My gaze rounded the attic conference room table in search of the band-firing culprit. My siblings, they were smart enough to know when it was right to defend each other and when it was right to sell each other down the river, and they all pointed at Matt. I shot the band back at him, and was sure to direct it toward the fleshy part of hischeek.
"Motherfuck," he seethed, rubbinghisface.
"Enjoy that welt," I said. He flipped me off, and I layered my hands over my heart with a wink. "Aww, fuck youverymuch."
I didn't want to beat the grin off my brother's face, and that was another reason why life was fucking great right now. I was snuggled up with an incredible woman nearly every night, restoring old homes every day, and I wasn't weighed down by anything else. Everything I'd been carrying around before Alex was gone. I hadn't forgotten any of it, but I couldn't wrap my hands around it to pick it upagain.
There were moments when I still wanted to spike that goddamn iced coffee at Matt's head, but only because he was really fucking annoying with all that icerattling.
"I've been talking to you for a couple of minutes, RISD," Patrick said, his lips folded in a scowl. "I'd love to carry on with this meeting at any time. Any time at all. Whenever it's convenient for you, ofcourse."
"Let's start with Marlborough Street," I said, flipping open my notebook. "I have a few small details left to polish, but otherwise, it's done. Magnolia is wrapping up work thisweek,too."
Patrick tapped his pen against the table for a moment, his eyes narrowed. "Shannon and I walked that property on Friday," he said carefully. "The work on the roof deck, it was good. We should engage Magnolia's services morefrequently."
I held my notebook up to my face and stifled asnort.
"Did he just say?" Samstarted.
"I think he did," Mattreplied.
"Is he delirious?" Tomasked.
"I couldn't believe it either," Andy murmured. "But I got a detailed report on his new love of roof gardens on Fridaynight."
"Perhaps we should make a note of this," Shannon said. "Mark this down as the day Patrick surrendered to roofgardens."
"The fight was long and valiant," I said, "but the resistance won out. It will henceforth be known that roof gardens are preferred throughouttheland."
"Holy shit," Matt said with a chuckle. "I never thought I'd seetheday."
"Would you all shut up?" Patrick snapped. "Goddamn it. I can acknowledge good work when Iseeit."
"You were dead set against seeing it foryears," Samargued.
"That's how long it takes to arrive at some decisions," Patrickreplied.
"And that, friends," Shannon said, "is why he and Andy still haven't setadate."
Andy shot her a sharp stare. "Don't drag wedding datesintothis."
Patrick released a heavy sigh. "Can we please get back to the agenda?" he asked. "It's almost nine o'clock. We're not even close to finished here, and I have to be in Newburyport at ten. Perhaps we could speed this the fuckalong?"
I gestured to my notes. "Long story short: all of my projects are on or ahead ofschedule."
"Budget?" Patrick asked, his attention turned back to hisscreen.
"On or below," I replied. "Except Berkeley Street, but we've already talked about the extra expenses associated with restoring the entry way and parlor crown moulding using that three-dimensional print shop in New Hampshire. It's fuck-all expensive but I think it's therightcall."
Patrick shoved a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "That shit still blowsmymind."
"Thank god you're not running late, RISD," Shannon said. She ran a hand over the round of her belly and patted it twice. "Your schedule in January, February, and March is insane, and then you're booked straight through thesummer,too."
"Sam isn't even booked that far out," Patrickadded.
"Nowthatwe should note,"Mattsaid.
Part of me wanted to throw some confetti and pop the champagne because Sam had been the flavor of the week since flavor came to town. He'd been the darling of design—and in every worthy publication you could shake a T-square at—since the minute he'd joined the firm. He'd never struggled to define his style or find hisplace.
