Yeah, she was going to be perfect for this place, although we might need to toughen her up a bit. "So," I said, "do you want to talk about the details? You know, things like salary and benefits?"
"There's benefits?" She sounded surprised.
"Two weeks of paid time off, sick leave, health insurance, and I can help you set up a retirement package if you'd like," I explained. "The position starts at thirty-five thousand a year, but your rent and utilities are included as another benefit."
"Fuck me running," she mumbled, and then I heard a thump.
"Emily?"
"I just sat down," she admitted. "Ash, that's more than I'm making at both of my jobs combined! That's... Oh my god. Thirty-five? I'll be able to afford sending Zeke there too?"
"No," I said. "Oh, Emily, no. Zeke's part of the package. We will definitely have a place for him."
Then she sniffed. The sound was subtle, but the huff that came after sounded like it was supposed to be a laugh, except that another sniff came right on its tail. "When?" she finally managed, but her voice sounded choked, like she was trying hard not to cry.
"When is your lease up?" I asked her. "How long doyouneed, Emily, because we'd love to have you here today. I'm not sure the cabin is ready, but we can make that happen quickly if you need to."
"I'm on month to month," she admitted. "I've been at that crappy trailer for so long because it's all I can afford. I mean, there's a hole in the living room wall! A real house?"
"It's only a two-bedroom," I reminded her.
"Which is plenty for us," she promised. "We have no problem cleaning it up too, or doing anything else. Ash, you have no idea how much this means to me. I've... You..." She sniffed again.
"Shh," I breathed. "Don't you dare cry on me, Emily. Give your notice. Pack your things. Let us know when you're ready, and we'll come help you move in, because I have a few big strong men here to lift anything you need. Welcome to the Southwind family, and I'm including both you and Zeke in that."
"Thank you so much," she said. "Yeah, um, I'm going to finish this house and quit my job. I mean, you're serious about this, right? I won't need to keep working for a bit to bridge the pay gap?"
"No, ma'am," I said, deciding that I'd pay her on the first out of my own account, just so she could have a break. "You'll get your first check on the first of the month. I'll also make sure that Luke doesn't say anything to Faith so you can tell Zeke first."
"You won't regret this, Ash," she told me. "I give you my word. Thank you, and Violet, and Luke, and well, all of you! Thank you so much!"
When I finally got off the phone with her, I sent a message to Luke and told him that we needed to put a rush on the cottage, Emily was coming to work here, he couldn't tell Faith until she got home from school, and I'd put a rush on that dumpster. He sent me another thumbs-up, but this one came with a grinning face and a party emoji, which I could only assume meant he was happy about this too.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ash sent me a short message saying that Emily had passed her background check, but the dots kept going, showing that he was still typing. A few minutes later, I got a small book about how he'd gotten her number from Luke, so he had already called her and made her an offer. The woman had started crying because she was so happy, and she needed to move out of her crappy trailer by the first of the month. Then he sent me a line of hearts asking if I could help Luke make sure that would happen.
I headed that way as I typed back my own reply, letting Ash know that he hadn't been to the gym in a few months, and if he wanted to keep those sculpted abs of his, he couldn't do it in an office unless he ate as little as Violet. I may have made a couple of comments about how good he'd look sweating with the rest of us, and then promised that I'd make sure it all worked out.
I had just hit send when I saw Luke jog up the steps to the cottage. Evidently, he had also been told. Dropping my phone back into my pocket, I followed, entering the little house to find Luke standing in the center of the living room, eyeing the walls. Damn, that cowboy looked good like this, like he was right in his element.
"Showing off your ass or thinking hard?" I asked.
He glanced back with a smile. "That's not how the phrase goes, Cy."
I just shrugged, not really caring, because those jeans of his did look good from this angle. He wore them just tight enough to prove that his ass was very round and grabbable. I also remembered the last time we'd been left alone in an unused building while the kids were at school. He'd looked damned good shoved against the wall in front of me.
Luke cleared his throat pointedly and turned to face me. "I asked if we should paint before they move in," he said, and clearly not for the first time.
"Sorry," I said. "You caught me reminiscing."
One corner of his mouth lifted up and his eyes jumped to meet mine. "Trying to say you're horny, huh?" He lifted his hand and crooked his finger, summoning me closer. "You can steal a kiss, Cy. We're out and proud now, remember."
I moved closer, but his words made me think of something else. "Are you, though?" I asked. "Out and proud, I mean."
Luke's hand dropped and his shoulders softened. Then he sighed. "I don't honestly know," he admitted.
So I cupped the side of his face, making him look at me again. "I'm not judging," I promised. "I'm just saying that I care about more than sticking my dick in your ass." Then I leaned in and kissed him quickly. "Don't get me wrong, I like that part too, or the sucking you off, or pretty much everything else we've done. I'm also worried that this is a lot, it's happened fast, and you keep acting like you're ok with it all. It's just us, Luke. I want to know if you really are."
