Chapter 3
Ty couldn’t get to her car fast enough. Her phone was buzzing with a call from Margo, and she was dying to gush about the good news.
Once she got to the shaded parking spot beneath the tree, Ty pried open the door, climbed in behind the wheel, and tossed her purse onto the passenger seat. “Hi,” she said after tapping the screen at last.
“Spill it,” Margo demanded. “I’ve got twenty minutes to get the scoop and I’m back to work. Who’d you massage? Did you get the job? And were there any hot men at the inn?”
An image of Memphis came to mind, filling Ty with an added layer of hope and expectation. Could things really happen so easily? The moment she makes herself open, the moment she slides onto the limb—the very things she’d been longing for would just come into her life?
A deep sigh spilled through Ty’s lips. “You’re not going to believe it. This family is so generous.” She went to start the engine but thought better of it. If she started her car now, it’d be too loud to talk, so Ty cracked the window and made herself cozy; Lucas wouldn’t be out of school for another hour.
“My heart is bursting with gratitude right now. I don’t even know where to start.”
Margo squealed. “Who interviewed you?”
“Andie, the woman I spoke with over the phone, and her brother, Richard. A bunch of siblings recently bought into this place and are helping run it.”
“That’s cool. What about money? Is it hourly, salary, or what?”
“Salary, which means I won’t have to worry about filling my schedule. I’ll work between six to eight hours, five days a week. And the pay is…verygenerous.”
“Wow, I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you!” Ty could hardly believe it herself. “Even during the off season, the owners plan to keep me busy by providing massages for their staff on rotation. How cool is that?”
“Very. MaybeIneed to get a job over there.”
Another dose of excitement burst through Ty as she recalled the last part of her interview. “I haven’t even told you the best part yet.”
“Okay,” Margo said.
“They’re in the process of building housing for their permanent staff so they won’t have to drive in and out of town every day.” Though Andie had previously mentioned this particular perk, Ty hadn’t dared share it with her friends until she knew it would be a sure thing. “Most of the suites are single dwellings, but they’ll have a few two-bedroom suites too, and each will have their own private kitchen. She said Lucas and I could live there as part of the deal.”
Margo gasped. “Getout!That’s incredible!”
“I know. They’re supposed to be ready by Thanksgiving, so I’ll probably have to give my notice on the townhouse next month. Ah,” she said as the bliss sank in a little more. “I can’t wait to tell your mom about it.”
“Oh, she’s gonna freak,” Margo assured. “You said a bunch of siblings bought into the place. How old are they?”
“Mid-to-late twenties. Richard’s probably close to thirty.”
“And are they single?”
“Andie just got married. And Richard, who I think is the oldest, is engaged.”
“Dang,” Margo hissed. “There goes my next question.”
Ty furrowed her brow. “Whatnext question?”
“I was going to ask if Richard was hot. Does he have any brothers?”
Ty wasn’t a fan of the term hot. Not that she minded when Margo used it. Buthotseemed like a shallow way to describe a person. All outward appearance and nothing more. Still, she knew what Margo meant.
“Richardishandsome,” she allowed, “and hedoeshave brothers—three of them, to be exact.” And Ty wouldn’t say it, but she already knew which of those three she was drawn to the most. Her stomach flipped as she pictured the interaction she’d had with Memphis.
Margo made an explosion sound through the phone. “Whoa. Mind blown. Aretheysingle?”
Ty recalled the welcome she’d received when Memphis introduced her to Maverick and Emmitt at the gym. They seemedverysingle to her. “I think so,” she said. “I noticed that neither of the twins wore wedding bands, but I’m not sure about Emmitt.”
