Chapter 25
When I pulled into the parking lot of Three Kings, Virgil and Roman were already there. Roman climbed out of his car and reached into the passenger side to grab a brown paper bag.
I unlatched my seat belt and reached for the door.
“Wait,” Savage commanded. “Let me get it for you.”
“I’m perfectly capable?—”
“It’s a manners thing, woman. Let me be a gentleman. All right?”
My lips quivered in amusement. “All right.”
I waited for Savage to come around and open the door for me. He took my hand and helped me out of the driver’s side of the car and then he pulled me to him.
“Have a good day today,” he said.
“You too.”
Savage didn’t seem to care that Roman and Virgil were taking their sweet time going into Three Kings. He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. I clung to him, silently demanding more. He obliged and slid his tongue into my mouth.
We didn’t pull apart until Virgil’s howling and whistling became too much.
I couldn’t help but laugh at Savage’s annoyed expression. He looked at me and raised a brow. “You think this is funny?”
“Yes, I do.” I pecked the end of his nose. “Virgil is just trying to get a rise out of you. I think it’s working.”
“Something’s working.” Savage shifted positions, his thigh brushing against my leg. “You get a rise out of me . . .”
I blushed.
“I never did get my dessert,” he whispered in my ear before biting my lobe.
“Good things come to those who wait,” I teased. “See you later.”
I reluctantly stepped away and headed toward Three Kings.
“Morning,” Virgil drawled, waggling his eyebrows.
“Behave,” I reprimanded.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where’s Homer?” I asked.
“On his way,” Roman explained. “I got you something.”
“You did?” I asked.
Roman handed me the paper bag. I opened the top and looked inside. “You didn’t.”
“I did,” Roman said with a smile.
“That was so nice of you,” I said. Without thought, I reached out to him and gave him a one-armed hug.
“What did he do?” Virgil asked as he unlocked the front door.
“He got me chocolate milk.” I beamed. “I had a craving for it yesterday.”
“My big brother. Thoughtful guy,” Virgil stated. “I have a bag of gummy bears I’m willing to share.”
“You’re thoughtful too,” I said with a laugh. “You guys are like the brothers I never had.”
“We try,” Roman said.
“If you want, later I can give you a wet willie. Really drive home the fraternal feeling.” Virgil opened the front door and gestured for me to go in first.
I went through the doorway, immediately heading for the alarm system. “What’s a wet willie?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Virgil asked.
“No, I’m not kidding. I have no idea what that is.” I grabbed the paper bag from Roman and took it to the reception counter.
“Spare her the demonstration,” Roman said to his brother.
Virgil looked offended. “I wasn’t going to give her a demonstration.”
“Liar.” Roman laughed and then addressed me. “A wet willie is when someone sucks on their finger and then shoves it in your ear.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ew.”
“You’ve never had one of those? Really? It was a staple in our household growing up,” Virgil said. “Along with wedgies. You’ve heard of wedgies, right?”
“Nope. I think I can forgo a demonstration on that too, whatever it is.”
“It’s when you grab someone’s underwear band and yank up hard on the backside,” Virgil explained. “Ask Brielle about the time I did it when she was talking to the captain of the football team in high school.”
“I’m sure she’d love to tell me that story.” I rolled my eyes and put the chocolate milk away.
The front door opened, and Homer strode inside.
“Huh,” Virgil remarked.
“Huh what?” Homer glared.
Virgil rubbed his lip. “I thought for sure getting some ass would’ve changed your attitude. Clearly, I was wrong.”
“It’s not ass ,” Homer snapped. “It’s Jazz. Be respectful.”
The three of us fell into silence.
Homer looked at me. “Can I talk to you?”
“Me?” My brow furrowed. “Sure.”
“You two,” Homer said to Roman and Virgil. “Beat it.”
“Fine, but you know we’ll listen from the hallway,” Virgil said.
“Not this time.” Roman clapped his younger brother on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Virgil shook his head in disappointment but trailed after Roman.
After the sound of two doors closing, Homer turned to me.
“Yes?” I asked.
“What do women like?” he blurted out.
I frowned. “That’s way too general. I’m not following.”
He sighed. “You were with Jazz and Brielle last night, right?”
“Yes.”
“So I’m sure Jazz said some things about relationships . . .”
“Still not following you.”
“God damn it, I want to convince her to be with me after years of dancing around each other, but I don’t have a fucking clue how to do that.” His dark expression cleared, and he suddenly looked forlorn.
“Oh,” I said quietly. “You want to show her you actually care about her, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he gritted out.
“And you don’t know how to do that.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You’ve known Jazz a long time,” I said. “You really have no idea how to woo her?”
“Would I be baring my soul and asking you for help if I had any idea on how to woo her?”
I wasn’t going to tell him that by admitting his feelings for her, he’d done half the work already. Jazz was my friend; she deserved a happily-ever-after, but she also deserved Homer putting forth some effort.
“Well?” he prodded.
“I’m thinking.”
