“What do youneed?”
“Any way we’d be able to move into your house thisweekend?”
Crunch. “I haven’t officially moved out yet. I mean, most of my personal stuff is at Jase’s, but I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to leave at my house so I haven’t moved any of the big stuff. Jase doesn’t have a trip this weekend so he may be able to get some of the guys to help shuffle everythingaround.”
She went over the furniture and rooms she wanted to move and they made plans to meet Saturdaymorning.
“How’s everything else? You sound tired.” Breeasked.
Denise sighed. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by things. They seem to be piling up at themoment.”
“We’ll figure it out. What’s next? You’ve got five and a halfminutes.”
“I think we should get an office manager for the rescue. The paperwork is eating into a lot of my time and I’d rather be working with the dogs than sitting in the office. We can probably get away with someone part-time. Maybe a business major from thecollege.”
“Okay.”
“And at least one more full-timeperson.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it?Okay?”
“With…four minutes left? Yes, that’s it. I trust you, Denise. If you’re telling me you need more help, I know you need more help. If you need to talk it over more, bring the kids over to Jase’s place tonight for dinner. We’ll work out a plan of attack and figure out where to advertise for thehelp.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Especially if she wouldn’t have to figure out what to cook fordinner.
“Anything else?” Breeasked.
“I kind of had sex with Chris again.” Why did she throw that inthere?
“Oh—Wait.What?”
“I kind of had sex with Chris again?” She cringed this time, waiting for theexplosion.
“How do youkind ofhave sex with someone? You know what? No. That is the first thing we’re talking about tonight. How are you going to drop that on me with less than a minute before I have to get my next patient? You should have started withthat.”
“We wouldn’t have gotten to the rest of what I needed to talkabout.”
“Beside the point. You getting nookie is the most important topic ofdiscussion.”
Denise smiled. “No one calls it nookie anymore,Bree.”
“Not the point! Damn it. I have to go. Six o’clock!Heifer.”
Bree hung up and Denise grinned at the phone, imagining Bree’s frustration at not being able to slam a handset receiver down. There were some advantages to moderntechnology.
Chapter 21
Chris bracedhis hands on the tailgate of his truck, staring at the last two boxes. He remembered those boxes. They were heavy and even though they were the last two, he dreaded picking themup.
Jase returned from his trip into the house, wiping sweat from his brow. Even though it was only early spring, they’d been unloading their trucks and carrying boxes and furniture into his house for well over an hour. “Come on. Last two. They aren’t going to walk themselvesinside.”
“How did we end up doing the brunt of the physical labor?” Somehow the girls had managed to escape while the guys did the heavy lifting. “Isn’t this supposed to be the twenty-first century? What happened to women’s equality and all thatshit?”
Jase laughed. “Why do you think they’re in the woods shooting targets while we’re doing the manuallabor?”
“I’m so confused.” Chris slid one of the boxes off the tailgate and hefted it to get a better grip. He wasn’t sure what was in it, but if he had to guess, it was a home gym. Or Bree collected bricks. Or kept all her wealth in goldbullion.
