if he had to do it all over again. Stevie was his sister's best friend, but he'd forged a pretty good friendship with her over the years, too. Granted, it took several years for Stevie to get over her complete hatred for him—she'd blamed him for the events that transpired after that night. When she finally cooled enough for them to discuss what happened, she decided neither of them was at fault but made him promise they would never discuss it again.

For the most part, he obliged. As long as they didn't overindulge, they were capable of keeping that night in the past where it belonged. It was those other times that—

"I'm gonna miss her," Niyah said, interrupting his thoughts. "But she promised to come visit. The two of you can come together."

Shaking off thoughts of Stevie, Nico unlocked the front door and changed the subject. "Where's Adam?"

"He went to put gas in the Range Rover."

Frowning, Nico turned with his key still in the door lock. "You're really doin' it? You're really lettin' some random guy drag you across the country?"

Niyah barked a laugh. "I've been with that random guy for a year and a half."

"Irrelevant," he teased.

Her smile reflected more melancholy than excitement, but she was suppressing it for his benefit. Thanks to Stevie, Nico knew that Niyah was thrilled with the idea of a new life in California. And to be fair, he was happy for her. Adam was a good guy, and he genuinely loved Niyah. He would take care of her.

Nico sighed, pushing the door open and walking inside. Acknowledging that didn't make this any easier. He already missed Niyah and she hadn't left yet.

Doing his best to mask his expression, he forced a smile. "What's with Scrappy-Do there?" He nodded toward the puppy. "You thought you'd pick up a puppy on the way outta town?"

"Yep. Only this sweet little baby's not goin' with us."

Nico dropped his keys and his cell phone on the table. "Where's he goin'?"

Niyah mumbled nonsensical baby talk to the puppy before setting him on the floor. When she stood, she wildly gestured at the four-legged creature as though he'd specifically asked for one.

"He's yours."

For fuck's sake. She was serious.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "What am I supposed to do with a dog, Niyah?"

"Love him and give him lots of smooches."

"Might I remind you, I'm not a smoochin' kinda guy."

"But you could be."

"No," he said adamantly, shaking his head for emphasis. "I do not need a dog, Sis. I don't have time for one."

"But he's so cute."

"Then you keep him."

"I can't."

He headed for the kitchen. "Why not?"

"Because I'm movin' to California."

"They don't let you have dogs in California?" he asked as he pulled the loaf of bread from the cabinet. "That's just another reason you should stay here."

Clearly, she was onto him because Niyah cocked her head and lifted one perfectly arched eyebrow. The expression was one she'd given him many times in his life. And though she was a year younger, she acted like she was the big sister.

To avoid that look, Nico glanced down at the puppy, watching as he sniffed around the chairs at the small table in the breakfast nook. He really was cute. Almost too cute. Like one of those stuffed animals his sister used to keep on her bed when they were kids.

Niyah cleared her throat. "You're in love with him already."

Nico rolled his eyes. "No. And I won't be because I'm sure it's only a matter of time before—" He pointed toward the dog, drawing his sister's attention.

"No, no!" Niyah squealed, scurrying toward the puppy. "Not in the house."

Nico laughed.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she picked him up in that sun-god-sacrifice hold again and carried him toward the back door. "I'll clean it up. Just a minute."

"I've got it," he assured her, grabbing some paper towels to clean up the little puddle on the floor.

He took care of the pee, tossing the paper towels in the trash, then grabbed a bottle of all-purpose cleaner to wipe it again. He was still bent over when the puppy came bounding into the house, ears flopping, tongue hanging out. If Nico didn't know better, he would've sworn that was a smile.

Before he could stand upright, the puppy practically launched himself at him, wiggling to get his attention.

Nico knew that as soon as he petted him, he would be doomed. He refrained as long as he could, refusing to give in.

Don't do it. Don't you dare do it.

"Come on," Niyah said. "You can do it."

He laughed, setting the cleaner and the towel on the table so he could give the dog some attention.

Sure enough, all it took was one puppy lick to the face, and he was in love. It was inevitable, he figured, and his sister knew that. Nico had wanted a dog when they were kids, but their mother was too busy raising them as a single mom with two jobs to handle anything more. And while he had assured her he would be responsible for the dog, she was smarter than him. She knew he was all talk.

Once he was old enough to get one of his own, life had conveniently gotten in the way. First college, followed by a job that he loved. Life moved seamlessly by for about three years, then one day, Stevie came to him with a business proposal. She wanted to do something with the inheritance she'd received from her grandfather, and for whatever reason, she thought opening a landscaping business was the best thing to do with it.

After weeks of trying to talk her out of it, Nico realized she couldn't be swayed. She'd punctuated the argument with an emphatic, "I'm gonna do it with or without you. You pick."