When I was silent for a few moments he demanded, “Can you think faster?”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Yes.”
“Then give me some time. I’ll think about it today and come up with a list. And before we go any further, why aren’t you asking Brielle what Jazz wants? Why me?”
“She’s my sister and it feels . . . weird. I want to leave Brielle out of this.”
“Have you texted her today?” I asked.
“My sister? No.”
“No, not your sister. Jazz,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
“No. I haven’t.” He paused. “I should text her.”
“Yes,” I said gently. “You should text her something sweet.”
“I’m not sweet.”
“Be sweet for her. Trust me, she’ll love it.”
“Or she’ll think I’ve had a lobotomy,” he muttered. He pulled out his cell and stared at it.
“This is the part where you unlock your phone and send her a text,” I teased.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“How about something like, ‘ I didn’t like waking up without you. ’ ”
Homer nodded quickly. “Yeah, that sounds good. Wait . . .”
“What?”
“Does that sound like something I’d say?”
I held in a smile.
“It doesn’t sound like me,” he rasped.
“You’re going to have to show her a different side of yourself,” I said. “That’s the only way it’s going to work.”
“Yeah.”
“Just press send, Homer.”
He sighed. “Here goes nothing.”
“She still hasn’t texted me,” Homer said as he leaned on the counter after his last client of the day left.
“She’s playing hard to get,” I said.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? She doesn’t want to make it too easy for you.”
He raked a hand through his disheveled hair. “I’m going insane.”
“Okay, here’s what you’re going to do.” I slid him the list I’d made. “Read this over and implement these items one by one. But for now, you’re going to go buy some flowers and you’re going to show up at her apartment with them. Then you’re going to ask if you guys can take the dogs for a walk. Together .”
“Together.”
“ Together ,” I repeated.
“That might just work,” he said, looking relieved. “Thanks.”
I smiled. “Good luck.”
Homer rushed out the door.
“Were his pants on fire?” Virgil asked as he strode out into the reception area.
“He had somewhere to be,” I said vaguely. I looked at Virgil’s customer; a cute, curvy woman sporting a shoulder bandage and a new tattoo. “Ready to square up?”
“Yes, please,” she said, holding her credit card to the screen. She looked at Virgil. “Thanks.”
“I’ll see you in two weeks,” he said.
“Sounds good.”
She signed her name on the tablet. With a smile and a wave, she left.
“Okay, now that Sarah’s gone, tell me the truth. Where did Homer go?”
“None of your business,” I said. “I’m not giving you more fodder to make fun of him.”
“Aw, you’re protective. I like that.”
My phone buzzed with a text from Savage, telling me he was on his way.
I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.
“Someone’s happy,” Virgil teased.
“I am happy,” I admitted.
“It’s because you get to spend your working hours with me, isn’t it?” Virgil asked.
“That’s part of it,” I said with a laugh.
“Just so you know, you can always come back to work after your maternity leave,” Virgil said. “I mean, you’ll always have a job with us if you want one.”
I blinked furiously. “Oh.”
“What’s wrong?” Virgil asked. “You look like you’re about to cry.”
“I am about to cry.”
Virgil reached for the tissue box next to the computer and shoved it at me.
I grabbed a few tissues and quickly blotted my eyes.
Roman and his client appeared from the back. “What did you do to her?” Roman demanded, glaring at his brother.
“Nothing,” Virgil defended.
“You did something to her,” Roman’s customer added.
“Shut up, Milton,” Virgil snapped.
“He said something sweet,” I said. “And that made me cry.”
Roman raised his brows. “You were being sweet? I don’t buy it.”
“Maybe she has low blood sugar,” Milton said.
“Give her your gummy bears,” Roman stated.
“I already ate them,” I muttered, drying my eyes.
“This looks like a family matter. I better get out of here,” Milton said. “Later.”
When Milton was gone, Roman said to Virgil, “Okay, what did you say to her?”
“Nothing. I just said that she had a job here as long as she wanted, even after she was done with maternity leave.”
Roman grunted. “That is sweet.”
Virgil puffed out his chest. “Told ya. I can be sweet.”
“You’re nicer to me than you are to your own sister,” I stated.
“Brielle has a thick skin from many years of verbal torture,” Virgil explained. “You, do not.”
“Plus, you’re pregnant,” Roman added. “And no one wants to be the reason a pregnant woman is crying.”
“I’m crying now,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, but not because we were insensitive tool bags,” Virgil said. “I was just being sweet. And make sure you tell Savage that. He’s already annoyed that I witnessed the tonsil hockey.”
“I’ll tell him,” I assured Virgil. “Also, my baby classes are starting soon, and I’ll need to leave early.”
“How early?” Roman asked.
“Five-thirty,” I said. “It runs for eight weeks. Is that okay?”
“That’s no problem,” Roman said. “We can make that happen. We’ll work around your schedule. Whatever you and the babies need.”
I burst into tears again.
Virgil glared at Roman. “Look what you did!”