“Where’s my fruit basket?” I tease as I step down the stairs.
When I get to the bottom, I greet him with a handshake and give Connor a side hug.
“I’m not supposed to know why you’re here, but I have connections,” Connor jokes.
“I would love to say I planned to stand here and wait for you, but I’m going to Detroit for a meeting and need my plane once they refuel,” Declan clarifies but still grins.
“And since I’m here to drop him off, then I’ll drive you into town. The Spinners are trying to go as green as possible.” Connor smiles tightly while his eyes bug out and indicate the plane behind me. “So, no need to drag another car here.” His sarcasm is underlying at how ridiculous this policy seems.
“Sounds like a plan.” I’ll get my rental car later, as they will deliver it to the Dizzy Duck Inn in town until I have a new house.
“Alright, a winning team here we come.” Declan claps his hands together before he picks up his laptop bag. “Don’t forget to hit up Jolly Joe’s, everyone needs their coffee with an overly-food-colored jellybean.” He does a little fist pump in the air.
Connor gently nudges my arm. “Ignore him. He’s hyped up on coffee from Jolly Joe’s, and it has mystical powers on people.” He scans the area. “Ah, I see that someone is bringing your luggage to my car. Let’s get out of here. You must be hungry. We can grab some food at Catch 22 if you want.”
“I guess I could eat.”
We begin to walk toward his SUV, the latest model. “I would have picked you up in my Jag but figured you had luggage.”
“It’s cool,” I promise.
Sliding into the front seat, I quickly see a message from my brother.
Stone
Enjoy small-town life with a big career. The perfect balance. What are we missing in that equation? ;) Good luck, Brother!
I’ll text him back later. It will be nice having a shorter flight time and more flight options to see him. It was one of the reasons this move was more tempting. As we drive away from the airport, I feel content that it’s the right choice.
“Whether I stay with the Spinners or not, I think you made a good decision.” Connor must have read my mind as he focuses on the road.
“Thanks, buddy. How is married life treating ya?”
“Fucking fantastic. No complaints. Hadley is the best. Then again, we’ve known one another almost our whole lives. It’s just now we dirtied it up a bit.”
I sputter a laugh because that is something he would say. “And your good friend Briggs?”
Connor grimaces. “We told him the news earlier today to warn him. He’ll get over it. Besides, he has enough happening in his private life to keep occupied from killing you.”
Huh, he is the second person to say that Briggs has stuff going on.
“I guess my uncle has you jumping right in, but if the weather holds up, then we should do a ride out on the lake. My dad always has his boat out for the season.”
“Nothing like Florida water, but I’ll give it a go,” I respond.
Looking out the window, I’m trying now to count the ridiculous signs on the road. I’ve now counted a sign warning for deer, another sign for ducks crossing, and a sign cautioning for, I think, raccoons. Do they even make a sign for that?
“We don’t have great seafood up here. But I think we beat out Florida when it comes to hot dogs and pie season. We have some skills in that department,” Connor justifies. “How is the house search going?”
“The real estate agent that the team uses is like a shark. Already had a few options sent to me last night,” I explain.
“You need to give me the name of the agent. Isla has been trying to find a new place to no avail, trying to buy instead of rent. Even had a successful offer on the table for a new house the other week, but the seller pulled out. There is absolutely nothing on the market. Then again, she isn’t the guy who just pocketed a solid seven figures.”
Interest inflames in me. “Isla wants to move?”
“Yeah, for so many reasons. She’s been looking since February,” he mentions.
“In Lake Spark?” I shouldn’t really care, but maybe the idea of running into her is more enticing than it should be.
