“I’m sure now that you got Kindred close she’ll have it all done up in no time.” Cash flicks a glance to me. I don’t say anything because he’s not wrong, but I don’t live here yet.
"Can I get a proper hug?" I ask my brother.
"Shit, sorry." He gives me a sheepish expression but wraps me in a tight hug. "I'd ask how things are, but there is a lot of shit happening at once."
"Yeah." I let out a sigh. "I suppose I should tell you about the prank calls I've been getting."
I fill him in on that as we make our way to Cash's office. He turns on his computer. I can tell my brother is trying to keep his anger masked.
"This is going to piss you off, Cupcake, but your tire was slashed."
"I knew I didn't hit a curb." I narrow my eyes at Cash.
"I never said you did." Oh, right.
"If I did, and it’s a bigif, it wasn't hard; I kind of clipped one or two." They both stare at me as if not shocked by this. "It's hard to see them when snow is piled up in ginormous piles! You should really look into that, Sheriff. It could be a safety issue. You’re the one that is supposed to be keeping us safe and all.”
"Think he already knew your curb issue. It’s why he got you the Bronco." My brother kicks his legs out in front of him, stretching out in the chair he's taken up residence in.
The office is beautiful. I must have missed it the other day. All the built-ins make it a dream office, the bay window with a sitting nook only adding to it. It’s very manly and fits Cash.
"Wait." I snap out of my adoration of the office that has me all over it. "Why did you say Cash bought my Bronco when you did?”
"I never said I bought it," my brother defends. "I just gave you the keys, and when you said you couldn't take it, I told you I couldn't take it back." He smiles. "Because I couldn't.”
"Don't get all selective with your words so you can lie to me."
"Pretty sure that's a family skill set," Cash mutters, his attention on the computer screen. That might be true, so I'm not going to respond.
"This office is really nice."
"Knew you loved built-ins."
"How do you know that?"
"When you talk, I listen."
"Okay, but when did I talk about built-ins?"
"When I told you about doing my office, I asked for tips and ideas." A million and one conversations flutter through my mind. He is always asking for my opinion on everything.
"Hey, we might be tricky with our words to dodge lying, but you're being manipulative with yours," I accuse.
"Yes, I'm an asshole for asking my girl the things she likes so that I can make them happen for her."
"Glad we got that cleared up." I drop down in the oversized fluffy chair next to my brother. I have nothing smart to say back to that because I’m trying to process it. This man surprises me at every turn. Never in a million years would I have thought he was so thoughtful.
“As much fun as I’m having here, what's the plan?” My brother asks.
“I didn’t want to talk inside the house, but when the tire was slashed, the person knew where the cameras were and moved one.”
“Really?” Cash nods at my question. “I’m not even sure where all the cameras are.”
“I have an idea, but I can also spot them if I’m searching them out,” my brother says. “Are you pulling shit up?”
“Yeah.” Cash stares at the screen.
“You got something over there, Captain?” I ask.
