“Yay. My own dreams board.”
“Yes. Never stop dreaming, baby girl.”
“I loves the dreams,” she sang out.
I laughed and kissed the top of her head just as the knock on the door had us both pushing to our feet.
“Daddy’s here!” she shouted and ran to the door.
Cage walked in and scooped her up, glancing around the house with wide eyes.
“Wow. I thought you were going to take a break. You’ve already submitted one article and planted multiple boxes full of fruits and vegetables, and do I even want to know what those boards are for?” He pointed at my craft area a few feet away.
“Don’t you worry about it. I’m a woman of many talents.” I shrugged.
He kissed Gracie’s cheek and told her to go wash her hands and grab her book bag while I moved to the kitchen and poured him a glass of lemonade.
“What’s going on?” he asked, watching me with concern.
“Nothing. I’m doing all the things I never had time to do before because I was working too much.”
“I see.” He nodded. “The matching outfits are pretty cute. But if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll be forced to kill you. Can’t have the family thinking I’m going soft.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. Not sure if you noticed, but I’ve got overalls in every color now. This is what I’m wearing until I get a new job. I’m an organic-farming, relaxed woman now. I write a few hours a day, and I’ll just enjoy this time until I find something. But it’s probably going to take some time, so you better get used to the new me.”
His eyes widened. “All right. Got it. If you want to come help out at the office, I can always use a hand.”
Cage was a veterinarian, and he had his own practice in town. “As tempting as that sounds, I need to find a story and dazzle someone enough to offer me a permanent position.”
“Well, if you have time to write in between all your new hobbies, I think you’ll land on your feet quickly.” He smirked. “How are you doing on money? Do you need a little bit to help carry you over during this time?”
Always the practical one.
“I’m fine. I’m paying one dollar a month in rent because I insisted on renting this place above board, and Maddox and Georgie wrote up a formal lease with the ridiculous rent.” I chuckled. “And I had a pretty good savings going because I was hoping to buy a condo in the city in the next year or so, but that won’t be happening anytime soon now.”
“You’ll get in with a much better organization. I think this was actually a blessing because you’re not a quitter, so you wouldn’t have bailed. But your hand was forced, and you’ve got experience on your résumé this time. You’ll sign with someone soon. Just keep writing.”
“Did you just call what happened a blessing? Oh my gosh.” I flailed my hands in his face. “Are you still trying to get me to tell you it’s okay to fangirl over the man who ruined my life? Do not try to glaze over what he did by calling it a blessing. It’s offensive. Ugh, you are all the same.” My brothers and Maddox had all found roundabout ways of seeing if I still hated the man because, of course, he happened to be everyone’s favorite quarterback in this part of the country.
“First off, I don’t fangirl, and I take offense to the accusation. The dude has been my favorite QB for years, but of course, I’ll agree to hate him right alongside you. Not because I think it’s a mature or rational request, but because you’re a bit terrifying when you’re angry.” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I never claimed to be mature or rational.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said dryly, but I saw the corners of his lips turn up the slightest bit.
“Daddy, what pets did you sees today?” Gracie asked, running toward us with her book bag.
“It was a slow day. But I saw three dogs, one horse, and a pig. The highlight was Mrs. Runither coming in and demanding to be seen.” He took another long pull from his glass before setting it on my counter.
“She has animals?” I asked. Mrs. Runither owned Cottonwood Café and was the most sexually inappropriate woman I’d ever met. She harassed her customers about their sex lives, yet it was hard to stay away as her macaroni and cheese was the best in town.
“No.” He raised a brow at me. “She wanted me to look at a mole… on her chest.”
My head tipped back in laughter.
These were the moments that I was grateful to be back home.
“What’s did you do, Daddy?” Gracie asked as he pulled her up into his arms. “Did you help the lady?”
“I sent her to a dermatologist.” His voice was firm, and I was still laughing. “Thanks for picking her up today.”
“Thank you, Auntie. I loves you.”
“I loves you more.” I kissed each of her rosy cheeks and the tip of her nose as she giggled.
“You want to come over for dinner?” Cage asked as he walked toward the door. I knew my siblings were all worried about me, but I was doing just fine.
Great, actually.
“Thanks, but I’m okay. I’m going to work for a little bit and then go see Mom and Dad.”
“All right. We’ll see you later.” He held a hand up, and I closed the door.
I spent the next hour scanning the internet for sports publications and went through a bunch of submission ideas before walking the few blocks to my parents’ house. The sun was just going down, and it was a perfect night for a walk. My phone buzzed, and I knew before I looked that it was the sibling group chat, which was always ongoing.
Georgia
Hey, we just got home from work. I was swamped today. What’s everyone doing?
Finn
Just finished filming for the day. I think Jessica Carson is actually into me. She just asked me to come to her trailer and hang out. She kept grinding up against me long after they called the scene today.
Cage
Don’t shit where you eat, brother. It has disaster written all over it.
Georgia
What if you live in a tiny house? Wouldn’t you have to shit where you eat?
Hugh
Yeah, I’m guessing Finny boy wants to live in a tiny house and get busy with his costar.
Stay away from Hotty-McSnotty! I got very narcissistic vibes from her in the two interviews I watched with her.
Hugh
I don’t think he’s thinking of a long future here, Brinks.
Take it from someone who has experienced job stress. Not worth it. Walk away.
Finn
She’s not my boss. We work together. Sure, she can be a bit much sometimes. She’s got some serious diva tendencies, but she’s hot.
Cage
You’re just bored because Reese has been gone for so long. You’re looking for a companion, not a hookup. Walk away.
Finn and Reese had been best friends for as long as I could remember. She’d gone through a bad breakup with her longtime boyfriend, who was now her ex-fiancé, and she’d been in Europe for the last several months, working for a design firm there. The two had always been inseparable, and we all noticed the difference in him since she’d been gone. He was a lot needier than he’d ever been, but I wouldn’t tell him that.