Page 14 of From Grumpy to Forever
I lifted my eyebrows and waited to see what else my twin had to say about me.
“To hear Grayson tell it, the Walkers’ granddaughter came in looking for a little help and you turned it down. He also mentioned she’s very pretty.”
“Did he?” I exhaled slowly, counting to ten under my breath.
“He sure did.” Ethan wiggled his eyebrows.
I had to fight back the urge to say something I would definitely regret. After all, I was still living in his house.
“Too bad, though,” he continued. “Gray said you were a total dick to her, and she hired Danny Davis instead.”
I choked on my coffee. “Grayson needs to learn to keep his mouth shut or get the facts straight,” I said when I’d recovered. “He doesn’t have a fucking clue what he’s talking about.”
“She’s not cute?”
“No,” I said. “That part he got right. Avery’s very fucking pretty.” There was zero point in arguing that fact. Ethan had two eyes in his head, and in a town the size of Trickle Creek, it was only a matter of time before he met Avery himself.
A surge of jealousy and protectiveness I had no right to filled me. “Which means, you need to stay away from her.” I shot him a glare over the rim of my cup.
My brother only laughed. “Right, because as a single dad of a hormonal pre-teen daughter, you think I have any interest in getting involved with another woman?” He shook his head. “She’s all yours.”
“She’s not mine at all.” I set my cup down and grabbed a granola bar from the box on the counter to serve as my breakfast. “But she is my boss,” I added. “Your source got that piece of information wrong.”
“No shit?”
I nodded. “There’s no way I’d let Danny fuckin’ Davis anywhere near that beautiful old inn.”
“Or the pretty young inn owner, eh?”
I spun around and snarled at my brother, who only laughed harder.
“Whatever. I’m just glad you’re working. Maybe you’ll be able to get your own place.”
I didn’t miss the way his voice changed. “You kicking me out, brother?”
“Not yet.”
“But soon.”
“You know we love having you.”
It was my turn to laugh.
“We do,” he said. “Especially Quinn. And it’s nice to have an extra set of hands to help with her.”
My niece was a hormonal pre-teen, but she was the best thing that had happened to our family in a long time. And definitely, the very best thing to ever come out of my big brother’s ill-fated marriage.
“Hey.” I waved off his explanations. “It’s not a big deal. It’s time for me to get my space anyway. And a bigger workshop. I noticed some boxes moving in.”
Ethan’s face lit up. “My supplies are starting to arrive. I’m hoping to get something going in a few days and pretty soon I’ll have a few brews to sample.”
It was hard not to get excited about my brother’s vision for a local brewery, especially when you saw the way it lit him up. Ethan deserved it after everything he’d been through with his ex.
“I can’t wait, brother.” I poured the rest of my coffee into a go-cup and stuck my phone in my pocket. “I better get going.”
“Don’t want to be late for the boss lady on the first day,” Ethan said. “Especially if she’s as cute as I hear.”
“Uh-huh.”
