It's always Kipp and me.
Wade
I'm on duty today.
Kipp
You're always on duty when there's a generator.
Wade
That's a coincidence.
East
It is not a coincidence. It’s a pattern.
Kipp
Bring the electrical tape.
East
Already in the truck.
You're both very good at this.
Kipp
We are. Tell Earl.
Wade
Don't tell Earl. He'll try to help.
Sage
Sundays meant we were expected at Maggie’s for dinner. For the last few weeks, that included the new people we had brought into the group. Rhodes, Ellis, and Opal had joined us for meals, and it had only made everything livelier. Ellis had been grumpy the first time because Phiny had outright rejected the poor guy, but he bounced back and chose to take it in stride.
First, though, I needed to check in on my shop. I trusted Cedric, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to stop in, especially when I was in town anyway.
“Babe, you really need totrust,” Cedric dragged out the word as he fluttered his eyelashes at me for a second, then turned his attention back to the piece he was arranging. “You don’t have to come in every single day. I’ve got this.”
“Of course you do. It’s just habit at this point.” Giving Cedric a quick kiss on the cheek, I ignored his eyeroll and let Ellis follow me outside into the April sunshine.
“Maggie wants us to pick up some extra honey at the market.” I was already looking down at my phone and shooting off texts to make sure that there weren’t any other requests.
The hangover from last night's tequila shots at the Public House lingered as a dull throb, but the girls' night had been worth it.
Hattie's baby news, all the sisterly chaos, and the thought that maybe Chloe was starting to branch out a little had recharged me. Rhodes and I were in a good place now, and our routine felt solid. I wish I had figured out who had been sending the bouquets, but the more time that passed, the less I worried about it.
Rhodes and East were finally finishing Opal’s play structure this morning, and I was heading back to help right after. I’d insisted on staying at my place last night because my plants needed their own little pep talks and company, but I already missed them. Nobody could tell me there wasn’t a difference. I’d had a little journaling to do, too, even though Ellis had been camping in the living room.
He trailed just off to the side of me, his hulking presence a silent shadow in jeans and a black tee that did nothing to hide his scars or the way he scanned every passerby like a potential threat. "Market's just up ahead," he grunted, eyes flicking to the quiet street.
I’d wondered whether to suggest to Rhodes that Ellis didn’t need to follow me everywhere, but I didn’t mind it and actually felt safer. The one time I brought it up, Rhodes shut it down immediately, so I stopped mentioning it. If Rhodes wanted one of his guys hanging out, I wasn’t going to complain. Parrish had already returned to Seattle, and Ryatt had a mission or something, so he’d left this morning.
The market was lively for a Sunday, with stalls overflowing with local produce and handmade goods. I was browsing a stall with some herbs, inhaling the sharp scent of rosemary, when a voice cut through the chatter like a too-sweet perfume.
