7. Atticus #3
“I did when I first started working there, but…things changed. I guess it started small, little errands that I could easily do. Only for the last six months, the owner has treated me more like his PA, and I’ve spent less and less time actually interacting with clients.”
“So who was handling the reception duties?” Tori asks.
“No one,” Lemon says sadly. “Wes just puts a sign on my desk with a cell phone number to call if there’s a problem.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry,” Tori tells her genuinely. “But what happened today that made you quit? And don’t you have to work your notice?”
“I—” Lemon starts, but I interrupt.
“I happened,” I say loudly.
“You happened?” Tori asks with a knowing smirk. “Let me guess, you went into full-blown alphahole mode and quit on Lemon’s behalf?”
“He had her buying him hundreds of dollars’ worth of steak and protein shakes.
Then he sent her to the other side of town to collect a huge order of robes and laundry and expected her to pay out of pocket, and then somehow figure out how to get them all back to the spa without a car in a town without Uber drivers. ”
“And he ate my cake,” Lemon says, like it’s the worst of his sins.
“So you made her quit?” Tori says, turning to look at me as she asks the question.
“Yes,” I tell her without a hint of remorse. “I refuse to let my woman work for an asshole who treats her like his slave.”
“Your woman?” Tori asks, her brows snapping up so high they’re almost touching her hairline.
“Yes,” I say boldly.
Tori’s gaze softens as she turns to look at Lemon with a new veil over her eyes. “So do you actually want to come and work for me, or has Att arranged this whole thing without asking you how you feel about it?”
“I mean…” Lemon’s cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink. “He didn’t really tell me he was going to ask you…but I do love your cakes, and I worked at a coffee shop in Bozeman for years, so if you’re looking for someone, I’d like to apply for the job.”
“How do you make a cortado?” Tori asks.
“Pull a double shot of espresso and then combine it with an equal amount of steamed milk,” Lemon answers easily.
“What’s the best thing you’ve eaten from my store?”
“Oh, the blueberry and lavender macarons. They were amazing,” Lemon says with a sigh, then immediately perks up. “Oh, or maybe the Opera cakes, or the lemon tarts, or…oh god, that chocolate heaven I had today was amazing.”
Smiling widely, Tori laughs softly. “Come and work for me. If you can be that enthusiastic about my cakes and you know how to make coffee without me having to train you, then I’d love to have you. How many hours were you working at the spa?”
“I did a forty-hour week, but it was a rotating schedule, so I worked two weekends a month, and then on those weeks I had two days off in the week.”
“If you’re happy to stay with that many hours, then that would be amazing.
I have a few part-time members of staff but have been looking for another full-time person.
How about we start with a week’s trial, and then if we’re both happy, you can fill out all the paperwork and sign a permanent contract. ”
“Seriously?” Lemon gasps.
“Seriously.” Tori nods. “When can you start?”
“Monday,” I say, talking over them both before Lemon offers to start any sooner.
“Monday works for me. I have staff already scheduled for this weekend, and then you’ll work with Daniel until Thursday. He’s great. He’s my other full-time staffer, and one or both of you will be there at all times, with the part-time staff scheduled on to help you.”
“This is unbelievable,” Lemon says with a wide smile spread over her full lips.
When the door to the apartment pushes open, both Lemon and Tori turn to watch Felix step into the apartment. His hands and the front of his white shirt are black with charcoal.
“Hey, Felix,” Tori says, jumping off her stool and rushing over to give our brother a hug.
Just like I knew he would, Felix hugs her back, closing his eyes as he buries his face into her shoulder.
“I called out to you when I got here, but you were busy drawing, and the music was so loud you didn’t hear me,” Tori says, smiling widely at Felix as he lets her go and takes a step back.
“Did you see the light in my studio? It’s perfect. I’m so inspired I’ve already got sketches for two collections,” Felix says excitedly.
“Two?” I question.
“Maybe three,” Felix says.
“What are they going to be this time? Mermaids again?” Tori asks.
“Angels in white marble,” Felix says, already sounding distracted as his mind wanders back to his work.
“Go take a shower, bro. Dinner is only going to be a few minutes.”
Nodding, Felix turns and heads for his room, not bothering to close his door as he strips out of his clothes and walks naked into his bathroom.
“Oh, wow,” Lemon says beneath her breath, and I snap my head in her direction, hoping I did not just hear what I think I heard.
