In the last box, she pulled out a handful of design magazines. She’d never even opened them after she left Mystic Cove, she’d been so determined to do something else. To find her calling.
A piece of pink paper slipped out from the pages of one of the magazines, and Juliette scooped it up. Her eyes skimmed over the neat and bubbly letters.
You’re an amazing designer. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Go do great things in D.C.
I love you, sissy.
xoxo,
Anne-Sophie
One tear slid hot and fast down Juliette’s cheek before she could blink it away. Her baby sister had written her a note of encouragement when she’d left town, and she’d never even seen it because her pride had kept her from ever wanting anything todo with design. From ever wanting anything to do with Mystic Cove. She had been so obsessed with becoming someone else, she’d lost sight of her own dreams. Her own aspirations.
Juliette wiped away the unbidden tears as they continued to fall.
She had to talk to Anne-Sophie.
CHAPTER 14
Brock chose to spend the day working alone. Even after he apologized to Cody for being a jerk, he still couldn’t shake the cloud hanging over his head and dampening his mood.
So, he opted to go destroy some things with a sledgehammer and made sure Anders knew where to find him if anything came up.
His response was instant.
Anders
Smash all you want, as long as it’s not a load-bearing wall
Brock smirked.
Right, because the last thing they needed was extra costs associated with the beach house. He spent the next few hours tearing through a few walls, taking out the ancient cabinets, and hauling pounds of debris to the dumpster. Once his muscles burned and a nice sheen of sweat glazed his forehead and back, Brock sat down and reviewed Juliette’s orders to convert the house to a proper wedding venue.
Her colorways were perfect, neutral and what he supposed could only be described as romantic. Soft color palettes with textures of satin and velvet complemented the gilded floor-length mirrors. She’d purchased a beautiful chaise and chandelier for the bay window, which she explained would be an excellent spot for the brides to take solo pictures. She’d ordered fresh linens in sets to flow with the different seasons. New cutlery and stemware for the bar they were installing were on the way. Tiles, carpeting, rugs, cabinetry, and lighting fixtures were all inbound as well. He couldn’t wait to see how she put all of it together.
He just had to build it first.
Outside, a car door slammed, and Brock’s brow furrowed.
He was not ready to have another conversation with his father. Their last two confrontations had been anything but pleasant, and he hadn’t quite figured out how to broach the topic of his mother yet. Part of him wasn’t even sure he wanted to mention her at all, but he felt as though he owed as much to Yaya.
He strode toward the front door and glanced out one of the large windows. The sky was overcast with thick gray clouds. They pulled across the horizon and stole the light from the sun. The weather matched his mood, resentful and angry.
Brock yanked open the door and came up short. It was not Aidan Gallagher who stood before him.
“Anders.” Brock stepped aside and let his friend into the house. “I thought you were over at the Morrisons’ job site today?”
“Yeah, that was the plan.” Anders shed his coat and slung it over one of the workbenches. “But then Cody asked for more responsibility, so I let him cover it and headed over here instead.”
He glanced around the house and a line of worry furrowed across his brow. “I figure if we really want to make this into something profitable, we need to put in as much effort and time as we can.”
Brock nodded. “Absolutely.”
He noticed Anders was limping a bit more than usual today but kept his mouth shut. They only ever had one discussion about the time he was injured on deployment, and it wasn’t a conversation Brock ever wanted to have again. Anders made it clear that his injury and the events surrounding it were entirely off-limits from then on out. All Brock needed to know was that sometimes it got worse and a little less manageable in the colder months, causing Anders to walk with an almost stilted gait.
Still, today seemed worse than normal, but Brock remained silent on the matter.
“What’s on the agenda for the beach house today?” Anders asked.
