Chapter 1 #2
Felix made a face. “Don’t be dramatic. I can write a nasty review about Milo’s boss. Then, Milo can contact a reviewer to criticize Gaston’s nasty recipes. Demarien can sacrifice a virgin to a volcano to maybe send Derringer back to Hell, and Puck can buy me a guinea pig.”
“A guinea pig?” Puck asked, confused.
“I really want a guinea pig.” Felix smiled softly. “I would make them a kickass castle to live in.”
Demarien blinked slowly. “I feel like I should protest my role in this, but if sacrificing a virgin would really get rid of Derringer, it may be worth it.” He shook his head. “Only if the virgin is a jerk, though.”
Milo laughed hard, face pressed into his arms. After a moment, they joined him. The server brought another round, and they finally managed to pull themselves together.
Milo tapped his chin, a smile still on his face. “You know, we could do something to change things.”
“I don’t want to buy a guinea pig.” Puck moaned. “The pet store isn’t even close to my house.”
Demarien arched a brow. “Prefer to sacrifice the virgin?”
Milo chuckled and waved his hand. “No, guys. Listen. Aunt Dahlia left me all her property in Myrtlewood Bay. I haven’t seen it in years. Remember how huge it was? There’s the main house, but there are also all those other houses spread out on the property. Aunt Dahlia used to rent them out.”
“I loved Dahlia’s kingdom.” Demarien smiled as he thought of all the fun they had exploring the place when they were kids.
The property was on the coast, right outside Myrtlewood Bay.
It was acres of forest, hills, and rocky cliffs overlooking the sea.
It even had its own private beach on a little cove facing into the bay.
Despite all that natural beauty, his favorite spot on the whole damn estate was the warm kitchen. Dahlia had spent so much time with him there.
“Where are you going with this?” Puck asked, voice puzzled.
Milo linked his hands together and settled them on the table in front of him.
“Aunt Dahlia put my name on the deeds for all her property a long time ago. The lawyer is still settling the details with the money in her accounts and her investments, but her land is already mine. I could sell the house here in Portland and use the money to convert the Myrtlewood Bay property into an inn with both rooms in the main house and private guest houses. Tourism is strong here on the coast.”
Demarien’s mouth dropped open. “Milo, that would be too much work for you to handle. You’re the best hotel manager in the whole world, but you’re just one person.”
A smile slowly stretched across Milo’s face. “That’s why you three will be my partners. Think about it, Demarien. You could cook for the guests and maybe even have your own restaurant.”
Demarien gasped. “We could serve dinner through the week and brunch on Sundays. Oh, holy fucktrumpet, I could serve beer from that brewery we all like here in town.”
He started mentally building a menu. A breakfast buffet for the guests in the morning. Seasonal themed sandwiches and appetizers for lunch. The restaurant could open around five and have a limited daily menu.
Demarien gripped the edge of the table hard, his head spinning with the possibilities.
Milo smiled eagerly. “Puck, you hate working at the warehouse, and you love landscaping and all that nature shit.”
Puck gave him a flat look. “It’s called horticulture, dickhead.”
Milo winced. “Yeah, sorry.”
“I got a degree and everything.” Puck scowled and leaned over to prop Felix back up in his chair as the other man began tilting again. “I was a park manager.”
“You aren’t anymore after the layoffs.” Milo wiggled his eyebrows. “Think about it. Instead of working at the warehouse, you could manage the gardens and the orchard, the hiking trail, everything green at our very own inn. You’ll be happier in the fresh air and be able to do what you love.”
Puck narrowed his eyes. “Fuck, I would kill to get my hands on those gardens. I adored them when I was a kid.”
Demarien bounced in his seat. “We could grow our own produce to use in the restaurant. Oh my god, there were a ton of marionberry bushes all over the place. I can almost taste the fresh marionberry pie. I love this, and I want it now.”
“I can keep things running,” Felix said, stifling a yawn. “Plumbing, electricity, general handy work. I can do it all. Maybe even update the old place and make it more eco-friendly.”
Milo leaned back in his chair and gave them a smug look. “We’d all get what we wanted. You guys are my family, and I want you all happy and close by.”
Felix’s bottom lip poked out, and he leaned his head on Puck’s shoulder. “I still want my ten babies.”
Milo sighed. “Me too. Well, not ten, but two perfect little ones. I’ve wanted it for a while, but I didn’t want to fall into the cliche of the baby-obsessed omega.”
“Fuck 'em,” Felix said, cute face scrunching up in anger. “We can want whatever the hell we want. I want a job I love and a family of my own. No one is going to make me feel ashamed of that.”