“No, you won’t.” Beck moves so quick I don’t even register the kiss to my forehead until he’s turning, walking back to the kitchen.
Stella hovers over the to-go boxes, lifting the lids at a few to see everything we got. “Cheeseburgers, wings, tacos…and no cooking on our end. Must say, this was a fabulous idea.”
“I have to agree. I had Jen pick out the spread and I came in with the credit card.” Beck sets down three wineglasses then a bottle opener. “Which one are we opening first?”
Stella slides the bottle of Cabernet to him. “I say we open ’em all, but I know this one is Jennie’s favorite.”
Beck flashes me a grin. “Perfect, we’ll start with this one then.”
“Yeah, I bet you will,” Stella whispers. The smile on her face is a bit more smug than Beck’s.
I’m honestly waiting for her to outright ask what’s going on between us. Unlike Lucie, Stella isn’t afraid to cuss me out like a sailor without blinking an eye…all lovingly, of course.
Making my way over to them slowly, Beck hands me a glass and I take a big gulp. “Anyway, how’s work going, Stel? You ready to be flying out this weekend for whatever inevitable scandal happens today?”
Stella groans and slides the bottle of Zinfandel to Beck. “Just put a straw in that bottle for me. I’m already hating the phone call I’m sure to be getting tomorrow for whichever sleazy public figure has their side piece fuck up Thanksgiving.”
While Beck doesn’t hand her back the bottle with a straw, he does give her a very generous pour. “So, what is it you do exactly?”
“I work for a PR company.” Stella plops down on one of the stools around the island. “Primarily, I clean up messes and scandals.”
“That puts it lightly.” My sister isthePR girl with the company she works for. “Stella lives to make grown men cry while she puts out their fires. People have started requesting her by name with how good of a job she does.”
Stella waves a hand for me to stop, but the look on her face says otherwise. “I am pretty good at it. However, I would love to stop having to deal with random fires and flying out all the time.”
I make my way over to the seat next to her. “What? I thought you loved your job?”
“I do. I really do love coming in looking like a bubblegum princess with my pretty dresses and purple streaks in my hair for everyone to doubt my capabilities then completely blow them away. And yes, make a few grown men cry in the process.” Stella shrugs. “But I also want some good fires and puzzles to solve. I want to work with a place and nurture it, not come in only for crises.”
“Have you looked at some of the places around here?” Beck asks. “I’m sure there are plenty of companies that could use someone on deck.”
Stella weighs her head back and forth. “I’ve looked some, but haven’t really had a ton of time to dig too deep into it, but I suppose if I moved here”—Stella spins to face me—“we could find a place together. I could probably swing moving here with the company I’m with now too.”
Hi, heart, meet my stomach.
“I…uh…I guess we could.” My eyes seek out Beck but he hides his reaction to my sister’s suggestion by taking a sip of his wine. I guess he could have zero feelings about the situation.
Stella follows my gaze. “Unless this isn’t as temporary as mentioned before?”
Yep, my heart is definitely deep in my stomach now.
Beck clears his throat but keeps his eyes down at the wine in his hand. “It’s temporary, but no hard move-out date.”
Stella reaches over to squeeze my leg. “Well, it was just an idea. One that doesn’t have to be entertained today.”
She’s right, it doesn’t. But Beck’s right too—we’re in the moment, but the moment will eventually pass.
“We can talk about it over the next few weeks. I know Reagan is wanting to get the ball rolling on our building so worrying about apartments is a little low on my list.”
Stella thankfully takes my bait and her eyes light up. “Oh, tell me more about that. What are we thinking? Do you get to have your own name? Can I pick it? I’ll be your PR girl, and you’ll get the family discount.”
“No, I get the sister discount—which is free.” I take a sip of my wine really hoping a buzz takes that lingering pain of moving out of Beck’s place eventually off my mind. “I would imagine I’ll get to name my business…” I look to Beck. “That actually does seem like something Reagan might be anal about.”
A bit of a smirk finally tugs at the corner of his lips again. “I could see that, but at the same time, I assume she’ll want to keep the business separate to some extent. Let’s just come up with a name for shits and giggles at least.”
Stella squeals. “Ooo, okay, this is going to be so fun. But also I need a burger to think clearly.”
“That’s fair,” Beck says and immediately turns to grab some plates. When he sets them down, he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “You guys dig in, I’m going to call my dad real quick.”
