Garrett fiddled with the tools on the bench. He released a deep sigh. “And you know I’ve had a rough year. Just give me this one thing.”
An ache pulsed in Davis’s throat. Garrett had had a rough year. Losing Emma had gutted him. Davis wasn’t sure his brother would ever get over her death. But Garrett was quick to forget that when he lost Emma, Davis lost Lissa too. After her sister died, she broke off their engagement, told him she had to be near her parents and couldn’t settle down in Pineridge. While in retrospect, not marrying Lissa had turned out to be a good thing—they had different dreams and plans for their futures—Davis’s year hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. He’d poured himself into their projects for the show, helped Kelsey around her house and with the kids, taken Cooper and his canoe into the wilderness for days on end.
But as much as Davis wanted to agree, with Garrett, it was never just one thing. Never just one favor. He always wanted more. That’s how Davis had ended up stuck in a contract with HGTV.
Two years ago, it had been just Davis and Garrett. They had a thriving renovation business. While Davis did most of the manual labor and decorating, Garrett did the behind the scenes. The paperwork, finish work, and designing.
But then word got out somehow that the twin duo was something special. Davis blamed tourism. The mountains and lakes. And that damn love lock bridge in town. It brought tourists from miles. Next thing Davis knew, he and Garrett were being offered a two year, four season contract with HGTV.
As the oldest twin, Davis felt responsible for Garrett. Always had. With parents who weren’t around much during their childhood, it had always been Davis and Garrett against the world.
Davis really didn’t want to do this—agree to going to the party, agree to dressing in a couple’s costume with his brother. But Garrett was right about one thing; he’d had an exceptionally rough year. Rougher than most.
“Fine.” Davis finally relented.
“Yes.” Garrett pumped a fist in the air.
“But—I’m choosing the costumes,” Davis warned.
“Yeah, sure, whatever you want.”
The garage door opened, Sandy popped her head in. “Hey, boys. Camera’s ready to roll.”
Garrett slapped Davis’s shoulder and led him into the house. “What are you thinking? Good cop, bad cop?”
Davis said the first thing that came to his mind. Characters from one of his and Kelsey’s favorite movie,Dumb and Dumber. Because he already had the costume from a prior Halloween, this would take very little effort on his part.
“Harry and Lloyd.”
“Seriously? FromDumb and Dumber?”
“Hey, it’s either that or you can take Sandy up on her offer and if that’s the case, you’d better start practicing your Jimlooknow.”
Garrett chuckled. “Okay, fine. What the hell? Let’s do it.”
CHAPTERFIVE
KELSEY
Rain randown the windows of the Sweet Cakes Bakery while Kelsey got her children situated at a table. Her mama, Rita, loaded them with all their favorites, mini leaf cookies and cake pops in the shape of pumpkins. She looked good today. Most likely running on more hours of sleep than usual and a Bloody Mary to get her going.
Once the kids were distracted, Kelsey joined Isabella at a separate table.
“Okay, spill,” Isabella demanded, a coffee cup from The Daily Grind in her hand.
Kelsey glanced over her shoulder, assessing the situation. The last thing she needed was her mama or her children overhearing their conversation. She wasn’t sure how to explain these strange feelings to herself, never mind to anyone else.
But with Isabella, she’d have to try. Because it was clear she needed someone’s guidance.
“Spill what? Not sure there’s anything to spill,” she began. She had to take it slow. This was uncharted territory. She couldn’t just rip off the Band-Aid.
“Liar,” Izzy teased.
Kelsey finally relented. She’d start with the issue with the business first. “I haven’t wanted to say anything because I didn’t want you to worry—”
Isabella’s brows lifted as she leaned in and interrupted, “Are you kidding? I’m always going to worry about you. That’s what friends do.”
“And while I appreciate that, this isn’t your problem to fix. It’s mine.”
