Chapter 17 | Gage
Seventeen
Gage
“You have to sit still,” Daisy said with a sigh as she held my hand on the pillow and looked at the nail polish she had painted my nails with. “I think it needs another coat.”
“I think it might be good like it is,” I replied, grinning when I saw her face scrunched in concentration. I not only had enough polish covering my nails, but I also had pink all along my fingers, and some had accidentally ended up on my hand when she dropped the brush.
“Okay. But let me file this nail. It’s crooked and has a jagged edge.”
I nodded and watched as she moved the glittery pink nail file along my nail, making it smooth and even.
“There. Perfect.” She leaned back and studied her work with the biggest smile on her face.
“They look amazing, Daisy. Thank you for doing my nails for me,” I said, loving the happiness still radiating on her face.
Julie was in the kitchen making breakfast with her mom while her dad was shoveling the snow out front.
I insisted that I would do it, but he told me that it was good for him to be up and moving.
Not only that, he needed some fresh air.
I agreed, but made sure I sat where I could look out the floor-to-ceiling window to keep an eye on him.
The storm had finally ended, which was a welcome relief, given the amount of snow we had already received.
“Good morning, Daisy,” Patrick said as he came into the living room and smiled at her.
“Good morning, Uncle Pat. Do you want your nails painted?”
He frowned, unsure of how to answer as I watched him. He had a few bruises from our scuffle last night, but overall didn’t look too bad. I had a black eye, but it was already starting to heal.
“Ummm... I don’t...” he stuttered cautiously, his eyebrows rising as her shoulders fell in disappointment.
I lifted my hands and wiggled my fingers for him to see that she had already done mine, catching Julie smiling at us from the kitchen.
“I wasn’t sure if you had enough polish left to do mine,” he added quickly, nodding to me. “But it looks like Gage didn’t use all of it after all. I would love for you to paint my nails, sweetheart.”
She giggled and squirmed on the couch until she was turned around, facing him as he sat down.
I chuckled and got up, giving them some space. I knew how much he adored her and wanted them to have their time together.
“What can I help with?” I asked as I walked up behind Julie and skimmed my hand across her lower back.
She let out a soft gasp that only I could hear as she turned and smiled at me.
While I had vivid memories of last night, I had forgotten that no one else knew what had happened between us.
I had no idea if she was ready for anyone to know, so I pulled my hand away and tried to act as normally as I could.
“Ummm.... I think we have everything covered. Would you mind making me some coffee?”
I nodded and grinned, feeling the weight of her mother’s gaze on us as she watched us. Apparently, I hadn’t been subtle at all.
“Espresso?” I asked, already knowing the answer because it was what I had made for her every morning since she had arrived. But I felt nervous and needed something to distract me.
“Yes, please.”
“You got it.” I grabbed one of the pods she liked and turned to Lynn. “Would you like coffee this morning?”
“That would be lovely. Thank you.”
I grabbed the small rack that held a variety of flavored pods and set it down in front of her.
“Just let me know which one you’d like and I’ll make it for you.”
She smiled and nodded.
“I’ll do espresso like Julie, please. I have a feeling I’m going to need a lot of caffeine today.”
Julie turned around and frowned at her mother, a look of concern crossing her face.
“Did Daisy keep you up last night?” Julie asked, keeping her voice low so Daisy didn’t hear.
“Oh, gosh, no. She was such a sweet girl and fell asleep right away. It was your dad who kept me up most of the night,” Lynn said with a heavy sigh.
“I swear, that man snores differently here than he does at home. At one point, it sounded like he was using a power drill. I didn’t finally fall asleep until close to four this morning. ”
“I’m sorry it was such a late night for you. I’m glad it wasn’t Daisy that kept you up, though,” Julie said, turning to grab the dishes from the oven.
“It seems dad wasn’t the only one making noises that kept everyone up last night,” Patrick said dryly as he walked into the kitchen and pinned me with a look.
Julie spun around, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed, which totally gave us away.
I looked down and rubbed the back of my neck while the only sound in the room was the drizzle of coffee pouring into the cup.
“I thought I made myself clear about things between you and my sister,” he said, his voice low as Daisy pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table while Lynn helped her. Julie’s dad had just come inside, his cheeks red from the blistery cold air outside.
I looked past Patrick to Julie, who looked slightly pale and worried.
“And I thought I made myself perfectly clear about things between me and your sister,” I responded, closing the distance between us as I stepped into his space. “What happens between us is none of your fucking business, so stay the fuck out of it.”
Patrick’s nostrils flared as he shoved me hard, forcing me to take a few steps back.
“Stop it,” Julie hissed, stepping in between us. “We don’t have time for this bullshit, so both of you need to get your heads out of your asses and knock it off.”
I worked my jaw back and forth as Patrick and I continued to stare at each other. But then Julie placed her hand on my arm and got my attention.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Of course. Anything for you.”
I wanted to lean down and kiss her to show her that I meant what I said, but now wasn’t the time or place for that.
Instead, I finished making coffee for Julie and her mom, then joined the family at the long dining table that hadn’t been used like this in so long, I couldn’t remember the last time.
After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother struggled to keep the inn up and running as the guests stopped coming and her income trickled to almost nothing.
My stomach knotted at the thought of clearing the place out and putting it up for sale, especially when I realized how much work they had put into making it one of the most magical places I had ever been to.
I always chalked that feeling up to being young and not knowing any better, but as I looked around the table at the family before me, their happiness wasn’t fake.
It was as if the magic of the inn had seeped into all of them, making everyone forget about the danger that threatened to take all of it away.