“You can just go home, Jules.”
She shakes her head. “Nah. Staying busy is a good idea today. Have fun, boys.”
Jules crosses to me and boosts up on her toes, offering me her lips, which I immediately cover with my own.
“Call me if you need me,” I whisper. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” She pats my chest, then she’s gone. I can hear her talking to someone at the door, and then it closes, and Blake walks in.
Everyone’s here.
“Why does Jules look … unhinged?” Blake asks with a scowl. “Is she feeling okay?”
“We’re dealing with some stuff from her past,” I reply with a sigh, wondering how much to tell them. The prick she was married to isn’t my story to tell, but these three are my brothers, my best friends. “You know she was married?”
They all nod.
“The girls told us,” Bridger replies.
“He pulled some shady shit, and we had a meeting with an attorney this morning. Pissed us both off, and she needed to let off a little steam.” I spread my arms, gesturing to the impressive mess my wildfire made. “I don’t know if it helped, but she got to destroy some stuff.”
“That sucks,” Beckett says. “Let us know if you need anything.”
“I think it’s just going to take a little time and more patience than I normally have.”
“Are you kidding?” Blake smirks, shaking his head. “You’re the man who waitedfifteen yearsfor her. You have more patience than anyone I know.”
“You know what I mean.”
“It’s going well, though?” Bridger asks me. “Other than what you had to deal with this morning, things are good?”
“Better than I thought they could be.”
They grin at me, and I roll my eyes.
“Come on, assholes. I want to get this whole kitchen torn out today.”
“We can do more than that,” Blake says, looking around. “Jesus, people actually thought this wallpaper was a good idea?”
“How are we going to strip it off?” Bridger asks.
“We’re not. I don’t trust the electrical system since it hasn't been updated in about sixty years. We’re going to eventually take the whole house down to the studs and start over.”
“Fun.” Bridger grins and hefts the sledgehammer he brought with him. “Let’s tear some shit apart.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
JULIET
“These crackers areeverything,” I say as I pop another one into my mouth, and Cassie grins across from me. I asked the personal chef to pop by today with some for the restaurant and to chat with me about a possible working relationship. “I think I’ll put together some cheese and cracker trays for the grab-and-go section.”
“That’s a great idea,” Cassie says. “I can bring you a fresh batch of crackers twice a week. Would that be enough?”
“I think so, for now anyway. We can adjust as we go, if that works for you.”
“Of course.” She makes a note in her phone. “What else can I help with?”
I take a sip of water and wave at Ava, who’s just walked into Sage & Citrus to grab something for lunch. Her order is already bagged up and ready to go.
