Chapter 4 #2
“When did I last give you stock?” I asked while running my hand through my beard.
“You would know that if you looked at this notebook. And I don’t know, maybe hire a bookkeeper who knows what they’re doing?”
I sighed. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
“I’m not. And it’s not because I’m tired of this or anything. It’s because I think you could really use someone with more expertise. You’re getting bigger, Callum. And while you’re not expanding to a worldwide business, you are expanding some of your reach. And I think they could help.”
“I’ll think about it. Okay, Rune, I’ll stock you up. You know you could have sent anybody to us or even texted, and we would have brought something over.”
My best friend shrugged. “Felicity and her friend got off work and are sitting at the bar, looking at dating apps. According to them, I was being an asshole and was asked to leave them alone. They could have done this at Keely’s house or even at Felicity’s, though my parents are there, and my mom and dad probably would have wanted to give their opinion on whatever guy they’re swiping left or right for.
” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t understand why Felicity needs to date, anyway.
She’s perfectly fine joining a convent.”
When the washcloth hit the ground with a splat, I swallowed hard, ignoring the odd looks on Teagan and Rune’s faces, and reached down to pick it up. I didn’t even realize that I had squeezed it so hard that my knuckles had turned white.
I cleared my throat, trying to sound nonchalant. Perhaps he’d think I’d sound like a concerned big brother. Even though any feelings I had toward his little sister were anything but brotherly. “Felicity’s dating?”
“Trying.”
I met his gaze, and we both remembered a previous date of hers.
Her parents didn’t know, but Rune and Atlas knew exactly what had happened with Bradley, the douchebag we hadn’t heard from since the night he had attacked her.
He was lucky to be breathing, but then again, I was glad I wasn’t in jail for murdering the kid.
For a little while, we’d been afraid that he’d reach out to his parents and try to get me arrested for beating the shit out of him or even come at Felicity for breaking his nose, but he’d kept quiet.
And according to Felicity, his friends had ensured that.
I didn’t know what to think exactly about that other than the fact that I was glad Bradley was out of her life forever.
But that didn’t mean I wanted her to date.
Though if she was dating, that meant she wasn’t dating me, and I wouldn’t have to think about her anymore.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me.
Or rather, I knew everything was wrong with me.
“It’s good she’s getting out there. Dating is hard in a small town.
Especially when everybody knows your secrets.
” Teagan scowled. “Believe me. Nobody will ever let me forget the fact that I came to Christmas with a boyfriend once, and then by graduation, I didn’t have him anymore. They love to throw that in my face.”
“You know, I can still fly to England and kick his ass for you if you want,” I said, speaking of Teagan’s ex-boyfriend. A guy who I’d liked. Then he’d broken her heart, and I hadn’t been able to say a damn thing.
“I’m over him. Promise. But I’m not over the gossip. So she’s online dating? Good for her. It scares me, and I never want to touch an app again, but if she has a friend helping her, I’m sure she can figure it out.”
“And what if it’s some creep?”
“Then she can take care of herself. And if she can’t, between the Ashfords and the Carters, she has like fourteen big brothers who aren’t going to let anyone touch her.
No wonder she needs to go to an app and find a stranger.
I can’t even date here without you guys growling all over me, and I’m not the younger one. ”
“You say that as if I’ve scared away all of your boyfriends,” I said dryly.
“You threatened to put my prom date in a trunk,” Teagan said, her brows raised.
“He had his hands on your ass, you tried to push him away, and he wouldn’t listen.
“He was just joking.” She rolled her eyes. “We were doing a bit.”
“I didn’t know it at the time, and then I realized later you guys were enacting a movie scene, but still, he’s lucky I didn’t put him in that trunk.”
“Oh yes. I remember that. And then, didn’t Atlas punch the guy later?” Rune asked, a frown on his face. I quickly went to help him fill out his order and listened to a few staff members as they worked with our customers.
“Yes, but that was because of a sports thing. Not me. I like sports. I was decent at sports. I will never understand men in sports, though.” Teagan rolled her eyes.
“What’s there to understand? We like ball. We kick ball. We throw ball. We catch ball.” I shrugged, and Rune threw his head back and laughed.
“Please say that to Atlas and Gray when he comes back to town.”
I laughed, thinking of the fact that both played hockey.
Gray was a friend of my younger brothers and on a different professional hockey team than Atlas.
I was decent on skates, but nowhere like my brother.
I preferred to keep my feet on the ground and a ball in my hand. Hockey had never made much sense to me.
“Anyway, I’m going to bug my sister about whoever she dates next. It’s fun. And Atlas isn’t here to do it, so I have to help.”
“And such a good brother you are,” I said dryly.
“And such a big brother you are,” Teagan said dryly.
“It’s what I do. Oh, I forgot. Do you think you can watch Thatcher’s kids tomorrow?” Rune asked, and I frowned.
“Me or Teagan?” I asked.
“Either one. His parents are out of town on a well-deserved vacation, and his sitter decided to go on a tour with one of her favorite bands. Meaning Thatcher’s going to need another nanny.”
“Yeah, I can help. And I’ll help find a nanny too. I know Thatcher’s been working his ass off trying to make sure that the kids have steady people in their lives, but I can’t believe the way that his recent nannies have been behaving.”
“Like the one that hit on him?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “She was like twenty.”
“The age gap really wasn’t the problem since the person was an adult.
It was the fact that she wouldn’t take no for an answer and wasn’t even taking care of the kids.
” Rune shook his head. “Honestly, I think he and Kellan should just pool their houses together and get somebody that can watch all six kids.”
“I don’t know if I would say having one person to watch two middle schoolers and four teenagers is a good idea,” I said with a laugh. Although I couldn’t help but wonder if Rune had been serious about the whole age gap thing. No, I wasn’t going to think about that. I couldn’t.
“Honestly, the two should work together.”
I nodded at Teagan’s words. “They used to when the kids were younger. But with all of the different activities that teenagers have these days, it’s kind of hard to make it work, especially when you’re the town doctor and the fire captain. It’s not like you have decent hours.”
“We’ll help out. All of us. But I’m just glad that Promise and Finnian figured out childcare for their girls.”
My younger brother, Finnian, had four-year-old twins with Promise.
Though the two weren’t together anymore, they had a great co-parenting plan.
They even lived next door to each other to ensure that the girls could feel like they were home and not shuffled around.
Between Promise’s parents and all of the Ashford siblings, we made sure those kids were taken care of.
“Okay, here’s the beer that you need, and how about at dinner tonight Teagan and I will try to work up a flow chart or spreadsheet or something for all of our friends with kids? That way, we can figure out childcare.”
“You’re a good man, Callum Ashford,” Rune said with a smile, and I did not want to correct him.
I wasn’t a good man. I couldn’t be a good man.
If my friends and family needed me, I was there.
But I was keeping secrets. Secrets that would probably ruin my friendship with the man in front of me.
So I would do what I could to help the others, but honestly, there was no helping myself.