Chapter 4
Miles
MacAllister’s Group Chat
Rain: Family supper at our place next Friday.
Miles: Couldn’t have been this past weekend? I had nothing to do.
Rain: And do you have plans this Friday?
Miles: Not yet, no.
Rain: Exactly.
Rain: Dinner at seven. No need to bring anything.
River: I’ll let you know later in the week. It’s harvest season.
Rain: Oh my fucking god, River Phoenix MacAllister! Can you stop being so stubbornly annoying? What, pray tell, are you going to do on a Friday night at the orchard? Last time I checked, you didn’t have a boo to take under the trees and give her a good roughing.
Miles: *eating popcorn gif*
Merlin: Wait. Are you cooking again? Xander mentioned you were tossing your cookies on the daily. I’m glad you’re feeling better!
Miles: Noooooo Merlin! How can you throw Xander under the bus like this? You still have lots to learn, baby bro. *face palm emoji*
Merlin: Oops! Nevermind. I can’t make it, but you all enjoy. Love you!
Ruin: We’ll miss you, wizard! *soccer ball emoji*
Rain: I gotta go have a conversation with my husband. But I expect everyone there Friday.
Ruin: Can’t wait! *heart-eye emoji*
I toss my phone onto the empty side of the bed and let out a long sigh, pressing my fingers against my closed eyes.
There’s never a dull moment with my siblings, but for all the shit I give them, I love seeing how damn happy my sisters are with their husbands.
That kind of love isn’t for me.
Which makes it even more annoying that my brain keeps going back to Penny, giving me hell before getting into her fancy car. The woman is too beautiful for her own good, all grace and sharp edges wrapped into one. Like an angel sent from heaven solely to make my life a living hell.
I don’t even know what it is about her, just that she hasn’t left my head since the second we met.
One night should’ve been enough to get her out of my system.
It wasn’t. Not even close.
I exhale hard and roll onto my back, already annoyed with myself. Sitting here thinking about Penny isn’t going to fix anything.
I get up and decide to go for a run instead of making supper. I need to get my head on straight before I see her at work tomorrow. The last thing I need is Penny taking one look at me and smirking like she already knows.
I swear that woman belongs to Granny’s coven. She can tell how worked up I get around her, and she loves to rev me up. And fuck if I don’t love to give it right back.
“Just the man I was looking for,” Gio says as I enter my small office at the construction site.
I glance at the clock on the wall and realize I’m fifteen minutes late. The weather’s turning, and this morning I had to scrape the season’s first layer of frost off my windshield.
“Hey, man. I didn’t realize we had a meeting today,” I say as I give him a one-armed hug, making sure I don’t spill my coffee on him.
He waves me off as he passes his hand through his hair. “No, no. We had nothing planned. But Penny called in sick, so I thought I would come down and see if I could do anything to help in her absence.”
My brain short-circuits. Penny’s sick?
I blow on my coffee and take a slow sip, buying myself a second. “Sick? Is everything okay?”
Gio crosses his arms across his chest, widening his stance. “Yeah, she’s fine,” he says, fighting a grin, which only makes me frown harder.
How can she be okay and ask for a sick day? Is she playing hooky?
“Apparently, the girls went to Charlotte over the weekend, and they’re not over their hangover yet.” Gio shakes his head, a smile on his lips.
“A hangover.” I scrub a hand over my jaw. “Somehow that makes it worse. Or maybe better. I honestly can’t decide.”
“It’s totally fine, though. In all the years I’ve known Penny, she’s never taken a personal day off,” Gio says as he slips his hands into his pockets. “I’m actually dreading the day she tells me she no longer wants to work with me.”
That catches my attention. Are they having issues?
“How come?” I ask, trying not to sound too invested.
Gio shrugs before speaking. “Miles, she has an MBA. She’s a millionaire, loves the city and its noise.
She could easily start her own business and stop working as my financial advisor.
She doesn’t need me.” There’s a pause, and I look into his eyes.
“But I don’t think I can ever trust anyone else to manage my finances. ”
I nod, a small smile tugging at my lips. From what I’ve heard, Gio started with a couple million dollars, and Penny helped him invest it. Over the years, she kept growing his money while steering him toward smarter investments.
“It’d be hard for me to trust someone else, man. I get it,” I say sincerely.
Gio huffs out an amused breath, a faint blush creeping up his neck. “It’s just money. You know, the only thing I really care about is my family.” His blue eyes sparkle at the mention of my sister and their kids.
“I know, I know. You’re a good man, Gio Bianchi.”
A moment of silent acknowledgment passes between us, but I’m not someone who lets my true emotions show too much, so I shift to a lighter topic. “As much as I appreciate you coming here and offering to help, I don’t think you’re cut out for strenuous work.”
“Come on now, Miles. I might not be as built as you, but I can handle a hammer here and there.”
I hide my grin behind another sip of my coffee. I don’t want to offend him, but he’s a fucking community college teacher—great spokesperson, great listener. Yeah, I’m sure he’s capable of hanging a frame in their mansion, but I don’t think he needs to be doing physical work here.
“I really appreciate it, Gio. But we’ve got it covered. We have all the workers we need, and so far we’re on schedule to finish the rink on time.”
Gio lets out a deep breath, and something about it makes me laugh. “I appreciate you not calling me on my bullshit and giving me hell for it. But Ruin thought I should come and offer to help since Penny isn’t here today.”
“I’ll have to tell Ruin that Penny doesn’t do any physical work. She spends most of her time on the computer, making sure we’re using the money the way we’re supposed to and ordering all the materials we need to stay on track,” I tell him as we start walking toward my office door.
“Oh, she knows. I think she wanted to see me all manly and sweaty with a hammer in my hand,” Gio shares as his blush deepens and moves to his cheeks.
“Please don’t. I don’t need a visual.” I fake gag, and Gio cracks up.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just did what I told my brother not to do. Luca can be way too graphic sometimes.” Gio shudders, and I lose it.
I haven’t met his brother in person, but from what I’ve heard, he’s a character.
“Anyway, I’m glad everything is going smoothly—even with Penny out today. Maybe we should schedule a meeting with Xander next month to get a progress report. He’s very anxious to start his hockey program next summer,” he says, glancing around the construction site.
“Thank you for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure shooting the shit with you,” I say, nodding in greeting to a couple of the workers.
“Thank you for taking on this project. I know it’s new territory for you, but I knew you were going to rise to the occasion. You always do.”
His words take me by surprise. It’s not that I didn’t think I could do this job, but hearing it from someone else makes me believe it.
“I appreciate your trust, man. Honestly.”
Gio starts walking toward the parking area.
“Oh, one more thing.” He turns back to face me.
“It doesn’t matter what Penny says. There’s no limit on the budget for this project.
I want the best ice rink in Western NC here in Azalea Creek, and I want it ready in time for Xander to start his summer program. ”
“Yes, boss. I’ll quote you when she starts fighting me on the budget.” That should be interesting.
I salute him and turn to talk with the men who are already working. I want to get up to speed on today’s tasks since I came in late and ended up chatting with Gio longer than I expected.
Before talking with my crew, I fire off a quick text.
Miles: I’m sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Rest up, boss lady.
I don’t spend the rest of the day checking my phone in case I get a text. Not at all. Nor am I disappointed when I never get one.
The fact that she doesn’t even read it says it all.