Dane crosses his arms. “She could live another eight to ten years.”
I cross mine back. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“She’ll need regular veterinary care.”
“Good thing my brother is a vet. C’mon. I need to take responsibility, right? A horse is a big deal, I get it. But I can do it.”
Silence lingers as we face off under the parking lot lamplight. He bites his lip the way he always does when he’s about to make a hard decision.
“Fine. I’ll talk to the farmer and arrange the transport.”
“Yeah!”
“But I’m serious, Jonah. There’s a lot to know about taking care of a horse.”
“Well, I don’t have a job anymore, so I have the time to learn.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up the smallest bit, and I savor the satisfaction. “Okay,” he concedes. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He swallows. “Thanks, Jonah. This is really nice of you.”
Dane isn’t one to serve up appreciation like this, so I find myself pleased as punch to be the one receiving it. I just hope I can show him I can be responsible, and that I’m worthy of his trust and appreciation again.
Chapter 7
Making Plans
Jonah
After meeting with one of my lawyers about the plans for funding the training facility, I got the approval to proceed. He agreed with Rafael that framing it as community beautification would be a smart idea, and now he’s chasing that lead and getting all the boring paperwork in line while I get to focus on the fun stuff.
That’s why I’m holding a case of Yuengling in one hand while I open the door to Raf and Angie’s house. Tonight we’re going over plans for the training facility. Plus, any time I can hang out with my amigos, I’m down.
I spot Joaquín’s car in the driveway and smile. I knew he was driving up from DC for this, but excitement prickles under my skin at the possibility of working together with my best friend on a dream project.
I punch in the door code and inhale the smell of garlic. “Hola carnales. Huele rico.” I announce before taking off my shoes. I learned Spanish from Joaquín and his family since we practically grew up together. They always make fun of me because I have a really hard time getting the accent right, so I just gave up. Now our families refer to what I speak as “frat bro Spanish.”
Joaquín hushes me before wrapping me up in a hug. “Kids just went down,” he whispers in Spanish.
“Oh, sorry,” I say, hoping I didn’t wake the kids. “Smells good.”
A couple of hot pizza boxes and garlic knots sit on thekitchen island. Ang and Raf have lived here for a couple of years now. He bought the historic Philly house in hopes of flipping it, but he fell in love with it—while falling in love with my sister—and they moved in right before the twins were born. The house is gorgeous and massive, but each room is like you’re walking into a different story. The living room is gothic, the bathrooms are straight out of Barbie’s Dream House, and their library/sunroom looks like it belongs east of the Shire.
Their kitchen? Completely yellow. Cabinetry, walls, countertops, refrigerator, stools—all of it looks like it came from some 1970s home decor magazine. Does it match anything else in the house? No, but my sister loves it, and Raf loves anything his wife loves.
“Come find me if you need a live demonstration,” Raf says to Angie over his shoulder before striding into the kitchen. A grin splits his face, and he grabs a plate.
Joaquín laughs. “Ang reading something good?”
“A bear-shifter romance.”
The two brothers chuckle, and then their meaning catches up to me.Ew.But also, I kind of want that.
My thoughts drift to Renée, and I wonder what it would be like if she let me in like that—if there was some kind of ease between us. Lately, she’s all I can think about. Every time I drive by her house or look out of my living room window, I try to spot her, but no luck. She can’t possibly be avoiding me, is she? I know she told me that night at Strip Tease that what we did (as glorious and life-changing as it was) could never happen again, and I was supposed to forget it ever happened. But surely those rules are not still in place now that we’re neighbors.
I need to figure out a way to get her number.
“Alright Jonah,” Raf says, pulling me from my head and back to reality. “Tell us where you are with your lawyer.”
I swallow my pizza and set my plate down. “Right.He approved the funds for our training facility and will write up the contract once we want to buy a place.”