She was a master manipulator, among other things.

Luckily, Stevie only used her powers for good. Or so she claimed. Together, they'd created a company they could be proud of, building it from the ground up and keeping it afloat for the past eight years. A company that took up so much of his time he had too little to dedicate to anyone or anything else.

A horn honked out front.

"That's Adam," she said with a sad smile. "We have to get on the road."

Nico rubbed the dog's head again before getting to his feet. "I hate that y'all are movin' so far away."

"Well, the good news is, there's always FaceTime. And it's not like we won't come back to visit. Or you, Stevie, and that little guy"—she pointed at the puppy—"can come visit whenever you want."

He knew that, but it wasn't the same. He'd been close to his sister all his life, but they'd formed a deeper bond after their mother passed away five years ago. He was going to have a vast void without Niyah around for him to talk to and harass whenever he saw fit. Nico couldn't even imagine what Stevie was going through—Niyah and Stevie were thick as thieves—but as always, the woman radiated happiness at her best friend's good fortune. That was what Stevie did.

Nico held out his arms as his sister walked toward him. She was crying, something she swore she wouldn't do when she came to say goodbye.

"I want pictures," she told him when she pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Lots and lots of pictures."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Maybe."

She started toward the door, so he followed.

"Oh, I meant to tell you. I heard Stone Jameson's back in town."

Nico failed to school his expression in time. His sister knew him better than anyone, so there was no doubt she'd seen a spark of interest flash before he could hide it.

"You already knew that, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe this is your chance to finally talk to him."

Niyah was the only person who knew about the events that happened all those years ago. Nico had never told a soul, but Stevie had broken down and shared the deets with her best friend. Evidently, that was part of the BFF code. Rules his sister and Stevie lived by. And much to his dismay, they disclosed everything. As in every dirty detail, including the ones he wished Niyah didn't know about. Specifically those that involved him and Stevie these past few months.

He shook his head. "I'm takin' the puppy. That's far more than I can handle."

Niyah laughed. "Just do me one favor?"

"If it's anything other than potty trainin' that little guy…"

"Keep an eye on Stevie. Make sure she's okay."

"You know I will," he promised and meant it.

"Maybe this is the opportunity y'all've been waitin' for. The three of you."

He didn't bother telling her there was no opportunity to be had. By leaving town, Stone Jameson had been relegated to the darkest recesses of Nico's mind. He'd put that night behind him and moved on. And because the guy had shattered Stevie's heart, Nico had no desire to ever forgive him.

"At the very least, you need to encourage Stevie to talk to him."

He would do no such thing. How Stevie chose to handle Stone was up to her, but he wanted no part of it.

"I love you," Niyah said, giving him another quick hug.

"I love you, too. Call me when y'all get there so I know you made it."

She nodded. "We're takin' the scenic route, so it'll be a few days."

Nico followed her onto the porch and waved at Adam.

He stood there staring after them as they backed out of the drive. Behind him, there was a whimper and a thump. When he turned around, he saw the puppy inside the house, trying desperately to open the screen door with his nose.

Laughing, Nico opened the door and picked him up. It earned him puppy kisses.

"You're gonna need a name."

That got him a lick on the nose.

"And some food. We're gonna have to go into town for that."

So much for getting any work done.

***

Stevie was locking the office door whenshe heard tires crunching gravel as a car approached.

Since they weren't anticipating any clients coming in today, she didn't immediately go into professional mode. Because they opened the office for business on Saturdays to accommodate folks who worked the Monday through Friday, nine-to-five gig, they generally didn't come in on Fridays. Today was an exception because Stevie was avoiding having to say goodbye to her best friend again. Last night had been difficult enough. She knew there was a good chance she would hogtie Niyah and insist she not go to California if she was forced to watch her walk away. That or fold herself into Niyah's luggage and go with them.

She sighed. She already missed her.

Stevie pulled her hood over her head, holding the strings at her neck to keep it from blowing off, and turned toward the parking area. Before she reached the end of the deck, she heard footsteps. She lifted her head to look, figuring Mike or Carlos were coming inside to grab a coffee to warm up. But it wasn't Mike or Carlos now standing four steps down, staring up at her with a cocky grin.

"Hey, beautiful. I was hopin' I'd find you here."

Hadn't she had enough surprises for one day?

"What do you want, Oscar?"

"You wanna grab dinner?"

"No."

"Dessert?"

"No."

Because she knew this wasn't going to be a brief conversation, she tied the strings to keep her hood in place, then tucked her hands in her pocket.

Oscar suggestively raised and lowered his eyebrows. "How about breakfast tomorrow mornin'?"

She ensured he saw the lack of amusement on her face. "No."

