“All right.”
No hesitation. No questioning. No inquisition.
“That’s it?”
Drew glanced at him. “Should there be somethin’ else?”
“You’re not gonna ask what I need it for?”
He tapped his temple. “Twins. Besides, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you’re lookin’ to pay back that slimy asshole so it’s not hangin’ over your head anymore. Been wonderin’ what was takin’ you so damn long, to be honest.”
Finn blew out a harsh breath, head resting on the back of the couch. “You remember after we left, how I’d fantasize about comin’ back here and all the ways I’d throw that money in his face?” He didn’t wait for a response because, of course, his brother remembered. “But when I finally got the chance, it just…wasn’t as important. I had other things on my mind.”
“Willow.”
“Yeah, Willow. And the bar. And talkin’ you into movin’ back here.”
“Didn’t have to do much coercin’ on that.”
“Don’t usually with you.”
Drew shrugged. “Nothin’ holdin’ me back in California. And where you go, I go. You know that.”
“I do.” Same as Drew knew it. Their bond was unbreakable.
Finn pushed to stand and strolled toward his bedroom. “When can you get the money?”
“It’ll take a couple days. Our bank doesn’t have a location ’round here, so I’ll have to make some calls. By the end of the week, I’d say.”
“All right. And we’ll still be doing okay once that’s gone?” Finn leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed. “We still have enough assets to pay all of Nash’s people for the bar and get Momma moved out here? I know we’ve run into some added expenses with this venture.”
Drew barked out a laugh then downed the rest of his beer before standing. On his way to the kitchen, he stopped and clapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “I know you don’t pay much attention to the statements I send you, but trust me when I say we’re doin’ just fine. That 50K was nice to get us started, but we haven’t needed it in a long damn time.”
Because Drew had made sure of it. Fifty-thousand was a lot of money, especially to two kids like them, but it wouldn’t have even put a dent in cancer treatment bills. They’d had to make more money and make it fast. Fortunately, his brother was a goddamn genius with the stock market. All they’d needed had been the starting capital, and pretty soon, they’d had a nice little nest egg, even after paying for their momma’s ungodly high treatment bills.
If it hadn’t been for Drew, they’d have ended up no better than they’d left Havenbrook. And Finn couldn’t lie that it was a damn nice feeling to know how much they’d changed since leaving, how much they’d flourished, despite what half the people in their hometown thought of them.
That was the one and only thing he’d thank Dick for. And he would too. At the same time he threw all that money back in his face.
It’d been a busy week, and despite what Willow and Finn had said the evening at the tree house, they hadn’t had much time to spend together. They were back to stolen kisses here and there, but it seemed to work for them, especially because she wasn’t trying to hide anything from anyone. Not anymore. While she wasn’t screaming it from the rooftops, she also wasn’t going to lie if asked.
Of course, that hadn’t been put to the test as of yet, because all anyone wanted to talk to her about was information on the Fourth of July parade. And now that the parade was in full swing, Willow’s love life was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
She stood under an awning against the brick exterior of a building in the square, a brief reprieve from the battering sun, just taking a moment to absorb it all. Havenbrook had events to mark every major holiday—and even some non-major ones—but this was the largest and most grueling. And while she hated the prep for it, swore at how much time it took and all the hoops she had to jump through to make sure everything was in order, she couldn’t deny the swell of happiness at seeing her work come to fruition. Willow Haven put on a damn good parade, if she did say so herself.
The small details probably went unnoticed by most of the attendees, but Willow was aware of every single one. The red, blue, and white flowers she’d spent hours planting that dotted the parade route. The colored lights she’d strung between the lampposts along the square. The flag bunting on all the balconies and porches of the homes and businesses in the historic district. Uncle Sam doing balloon animals for the kids. The sight of it all coming together made her happy…content. The same feeling she got when she finished a painting. The proof of a job well done—a job well done with her own two hands.
“Nice parade, Will!” someone called out to her, owner of the voice unknown. Willow just smiled and waved at the praise, thankful she was getting it at all.
It’d probably been too much to hope she’d get it from her daddy.
“Hey.” Mac sidled up next to her, Rory on Willow’s other side.
“What’s up?” she asked, dividing a look between her sisters.
“You ready for the game?” Rory asked.
Willow groaned internally—and, okay, a little externally as well. The annual softball game wasn’t something she could skip out on, though she desperately wanted to. She’d been up since five a.m., and she was dead on her feet. But her job wasn’t anywhere near done. The parade might have been winding down, the fire truck with firemen atop it tossing out candy to the passersby signaling the end of that particular event, but she still had so much to do.
