“Let’s see. The tall dresser in the bedroom, plus the clothes in it. There are some more clothes and shoes in the closet—those should be obvious. The bed is mine, but I don’t want that back. The dining set and the bookshelf, plus all the books. He didn’t have anything on the walls when I moved in, so the art is all mine.”
“Got it.” I typed her list on my phone while she talked. “What else?”
“I think I got most of my art supplies, but I was in a hurry, so if you could check the storage room in the garage, that would be great. And the hall closet has my winter coat and snow boots. Some of the towels and stuff were mine, but I don’t care about those. Oh, and kitchen stuff. There are some mugs I’d love to get back, but the rest of it isn’t a big deal.”
“I should be able to figure it out.”
“Thank you. Again. You keep riding in on your white horse and saving the day.”
“What are friends for?”
“I just hope I can make it up to you someday.”
“No need.” Without thinking, I stepped in and wrapped my arms around her.
Oh, shit. Shouldn’t have done that.
Too late. I held her tight, breathing in her scent. She hugged me back, and for a second, I closed my eyes, letting the feel of her body next to mine sink in.
She let go first, so I dropped my arms and stepped away. My phone was buzzing with replies from my brothers, so I pushed away the temptation of her warmth and checked my messages.
Luke:What time?
Josiah:Address.
Zachary:I’m in. This is going to be fun.
Garrett:Off duty today. I’ll be there.
I got the address from Penelope, sent it to my brothers, and we agreed to meet there in half an hour.
My mouth turned up in a slow grin. I agreed with Z. It was going to be fun.
Sean’s house was on the other side of town. Pen had texted him to let him know movers were coming to get her things. The fact that the movers were a bunch of Havens? That was just semantics.
My brothers and I parked in a line along the street. Luke was in his Chevelle, but Josiah, Zachary, and I all had trucks, and Garrett had a big SUV. That would give us plenty of space to haul her stuff.
I got out and did a double take. Josiah wasn’t alone. Our dad got out of the passenger seat and tipped his chin to me. With a subtle smile, I nodded back.
Sean had no idea what was coming for him.
Even on the outside of the house, there were signs of Penelope. The porch was decorated with pumpkins and a colorful fall wreath hung on the door.
My dad and brothers fell in behind me, letting me take the lead as we approached. I balled my hand into a fist and knocked several times. Hard.
The door swung open, and Sean’s eyes widened. Dude looked rough—probably hungover. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he wore a rumpled T-shirt and a pair of stained sweats.
His gaze moved back and forth across the wall of Havens on his doorstep. “What’s going on?”
“We’re the movers.” I walked in, forcing him to get out of my way.
Sean stepped aside as my dad and brothers came in behind me.
“You guys can’t just come in here. I’ll call the cops.”
“Cops are already here.” Garrett was in street clothes, but even without his uniform, his air of authority was unmistakable. Crossing his arms, he stood in front of Sean to keep him in place—and out of our way.
Ignoring the douchebag, I turned to my family. “All right, I’ve got boxes and tape in my truck. She has clothes in the bedroom and the hall closet, plus the tall dresser, the bookshelf, and all the books. Dining set is hers. Any art on the walls goes, too. I’ll handle the kitchen and check for more of her art supplies. And we should do a sweep, looking for anything she might have forgotten to mention. Ready? Break.”