“Princess,” I growl, stomping to the other side of the counter and slipping a hand around the nape of her neck. Tangling my fingers underneath her bouncy hair, I tug her head back enough that she’s forced to look up at me. “I don’t want your eyes on my brother,” I snarl, low and rough and quiet.
“I—” she starts, but I bend down and kiss her, making sure that she knows exactly who she belongs to.
Tori clears her throat, trying to interrupt us, but I ignore her and Lemon’s attempts to pull away from my lips.
I’ll let her go when I decide I’m done and not before.
I don’t stop kissing her until she stops trying to push me away.
“Your eyes on my brother or any other man is a hard limit for me, Princess.”
“Okay,” she says, her kiss-swollen lips damp.
“Thank you,” I tell her, dropping a soft kiss to the top of her head as I step away, returning to where the pan of chili is bubbling on the stove.
“I thought you wanted steak for dinner?” Lemon asks meekly.
“I forgot about the steak. We can have it tomorrow night,” I tell her, not bothering to explain that I spent too long watching her get dressed, so I didn’t have time to prep the baked potatoes or marinate the veggies to have with the steaks.
“Okay,” she says easily.
“Are you pair finished mouth fucking?” Tori asks, amusement etched across her face.
“Has Nero got you wearing that butt plug again?” I ask, arching an eyebrow at my sister in challenge. Later, I’m sure I’ll feel bad about mentioning the sex toy she confided to me that she and Nero sometimes play with, but I don’t want her to make Lemon feel embarrassed.
“Not tonight, asshole,” Tori snaps, her lips pursed into an angry line.
“Butt plug?” Lemon chokes, her eyes wide as she looks between my sister and me.
Felix meanders out of his bedroom at the perfect moment, his chest bare and his shorts hanging low on his narrow hips.
Unlike me, my brother is slim and built more like a long-distance runner, where I have more of a gym rat physique.
Although his arms, chest, and stomach are still toned from hours and hours of using hammers, chisels, and other tools that make blocks of rock become stunning works of art.
When I glance over at Lemon, I’m happy to see that although she’s looking at Felix, she’s not ogling him. Her gaze is fixed on his face the same way he looks at her. Thank fuck, because I won’t give her up, and I can’t force my brother to wear a shirt in his own home.
“Bro, do you want to help me lay the table?” I ask Felix, opening the oven and pulling the steaming pan of cornbread out.
Nodding, Felix methodically opens each drawer in the cabinets until he finds the bowls, silverware, and place mats, then he carefully lays each setting the exact same way he’s been doing since we were kids and our mom was making chicken fingers, fries, and corn.
“Grab the wine, Princess,” I tell Lemon, carrying the pot of chili over to the table and placing it on the heatproof board I set in the middle.
Moving in easy synchronization, Tori slices the hot bread into chunks, then transfers them onto a platter while I fetch wine glasses and a bottle of water for Felix.
Once I’ve opened the wine with a corkscrew, I pour some into Lemon’s, Tori’s, and then my own glass before I set the bottle down in the middle of the table.
Reaching for the ladle, I spoon chili into all of our bowls, then finally take a seat beside Lemon, spreading my hand over her thigh as I shuffle my chair a little closer to hers.
“I’m so glad you guys are here. Happy new house,” Tori says, lifting her glass in a toast.
“The light,” Felix says, sighing happily. “Moving here was a great idea.”
Tapping his bottle of water against Tori’s glass, he does the same to Lemon’s, then finally mine.
“I’m glad we’re here too, Little Bit. And it won’t be long before Jude and August are here as well, and all five of us will be back together again,” I say.
“Are you going to give Nero your blessing anytime soon?” Tori asks with a smirk before she turns to Lemon. “My boyfriend wants us to get married, but I told him he had to get the guys’ blessing before I’d say yes.”
“Don’t you want to marry him?” Lemon asks.
“Oh no, I definitely want to marry him,” Tori says, lifting a spoonful of steaming chili to her mouth.
“Then…” Lemon trails off.
“We need to make sure he’s good enough for her first,” I tell her.
“None of you ever think anyone is good enough for me,” Tori says, but she’s clearly amused rather than annoyed.
“You don’t like your sister’s boyfriend?” Lemon asks me.
“From what I know about him, I like him well enough. But now that we’re in town, we’ll be able to find out who he actually is, and if he’s someone we want to call family,” I tell her.
“Family is important,” Felix says, not looking at any of us as he spoons chili into his mouth.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Tori asks Lemon.
My princess shakes her head. “No, it’s just me.”
“Are you close with your parents?”
“My mom was my best friend, but she passed away a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Tori says.