Admiring His Caulk (DP Construction #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

Piper

"It's cuter than I could have imagined," Cynthia squeals, clapping her hands as she looks around the kitschy cabin in delight.

"Far out, man," Mia agrees, gazing at the retro wallpaper. She giggles when she spies the gold octopus pillows.

We're staying in Duhring Park for a girls' weekend at The Hollywood, where each cabin rental is styled after a different movie genre or theme. Cynthia and Mia chose the James Bond cabin, based on the classic films. It has a sophisticated retro vibe that’s sexy and fun.

Aubrey and I chose the sci-fi theme cabin.

Our entire ceiling is dotted with tiny lights that look like a night sky, and I found a sexy alien printed on my sheets when I pulled back the duvet.

"Are you sure you have to work this afternoon?" Aubrey nudges me.

I wrap my arm around her for a side hug. "Yes. They were nice enough to give me the morning so we could get up here, but I can't really ask for a whole day off my second week on the job."

She nods, darting a quick look at Cynthia and Mia before sticking her tongue out at me.

I grin. "You can come hang with me while I work. Or hole up in our cabin and read a book."

"No, she can't!" Mia protests, whirling with her hands on her hips to glare at Aubrey before narrowing her eyes at me. "You might have been able to ditch us, but we’re going to do mountain activities in the mountains."

"Reading a good book in a cozy cabin is a mountain activity for some people," Aubrey grumbles.

"You aren't going to meet a sexy mountain man if you don't leave your cabin, Aubrey," Mia chides. "You either, Piper."

I chuckle in surprise. I should’ve known matchmaking was part of Mia's agenda.

Aubrey glares at Mia. "I have no interest in a weekend fling, if that's what this is about, Mia."

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to," Cynthia tells Aubrey, but Mia's huff of disagreement has her backpedaling. "Although we did book the hike for three people, and that was the minimum."

Mia nods.

Aubrey's eye ticks before she sighs loudly. "Fine. But I'm not doing anything outside tomorrow." She points her finger at our friends for emphasis.

"No problem," Cynthia says immediately.

Mia shrugs. "We'll see."

Aubrey opens her mouth to protest, but Cynthia shakes her head in a silent plea not to start a fight. She's been looking forward to this weekend more than any of us, and historically, when Mia and Aubrey fight, Cynthia gets dragged into the middle of it.

Aubrey rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration, but she doesn't say anything else.

I met these ladies at a sip-and-paint about six months ago, and they welcomed me into their group with open arms. They've all been best friends since high school, and their dynamic is fascinating.

Mia is a bit type-A. She needs control and is opinionated about everything but is fun and fiercely loyal to her friends.

Cynthia is the peacemaker but has more in common with Mia's interests, so she tends not to push back as much as she could.

Aubrey is the most introverted of the three. She prefers to read and is a foodie, which makes sense since she ran a popular bakery in the city for years. She's between jobs right now.

I was, too, until a few weeks ago, which is why Cynthia and Mia suggested we take a weekend trip to the mountains to de-stress. We got lucky with two open cabins due to cancellations, but now I have to work.

"I'll see if Violet can help us book spa appointments for tomorrow, and these two can go become one with the mountains," I promise.

Aubrey's face lights up.

"We'll do something that all four of us want to do tomorrow," Cynthia says, giving Mia a look when she starts to argue. "Because we all want to have fun on our girls' weekend, right, Mia?"

Mia stares at Cynthia and takes a deep breath. "Fine. I'm sorry. Please come snowshoeing with us today, and we'll stay indoors tomorrow."

Mia sticks her bottom lip out in a pout when Aubrey doesn't respond, which makes Aubrey laugh. Before I know it, they’re throwing pillows at each other, and all is forgiven.

I check the time and notice I have missed texts. Worried it's from my boss, I smile with relief when I realize it's the group chat with my sister and her two sisters-in-law. They've called it the Billings Ladies, and I'm an honorary member.

Parker

Hey, Piper, did you get into Duhring Park okay?

Rachel

Did you make plans to hook up with Violet? She'll make sure you guys have so much fun.

Bailey

For the love of God, Piper... please don't fall in love with a mountain man.

Rachel

Yeah, we're losing people left and right that way.

Why is everyone so obsessed with these mountain men? I scoff, sending a quick reply to the group.

Got to Duhring Park in one piece. The Hollywood is amazing. And falling in love is not on my bingo card this weekend. Good health and a brand-new job are as much luck as I can handle right now.

West

The lady doth protest too much. That's exactly how they get you, Piper.

Bailey

Stop stealing my phone to add yourself to the group chat, West.

West was removed from the group.

Rachel

Seriously. Ask Violet how fast those Duhring Park men move. If any of those mountain men try to make eyes at you, run.

Bailey

Unless he's really cute. Then you marry him.

Rachel

THIS

Parker

Only if he's willing to move to the city.

I bite my lip. Truthfully, I don't want to live in the city anymore, but I'm not ready to have that conversation with my well-meaning sister, especially not on the group chat with her sisters-in-law.

Parker keeps assuring me they have plenty of space, but even a 12,000-square-foot penthouse apartment can get a little cramped with the prospect of wearing noise-canceling headphones every night for the rest of my life.

Parker and her husband, Barrett Billings, yes, the Barrett Billings of Billings Corp, have graciously allowed me to live with them.

My sister and Barrett had a whirlwind romance after years of Parker calling him every name in the book.

Thanks to mistaken identity, it turns out Barrett had no clue who she was, and he fell madly in love the second he laid eyes on her.

Rachel

What do you have planned?

The girls are going snowshoeing this afternoon, and I'm working. But I'll be doing it with a hot chocolate.

Bailey

Violet's amazing, btw. She made us a bunch of dinner reservations while we're here, and she said she'll stop by the coffee place later so I can meet her in person. Thank you for the intro! xo

Rachel

She's the best. I wish she was still in the city, but she's living her dream life right now and killing it.

I want to ask Violet about living in a small town versus the city.

I became chronically ill six years ago, and I only moved to the city after college because my sister was my primary caregiver.

Thanks to Barrett's connections, my illness is at a manageable point.

I still have flare-ups, but the idea of going on a weekend trip, even a year ago, would have been unimaginable.

As long as I reduce my stress, eat healthily, and listen to my body, I can maintain the status quo for the most part.

Now that I'm not trying to get through a day at a time, I need to figure out what the rest of my life looks like. I suspect it’s not going to be living with my sister.

My new job provides the stability I need to focus on my next steps.

I'm a copyeditor for a company in Seattle.

I was hired for a fully remote position, so they don't care where I live, which means the world is my oyster.

.. even if part of me wants to crawl back into my shell and bury my head forever.

A problem to solve tomorrow.

I check the time.

"All right, ladies, I'm off." I blow kisses to my friends and gather my things.

"We'll stop by The Reading Grounds once we're done and come back here to change for dinner," Cynthia promises.

Time to make enough money to pay for my half of the cabin and maybe spend some time figuring out the rest of my life.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.