Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I know you are.” Gabe might as well go ahead and ruffle my hair. “But hospitality is evergreen. Just like Seasons.” He did love to tout the long history of Seasons. For all he worried about money, he also tended to ignore how trends changed and fewer people rented small-town event halls now. Proving my point, he thrust a giant crystal bowl of cranberry sauce at me. “Hold this.”
“WTF? The cranberry sauce was fine in the middle where it always goes.”
“Your placement wasn’t the middle.”
“Why do you have to be such a perfectionist about everything?” I used to wish I could be more like Gabe. Perhaps then we would get along better. Maybe if I developed a love of ironing, early mornings, and precise details, we wouldn’t fight so much. But these days, I liked who I was. I simply wished Gabe didn’t always manage to bring out my inner whiny kid.
“I don’t know, Zeb.” Instead of taking the cranberry sauce back, Gabe moved three other smaller bowls fractions of an inch this way and that. “Why do you have to be lackadaisical?”
“That’s right. Go for the ten-dollar word.” Trying to tamp down my ire, I managed half a chuckle. Gabe did love Scrabble and every other word game that came his way, having inherited our grandfather’s love of crosswords.
“Atlas.” Gabe’s eyes widened, and his gaze drifted over my left shoulder.
“Good one, bro,” I groaned. When Gabe wasn’t micromanaging the business, we had a long history of minor pranks on each other. Every now and then, the dude managed to find his sense of humor. “Act like he’s right behind me and could hear me ranting about him no-showing mere hours before—”
“Hey, Gabe.” That distinctive, deep, dark, and delicious voice could only belong to one person.
“Atlas.” I, on the other hand, squeaked like a freaking gerbil as I whirled around. The cranberries came with me, a tidal wave of cold red sauce that was no match for the thin plastic wrap over the top of the bowl. And oh my fucking God, Atlas Freaking Orion was right there, like mere inches behind me, and I crashed into him, sloshing berries everywhere, including all over the one guy I wanted to impress this holiday season.
“Zeb.” Gabe went straight for scolding me. “What did you do?”
“I told you the sauce was fine where it was.” I glared at Gabe because anger was far more practical than embarrassment. I’d had plans, and this unmitigated disaster was not in any of them.
“Uh, guys?” Atlas glanced between Gabe and me. “Some help?”
Oh, right. While Gabe and I were trying to score points off each other, Atlas was wearing gallons of sauce. Atlas was every bit as tall as I remembered and quite possibly broader. Paige and Gabe had visited him in Virginia a couple of times, but pictures hadn’t done the man justice. Ripped like an action star, he’d trimmed his black hair super short. The look was hot as hell on him, especially with his Mediterranean coloring and dark eyes. He had on the sort of everyday BDUs all the navy guys seemed to wear on duty unless it was a formal occasion. Sadly, the uniform was soaked and probably done for.
“Sorry—” I started, only to be cut off by Gabe.
“Sorry, Atlas. You probably remember my little brother, Zebediah. Always causing mayhem. But it’s good to see you.” He grabbed an entirely inadequate bar towel from the cart I’d used to bring in the salads and handed it to Atlas before clapping him on the one clean spot on his meaty shoulder. “Thought you weren’t going to make it.”
“Me too. I caught the last transport out of DC right before my phone ran out of power, then lucked into a ride heading this direction.” He sponged off his face before turning his attention to me. “And this is little Zeb? I remember you being a kid in high school—”
“I’m twenty-eight now,” I brightly informed him. My tone was too crisp, tinged by my irritation at Gabe. “Neither little nor a kid, despite what my elder statesman of a brother thinks. Time flies.”
“Huh. I guess it has been a while since I’ve been back.” Atlas rubbed his stubbled jaw. Probably hadn’t shaved or slept in a couple of days, given his tired red eyes, and I immediately felt bad for the dig at his lengthy absence. My shoulders slumped, and my gaze dropped to the messy floor.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Gabe said to Atlas before turning back to me. “You work on this mess, and I’ll help Atlas find a spare server’s uniform.”
“Guess I would have needed to change anyway.” Atlas was far more good-natured than either of us deserved. “But I might need hosing down first.”
“There’s a shower,” Gabe steered him toward the double black doors that led to the kitchen area. “I’ll show you.”