"Come on, baby. When—"

Stevie jerked her hand out of her pocket and stabbed a finger in his direction. "Do not call me that."

"Sorry."

No, he wasn't. Oscar knew it pissed her off. Only one man had ever gotten away with calling her that, and she would forever hate the word. As far as she was concerned, Stone Jameson could shove that endearment where the sun don't shine.

"When are you gonna forgive me?"

Oh, man. This again?

"There's nothin' to forgive, Oscar. I told you. It's not you, it's me."

That was mostly true. Stevie had dated Oscar on and off for three years. They officially broke up a year ago, shortly after Stevie moved in with Nico. Her decision to end things with Oscar had nothing to do with Nico and everything to do with Oscar's inability to grow up. For six months now, they'd been doing the same dance they were doing now. Oscar would seek her out, he would ask her out, she would say no, and she wouldn't hear from him for another few weeks. Probably when he was bored and needed someone to hang out with.

What made it difficult was that she liked Oscar. As a friend, he was cool. But he was a bad influence on her, and though Stevie held no one but herself accountable for her actions, she knew she was better off without him. Since she didn't see a future with him, not even back when they'd first started dating and she'd actually liked having sex with him, their relationship had played out exactly as she'd anticipated: quick and painless.

Unfortunately, Oscar did not seem as content with the end as she was.

"Well, if you don't wanna go on a date, maybe I could swing by your place tonight. I'll crash in the guest room if you want."

"No." Stevie frowned. There was only one reason Oscar would ask to sleep in the guest room. "Wait. What happened to your place?"

His gaze cut away from her face. "Greg and I got in a fight."

"Because you didn't pay rent?"

"It's his mom's house," Oscar said defensively. "He's got no right chargin' me rent to stay there. He doesn't pay rent. Why should I?"

And there you have it, folks. Oscar was homeless. Again. And when he was homeless, he tended to lean on her. Back when she lived with Niyah, she hadn't minded him staying over for a few nights while he looked for another place to crash. But things were different now that she lived with Nico. She wasn't about to subject either man to that awkwardness. And, like it or not, it would be awkward.

"Oscar, you're thirty-two years old. Don't you think it's time you grew up and got your own place?"

"You wanna help me out with a job?" he countered hotly.

"No." She'd tried that already. Shortly after they first started dating, back before she knew he had a long history of getting fired for not showing up to work, Stevie had given him a job. He'd worked on Carlos's crew for three days before he just didn't show up. When she called to find out what happened, he told her he'd gotten a different job. She'd started noticing the pattern after that. Hence the reason Stevie had stopped thinking of him as relationship material and satisfied herself with the fact he was decent in bed.

Then, a little over a year ago, she'd learned he was living with a woman he met at a bar. She decided that was the perfect punctuation mark, using it to signify the end of a good run. Sadly, that woman had come to her senses, too, kicking Oscar out and inadvertently sending him running back in Stevie's direction.

"Come on, Stevie. Give me another chance."

"A chance? For what? A job? A place to live? Or a night in my bed?"

His smile was flirtatious. "Why not all three?"

"What's in it for me?"

"An orgasm?"

She huffed a laugh and started down the steps. Her patience had run out. "No thanks. I'm quite capable of givin' myself orgasms."

Oscar stepped back, letting her pass. He knew better than to stand in her way. The last time he'd tried that, she'd punched him in the nose.

"Fine. But don't come crawlin' to me when you get tired of hand deliverin' those orgasms."

"I won't," she promised, not bothering to tell him that she'd gotten quite a few that had been delivered by her sexy roommate. Not recently, but still.

"Come on, Stevie. I was kiddin'. Please, baby."

She spun around. "Do not call me that!"

His eyes widened, and he held his hands up, palms forward. "Okay, okay. Gawd. Why does that word piss you off so bad?"

She ignored the question. "I gotta go, Oscar. Have a good life."

Before he could say anything more, Stevie hopped in her Ford Bronco, grateful she'd already started the engine. She sank into the heated seat and clicked the button to lock the door.

She waited until Oscar got in his car and left. As she shifted into reverse, she found herself smiling.

Nico would be proud of her for standing up to Oscar. Especially since she'd been on a dry spell for the past six weeks. Stevie would be the first to admit she enjoyed having a healthy sex life. And despite his flaws, Oscar had been decent in bed. Good enough to hold her attention for years. Granted, she also preferred monogamy, which limited her options. She didn't hop from bed to bed by choice, which was the only reason she'd dangled the hook in front of Oscar for so long.

Perhaps she should consider giving him another chance. At the very least, it would relieve some of the pressure and reduce the risk of her making another bad decision. One that could potentially cost her everything she'd built for herself.