It was then Leo realized that once Vince and Emma moved, he would be the only one left out of the original five still in the house with Stone and Jovy. An invisible weight hit his shoulders and added to the heaviness already there. He was going to feel like a third wheel.
To hell with that.
“I should think about moving out, too,” he said. “Is that apartment you own in town vacant?”
It was almost two years ago that he’d helped renovate the one-bedroom apartment above what was now a small café. Paying his way would make him feel better. He harbored enough guilt to last two lifetimes over what he’d put his friends and his family through.
“What?” Stone frowned. “No. I leased it out last month. Why do you want to move? You belong on this ranch. Aren’t you happy here?”
“Yes. You know I am. That’s not the point.”
“Stone’s right,” Vince said. “You’re as much a part of At-Ease as the rest of us.”
“Damn straight. Once we’re done with this house, we can start on yours.”
Leo scowled. “No way.”
They helped him enough. Too much. He hated mooching. Room and board were part of his salary at Foxtrot Construction, but that did not include them wasting time and money on him by building a house.
“Why the hell not?” A deep frown marred Stone’s brow. “Brick has one, and we’re working on Vince’s now, so why don’t you want a house on the ranch?”
“Because I don’t deserve it.”
“Bullshit.” A rare spark of anger flashed in Vince’s eyes. “Get thoughts like that out of your head right now.”
Stone’s face darkened. “Yeah. You have as much a right to live on this ranch as the rest of us.”
He muttered a curse. “That’s where you’re wrong. Don’t you see?Youall have the right, but I don’t. I’m not part owner of this place. Just the reason for it. I just live and work here.”
Vince and Stone stared at him with shock dropping their jaws. He was damn tired of being a burden. Hell, last year, he almost cost Stone his relationship with Jovy before he finally sought help. Having them build him a house wasn’t fair. Hell no. It didn’t sit well with him at all.
“Look, Stone. Thanks.” He blew out a breath and held his friend’s gaze. “I really do appreciate the offer, but it’s not right. You’ve all sacrificed and invested so much in this ranch. Not me. I don’t want special treatment. So, again, thanks, but I’m going to pass.” He stood and motioned toward the graying sky. “Let’s worry about getting this roof on before it rains.”
Pivoting, he walked over to grab another roll of roofing felt and started on the other side, putting distance between them and an end to the conversation.
…
Two days later, Kaydee waited while her last client of the day moved from sitting under the dryer to the chair at her workstation.
“Work your magic, darling.” Mrs. Hamilton’s smiling gaze met hers in the mirror. “I have two barbecues this weekend.”
“You got it.” She returned her grin, then initiated the accustomed small talk while she removed the rollers and started to tease each section. Mrs. Hamilton loved big hair.The bigger the betterwas the sixty-three-year-old’s motto. She was one of Kaydee’s regulars at Yellow Rose Salon.
A twinge of guilt rippled through her chest. Both she and Fiona felt bad about the possibility of Fi taking clients away from their kind, elderly boss, but Rose would be the first to tell them it was a natural part of business. Business wasn’t slow, and yet over the past few months, Rose had changed the shop hours. Yellow Rose Salon was now closed on weekends and shut down earlier a few nights during the week. Because of this, everyone’s hours were cut. The change didn’t hurt Kaydee too much, but it had spurred Fiona to pursue her dream of owning her own salon.
Silently contemplating the reason behind the altered hours, Kaydee worked on the last section of hair. She worried not only for Rose, but her boss’s husband, too. He’d just retired from the postal service. The kind couple deserved to enjoy his retirement without health issues.
“You are a master,” Mrs. Hamilton gushed, admiring herself in the mirror when Kaydee finished. “Perfect! Now, just hair-spray the hell out of it so it doesn’t move an inch.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Smiling, Kaydee picked up the can and sprayed away. Not even wind would get through those locks.
After a satisfied Mrs. Hamilton left, Kaydee was still writing the woman’s next appointment in the book when Fiona arrived a little early for her shift. Most days, they shared one, but today her friend needed the closing shift in order to take her visiting mother to the airport that morning.
It was the month for visiting mothers. Leo’s mom was visiting her daughter, too. Which brought the handsome man into her neighborhood a little more often than normal. A fact she had no complaints about.
“Yay. You’re still here,” Fiona said, placing goodies on the counter.
It was funny how her friend was so in tune with Kaydee’s stomach.
