by Marla Monroe
Before long, Lamar announced dinner was ready. They sat down at the bar and ate with Brody filling Lamar in on the client he’d been meeting with earlier that day. Caitlyn didn’t understand most of what they were talking about. She did recognize the bookkeeping opportunities in what he was saying. She refrained from pointing them out until he had finished.
“Did you write up an estimate or even a ticket for his order?” she asked.
“No, around here we pretty much shake on a quote. There isn’t any record of it anywhere.”
“The quote would go a long way in helping you keep up with not only what you have due to complete, but also strengthen your claim as a small business. The government is just looking for an excuse to deny your income tax claims.”
“I never thought about it that way. I guess I need to start writing them up. I don’t have to give them to the customer. I can just keep them for proof and it would probably help me when I’m ordering supplies.”
“That’s right. You can keep up with inventory that way. I can set up an inventory list for you. It should help you be more efficient.”
Lamar spoke up. “It sure would be nice to know where we stand on our supplies. I hate running out of something in the middle of a project.”
“I’m glad I can help you. Lamar, we’re going to have to set up a time next week when I can review the bookkeeping process with you since you’re the one who primarily works with them.”
“That sounds fine. I can pretty much meet you here anytime you want. We’ll be around the store a good bit to help you with the mail-order business.” Lamar smiled.
She frowned. “I told you I could handle it.”
“We’re just going to help with the larger packages. They’ll be awkward, and you don’t need to be lifting things you don’t have to.” Brody’s expression was serious.
“Fine. You can handle the big things.” She guessed she could let them do that.
She still wasn’t sure about spending so much time with them when she was going to leave as soon as she’d shown Tish the books. For some reason, that didn’t sound as inviting as it had before. She had been looking forward to the relocation to Austin. Now, the thought of leaving them just didn’t feel right. She hoped she wasn’t doing something that would only hurt them all in the long run, something like falling in love.
Chapter Twelve
Caitlyn woke early the next morning to Brody wrapped around her like a hungry python. She was glad she could breathe. She turned her head and noticed that Lamar was turned on his side facing away from her. She hoped he wasn’t miffed that Brody had effectively hogged her.
“Morning.” Brody’s husky voice greeted her.
“Morning. Think you could let me up? I need to get to the bathroom.”
Brody chuckled and slowly unwound himself from around her. She quickly climbed over him and off the bed. She hurried to the bathroom before she embarrassed herself. She went ahead and freshened up, using her things she’d brought from Brian’s place. Tomorrow was the big day for them. She prayed that they were doing the right thing and Brian wasn’t making a terrible mistake.
She walked out of the bathroom to find Lamar missing and Brody getting dressed. She put away her nightclothes and gathered up her things. She wasn’t going to go back to Brian’s house that night, so she was glad she had picked up several outfits in addition to her dress for the wedding.
“Lamar is fixing breakfast. We have to go in to work today. You can work on the books if you want to or just laze around the house until time for your spa treatment with Tish.”
Caitlyn bristled at first at his telling her what she could do with her morning. Then she sighed and reminded herself that it was just how Brody talked. He didn’t mean anything about it. She would have to get used to his bossy ways if they were going to date. Normally, she could get along with anyone, but with it being someone she was planning on dating, it was a little more difficult.
“What?” Brody asked staring at her.
“Nothing.”
“No, it’s something. What?”
Caitlyn shook her head. “You’re bossy, Brody. Try not to tell me what to do.”
“Oh, I wasn’t. If I wanted to be bossy, I would tell you that you couldn’t go anywhere while we were gone. See, that’s bossy.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then she turned on her heel and walked through the door and down the stairs. Just as she reached the bottom, he grabbed her from behind and turned her around and kissed her. He worked slow and deep, as if his tongue was slowly memorizing every nook and cranny of her mouth. She moaned into his as he sucked on her mouth.
