Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Travis
When I pull into the parking lot behind the RENT-A HUSBAND office the morning after the great squirrel hunt, Josh’s truck is already here, which proves I really did decide to show up at the last minute. I didn’t want to chance being alone with Isla.
“Nothing better than getting to play your hero, Isla.”
Jesus. I can’t believe I said that to her.
Regardless of how attracted I am to her, she has a boyfriend . And I’m her boss .
Rubbing my palm over my face as I make my way to the back door, the sun warms the back of my neck. I just want to get this meeting over with and get out on my calls for the day.
I step inside and make my way to the front room where Isla’s work area is, boots thudding on the old wood floors. We always have our group meetings in the front room since it’s the largest space. When I step over the threshold, everyone turns to look at me.
“You trying to steal my thunder squeaking in here just under the line?” Josh asks.
I roll my eyes at him. It’s his usual MO to slide in just in time in an effort to drive Lucas crazy.
“Isla was just telling us what a good squirrel wrangler you are,” Lucas says.
My gaze darts to Isla’s, then quickly away. “It wasn’t a big deal. Must’ve been hungry because it went into the trap right away.”
“Well, the way Isla tells it, you’re quite the hero,” Josh says. He meets my gaze and holds it. I’m not sure why, but it feels as if he wants to say more.
“Are we here to talk about squirrels or the Seattle branch of RENT-A HUSBAND?” I say, wanting to get off the topic of last night.
“Fair enough,” Lucas says. “Things are going well in Seattle as far as call volume goes. There’re more than enough calls to keep Ryan and Cody busy, but we have a transportation issue.”
“How so?” I sit in one of the chairs across from Isla’s desk. Not to be closer to her but because my back is already aching from being bent over and putting the finishing touches on a piece of furniture in my workshop last night.
Still, I don’t miss the way Isla straightens up in her seat when I do. Do I make her uncomfortable now because of what I said last night when I was leaving?
“Neither of them has reliable transportation fit for the job. Cody has an old pickup truck that keeps breaking down, and Ryan drives a small sedan. He can barely fit what he needs in it for calls.” Lucas crosses his arms.
“So you’re saying we need to get them each a truck?” I ask, stretching my legs out in front of me.
“Pretty much. But we won’t qualify to buy or lease them unless we make a hefty down payment. And even if we could, I don’t want to overextend ourselves in case the number of calls we’re getting drops.”
Lucas has always been the business mind between the three of us brothers. Not to say he can’t fix shit like Josh and I can, but he’s always enjoyed the other aspects of owning the business. Whereas I like to work with my hands and get them dirty. Fuck working on a computer. Not my thing.
“How are we going to get a down payment for that?” Josh asks.
“That’s what we’re here to brainstorm.”
“They need a reliable vehicle to do the job properly,” I say.
Lucas nods.
We’re quiet for a few moments while we try to think of a solution to the problem.
“If we all worked overtime, maybe we could put enough aside to make the down payments,” Josh says.
The corners of Lucas’s mouth pinch together. “If we could wait nine to twelve months, that would work, but this situation needs solving sooner than later.”
“Why don’t you fire them and hire someone with reliable transportation? Why’d we hire a guy who drives a sedan anyway?” Josh asks.
My eyebrows draw down. “Because they’re both good at what they do, and figuring out a vehicle for them to drive is easier than fielding calls every day when they’re on site and need us to problem-solve for them.”
Josh holds up his hands in front of him. “I was just asking.”
Both guys are worth keeping on. Since I got them going when I was in Seattle, they’ve been able to handle everything on their own without much intervention. Hiring and firing takes time none of us have.
Before any of us can say anything else, there’s a knock on the back door of the house. The four of us share a look like, “Who the hell could that be? We’re all here.”
Lucas walks down the hall toward the back door, and I hear him say, “Hey, Grams, what are you doing here bright and early?” before Grams walks into the room.
“Hi, boys. I’m just here to exchange some books with Isla.” She glances at Isla with a warm smile. “Wanted to be sure to do it before the day started so I wouldn’t interrupt, but it looks like I’m doing that anyway.”
“Are you kidding? We’re always happy to see you.” Josh slings his arm around our grandma’s shoulders and pulls her into his side.
She shakes her head at him playfully. “Oh yes. Just what every young man wants, his grandma hanging around.”
“Here, Grams, let me take that bag.” I get up from the chair and take the heavy-looking—at least for a woman her age—bag from her hand and walk it to Isla’s desk, placing it on the edge while avoiding eye contact with her.
“Thank you so much, Beatrice. I have yours right here.” She bends down and pulls a bag from the floor beside her desk, then walks it over to my grandma. “Be sure to read the series in order. I think you’ll enjoy it the most that way.”
Josh unwraps his arm from around our grandma and takes the bag on her behalf while she smiles at Isla as though she’s single-handedly brokered world peace.
“Will do, sweetie.”
Sweetie? How close are these two? I knew Grams is fond of Isla, but I had no idea she’d moved into sweetie territory.
“Did you pick up the next book for book club?” Grams asks her.
“Already halfway through it.” Isla sucks in a breath and gives a deep sigh. “That Chase Andrews sure is something.”
“Isn’t he?” I swear my grandma might be blushing. “I like the strong, silent type. Under all that grump, there’s almost always a big heart.” She glances at me for a beat before looking back at Isla.
“Well, I look forward to chatting about it at the meeting,” Isla says.
“Same.” She squeezes Isla’s hand. “Oh, and Travis, I left something for you in there too.”
My forehead wrinkles, but before I can ask what it might be, she heads toward the hallway.
“I’ll carry these books out for you, Grams,” Josh says.
We all call out our goodbyes, then I turn to Isla.
“You joined our grandma’s book club?” I can’t help but arch an eyebrow.
She looks mildly embarrassed. “Well, there’s not a romance one with people my age around here, and beggars can’t be choosers.” Isla shrugs.
Isn’t it enough that I have to see this woman every day at work and that she’s become friends with my brother’s fiancée, but now she’s ingratiated herself with my grandma too? Is she going to be invited to family dinners at their place?
Pushing a hand into my hair, I stand over the bag on Isla’s desk, curious what Grams might have put in there for me. Some of her famous chocolate chip cookies? If only I could be that lucky. But my brothers would be pissed if they were left out on that, so I know that’s not it.
I spot a fluorescent orange piece of paper on top of the books, and I pull it out. It’s a flyer for a statewide furniture-making contest. The prize is fifty thousand dollars—more than enough to put a substantial down payment on two new trucks or buy a pair of used ones.
“I know how we’ll get the money for the trucks.”
“How?” Lucas asks, stepping forward.
I lift the flyer so they can read it. “I’m going to win this contest.”