… Idohave an employee of my own who I can supervise as closely as I like.
Not that Max was an employee, per se – they both owned the gift shop equally, Max having purchased it from Sadie for a handsome sum so that she could enjoy her retirement. But the day-to-day running of the shop was Poppy’s domain, and she was loving every minute of it. Even the gift-wrapping.
Max paused, wiping his face. “We havegotto get the A/C repaired.”
Poppy murmured words of agreement, even as she continued to enjoy the show. She had originally met and fallen in love with Winter Max, with his jackets and scarves, but now she was certainly coming to appreciate Summer Max, with his tank tops and shorts. For such a bookworm type, he didnothave a bookworm body.
Poppy was thinking about asking the local shifters – of whom there really were a ridiculous amount – if they wanted to make a Hunks of Girdwood Springs calendar, since she knew it would sell like hotcakes. She probablywasn’tgoing to ask them to do that, though, for a number of reasons, the main one being that she was unwilling to share sexy pics of Max with anyone.
Taking a moment to just relax, Poppy looked around at the shop. The two of them had mostly left it as it was when they’d bought it, but they had added a few personal touches. Like the handwritten signs inside the store that Max had created with his impeccable handwriting, and the much larger number of fancy pens on display.
It was still kind of hard to believe that this was really her life now. She was living in a gorgeous mountain town with the love of her life, and they were running a lovely little shop together. And that wasn’t even getting into the fact that he could turn into a mythical winged beast!
Not to mention that the two of them had their own little cottage – nothing large or fancy, but more than enough for the two of them. And it had a garden, including an enclosed catio forGeri, so that she could safely watch the birds and frolic amongst the plants… or roll around lazily on the grass, anyway.
“All done,” said Max, emptying the dustpan. “How about you?”
“Yeah, me too,” Poppy said with a smile, going over to him and leaning in for a kiss. It was all she could do not to run her hands under his shirt and ravage him right there in the store.
They headed back home at a slow wander, not needing to talk, simply enjoying the green summer leaves and deep blue skies. Girdwood Springs really was perfect all year round, and Poppy inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of gardenias and cut grass and freshly baked bread.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she took it out to find a new message from her brother, Brett.
hows things with u and ur hot nerd??
She laughed, her face flushing slightly. It was a bit weird, finally being in a settled relationship – she’d never dated anyone seriously enough to do the whole meet-the-family thing before.
How many times do I have to tell you?she typed back.He’s not a hot nerd – he’s an INTELLECTUAL HUNK.
Another message popped up.sound lik the saem thing 2 me
She tapped away furiously at the screen.
They’re completely different! And is this how you speak to your older sister?
The reply was instantaneous.
yes
Poppy rolled her eyes with fond exasperation. She knew that Brett was only teasing about Max because he liked him – if he’d had any concerns, he would’ve had no trouble letting Max know, despite being half his size.
It probably also didn’t hurt that he and Mateo were now living in Poppy’s old apartment. She’d sold it to them for the relatively small amount remaining on the mortgage, happy to take the loss – there was no way she could’ve enjoyed living in a house that Max had bought outright, while her brother and his partner worked long hours just to save up a deposit. It was the kind of thing that she could have only ever dreamed of doing in the past.
Between the cottage and the gift shop, Max had spent most of the money he’d received from his parents… but he’d refused to let them give him any more, despite the fact that his father had made it clear that a few million dollars would be like pocket change to him.
When Poppy had asked Max if he was sure he wanted to use up his money, he’d just shrugged.
I can’t think of anything I’d like to spend it on more,he’d said, and really, Poppy hadn’t been able to argue – there had been nothing more she’d wanted in the world than to settle down in Girdwood Springs with Max.
In any case, the shop was doing well, and they were slowly starting to build up some savings again. Max seemed enthused about the idea of fully earning his own money, rather than just living off the money his father had left him and making some cash here and there as Aubrey Z.
The first glow of sunset was just starting to touch the treetops as they reached the cottage, and Poppy let them in.
“Hey, Geri!” she called out. Geri pointedly ignored them, clearly deciding that a punishment was in order for having dared to leave the house.
Poppy made a beeline for the shower, sighing in contentment as the day’s grime was washed away. Of course, after Max joined her, she found herself in need of another shower – and so it was a while before she found herself on the couch in her pajamas, Max at her side, glass of wine in hand, and Geri’s little triangle ears silhouetted against the window as the sun went down.
“We should clean the house a little before my parents get here,” said Max with a slight grimace, and Poppy hid her smile behind her glass.
