Garrett stayed in the entry to keep an eye on Sean the Shit while the rest of us spread out. Dad and Josiah headed for my truck to get the tape and boxes while Zachary and Luke tackled the bedroom.
I headed for the storage room to make sure she hadn’t left any art supplies or canvases. The garage was cold, and the small storage room wasn’t any warmer. That was where she’d been painting? There was a space heater on the floor, but come on. That was just embarrassing. What sort of man would push his woman’s passion to the side like that?
A guy who wasn’t a man at all.
I went back into the house to get a few boxes and shot him a glare. Fuck that guy. Back in Pen’s little studio, I packed the few supplies she’d left and took them to my truck.
Zachary and Luke had already loaded her dresser into one of the trucks and put the rest of her clothes in Luke’s Chevelle. The dining table and chairs were secured, and I directed Dad and Josiah to put the artwork they’d taken from the walls into my truck or Luke’s car. Someone had even removed the wreath from the front door.
Josiah helped me tackle the kitchen. We packed a teakettle and a bunch of mugs, plus some glass storage containers, a few pots and pans and other cooking supplies, and a blender.
After loading those into our vehicles, I walked back in to check on the rest of the house. Sean tried to follow me, but without a word, Garrett casually stepped in front of him and shook his head.
“What else?” Luke asked. “We got all the obvious stuff out of the bedroom and bathroom. And there were a few coats and stuff in the hall closet.”
“Bookshelf and books are done,” Josiah said.
“Couches?” Zachary asked, pointing to the living room.
“No,” Sean said. “Those are mine.”
That made me want to take them. I gave them a once-over. Didn’t really look like something Penelope would have picked out, and she hadn’t mentioned them. “Leave ’em.”
Zachary seemed to make an executive decision about the TV. It was mounted to the wall, but that didn’t stop him. Neither did Sean’s protests. He and Luke got it unfastened and took it out to one of the trucks while Garrett kept Sean corralled.
“What about the rest of the bedroom furniture?” Josiah asked.
I scowled. “She definitely doesn’t want any of that.”
“Does she want to burn it?” Zachary asked, sounding hopeful as he came back inside.
I was about to say no, but that did give me an idea. “Take the bedding.”
“Will do,” Z said.
“You can’t do that,” Sean said.
I glared at him. “Watch me.”
Josiah and my dad went through the living and dining areas, grabbing random stuff and putting it in boxes while I finished in the kitchen. Zachary took the bedding—including a bunch ofpillows—out to one of the vehicles, then came back and stood on a chair to remove the battery from the smoke detector. He dropped it into an open box, all while grinning at Sean.
I walked through the house, giving it a final look while my brothers took the last of the boxes to my truck. From what I could tell, we’d packed everything.
Garrett moved aside as I approached Sean. I had Pen’s house key to return to him.
He wanted to hit me. I could see it in his eyes. Garrett shifted behind me. He could see it, too.
I kind of wanted him to hit me. Give me an excuse to smash my fist in his face.
With a hard expression, I held out the key. “Don’t bother her again.”
Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately, considering Garrett was right there—Sean didn’t take a shot at me. Just held out his hand so I could drop the key in his palm.
Sean glowered at us as we started to leave, his face reddening all the way to his scalp. Dad and Josiah ignored him. Luke glared back. Zachary grinned, looking like he was about to say something snarky. I shoved him out the door. Garrett slipped on his aviators and walked out.
I was about to follow when Sean spoke. “Tell that bitch—”
Before he could finish, I had him by the shirt and shoved him against the wall. My voice was hard as steel. “Do not call her that.”
