“Not a bad idea. Let me give your mom a heads up, then go ahead and ask her. She told us about wanting to go to law school the other night,” he said, eyeing me.
“Yeah, I’m excited for her. I think this is a great opportunity. I know I wouldn’t want to go up against her in court,” I said, proud of my sister for pursuing her dream.
“That’s for sure. That girl is meaner than a gremlin after midnight.” I laughed at the accurate description.
“Proud of you. Both of you. Thank you for helping your sister, and congratulations on the place. When are you and Fiona moving in?” he asked, side-eyeing me with that last bit.
“Give me some time, old man. I’m working on it.”
“That’s my boy,” he said with a contagious smile.
The place was finally starting to feel like home. All it was missing was a delightful but infuriating accountant who was terrified of commitment. She may have been the one good with numbers, but I was working to make sure the odds were in my favor.
Chapter 18
Fiona
I couldn’t help but marvel at the difference in my life over the past year. In the month since my relationship with Bash had become intimate, we rarely spent a night without each other. We were opening up to each other in all the ways that counted.
Falling asleep to a movie, sharing a cup of coffee together before leaving for work; those were the times that meant the most to me. They were just as intimate as what we did in bed, those little moments that were just for us.
Our weekends were filled with a variety of activities. One afternoon, we were looking at paint swatches, and the next, we were hanging out at the clubhouse, shooting pool. Between our jobs and active social lives, work on the house was slow, but we were making good progress.
The barns, on the other hand, were an entirely different story. Their insides needed to be gutted and completely rebuilt to fit Bash’s vision. One of the Brothers had a contracting business, and with his help, construction was moving swiftly. Once those spaces were done, all that was left would be fixing some fences and property lights.
My visits to the clubhouse became more frequent, especially on the weekends. In the beginning, Bash would only bring me if Charlie or Match were around. It took a bit of time, but they finally stopped treating me with kid gloves.
I remembered one afternoon, Bash texted to say he was in a meeting at the clubhouse that was going overtime, and that he would come by my apartment after it was finished. I had gotten so used to him picking me up from work, to having dinner together, that I felt a weird pang at the idea of eating alone.
I texted Charlie to see if she wanted to hang out, but she was watching the garage while the guys were in Church.
As I got into the car at the end of the day, finding myself listless and missing Bash, I made a last-minute decision to bring dinner to the clubhouse. Stopping at a pizza shop, I decided to dip into my rainy day fund and splurge on dinner for the guys.
Despite the considerable amount of savings I had stashed away, I was always hesitant to spend unnecessary money on myself. But for other people, it seemed easier. I bought an insane number of pies with different toppings, as well as plenty of garlic knots, chicken wings, and mozzarella sticks. The delivery guy needed to help me load up the car, so I sent Roxie and Star a text, asking if they were at the clubhouse.
I put my phone away and began the drive, only a tiny bit anxious about what Bash’s response to my surprise appearance might be. When I approached the property, I was grateful that I recognized Daniel, the prospect working in the guard booth.
“Hey, Danny. I decided to bring pizza for you guys. Want me to make you a plate and bring it down?” I asked, and watched as surprise crossed his face.
“That would be awesome, Miss Fiona. I’ll take three slices of whatever’s left after the guys get to it.”
“Tell me your favorite ones now. I’ll put a plate aside for you before the guys can get at it.”
With genuine appreciation, he rattled off some options and then opened the gate to let my car through. Once parked, I checked my phone to see that both Star and Roxie were at theclubhouse already. I replied that I just pulled in and could use some help. Pulling out a stack of pies, I eyed my still-full back seat.Did I over-order?I didn’t think so, especially since I had no idea how many Brothers were there.
“Hi, Fiona!” Star’s voice bubbled up from behind me, where I turned to see her and Roxie approaching.
“What’s all this?” Roxie asked, coming up to grab some boxes from my arms.
“Bash said he was going to have to miss dinner because the guys were all in a meeting. I figured I’d bring food to them instead.” Roxie’s face softened as Star loaded her arms up as well.
It took us two trips, but we got everything inside and laid it out across the kitchen. I put a plate aside for Danny, and Star ran it out to him. I started making a plate for myself when I looked up and saw Roxie and Star standing there, looking a little unsure.
“Are any of the other girls around? Maybe shoot them a text to grab some slices now before the guys get out here and demolish everything,” I said, waving a hand at the untouched pizzas.
Roxie and Star exchanged a look before Star grabbed her phone and both joined me at the table I had chosen.
“So what’s new? How’s work and stuff?” I asked between bites, grateful to see a few of the club girls come through and make plates before sitting in groups throughout the main floor.