When he released her, she swayed in his arms. Yep, he totally rocked her world with that kiss. She doubted she would be coherent for at least the next fifteen minutes. Sure enough, when she entered the kitchen, she couldn’t think what to say to Lamar. She just stared at him. He grinned as if knowing what was wrong with her, and maybe he did. He looked smug. She narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t say anything.
“Have a seat, you guys, breakfast is served.”
They ate in relative silence with one of the guys speaking around mouthfuls of waffle or bacon. It was delicious, but that word couldn’t do the meal justice. Once she had finished, she rinsed off her plate and sat back down with a second cup of coffee. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with her morning but figured she would work on their books. The sooner she got them done, the sooner she could teach Lamar what to do. Then she could leave for Austin with a clear conscience.
The men’s stools scraped back from the bar as they gathered their plates to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. Brody kissed her goodbye. Lamar drew her in for a hug and a kiss. She couldn’t help but kiss him back.
“We’ll be home by the time you’re finished with your spa treatment. Have fun, Caity.” Brody led the way outside to the truck.
Alone, she sat at the island enjoying her coffee and thinking about her life. She had so many decisions to make over the next two weeks. She had to admit that she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about anything at this point. Starting her own business sounded like a dream come true, but could she make a go of it? And what about Brian? How much of his nosey ways could she take?
She rinsed out her coffee cup and put it in the dishwasher then rinsed out the coffeepot and emptied the filter and grounds. Then she walked into the office and pulled on her accountant clothes like an armor and began the arduous task of sorting through their papers to get them ready for entering into the computer program.
The next time she looked up, it was nearly twelve. She panicked. She had to meet Tish at the spa. She had the directions but wasn’t sure how long it would take to get to the place. She hurried and closed down the program before heading upstairs to freshen up before heading toward the spa.
Once she arrived, she had to admit the directions were easy to follow. The spa itself was decorated in pastel colors that were easy on the eyes and soothing. Gentle instrumental music played low in the background. The three women greeted each other, with Tish performing the introductions.
“Caitlyn, this is Rita. Rita, this is Caitlyn. She’s Brian’s sister.”
Rita smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I can’t wait ‘til they open their store. I’ve peeked in the window and see a lot of things I like.”
“Thank you. I’m sure they would be glad to give you a private showing one day.”
“That would be awesome.”
They settled into their chairs and waited for their treatments. Tish and Rita kept up a steady conversation about different people they knew and the town itself. Caitlyn learned a lot about the area and the people that lived there. For the most part, they were all friendly, she realized.
“How do you like Riverbend so far, Caitlyn?” Rita’s words were stilted since she was in the middle of a facial and had something blue on her face.
“It seems like a very nice place to live. Everyone here has been wonderful.”
&
nbsp; “Tish tells me you’re an accountant. Have you thought about opening an office here? They could sure use another one. My dad has a farm outside of town and is struggling with his books. He’s already had trouble with the IRS and is panicking.”
“I, uh, was planning to move to Austin in a few weeks. I’m not sure Riverbend is the place for me.”
“Why not? You said yourself that everyone has been real friendly to you.” Rita’s consultant returned and tsked at her.
“You’ve been talking. Your mask is cracked.”
“Sorry.”
“No more talking until I take it off.”
Caitlyn was secretly relieved that Rita had been warned to stop talking. She was making Caitlyn uncomfortable, probably because she was beginning to feel sorry for some of the people who were having trouble. If not for her, Brian would have been in the same boat. Still, she was sure living close to her brother would be a disaster waiting to happen. She didn’t want a strained relationship between them. They were all each other had.
She was certain that Rita would have forgotten what she had been talking about by the time they were finished with the facial part of the spa treatment, so she was surprised when she took up where she had left off once the mask was rinsed off.
“I know that some of the business owners around here have to take their stuff to other towns. Just think, you could live here, maybe meet someone and settle down.”
“I’m not looking to settle down with anyone right now,” she said.
“Well, you can still open your office here.”
After that, they talked about the upcoming ceremonies and Tish confessed that she was more nervous about the private one with both of her men than she was about the official one.
“I mean, it’s just for show, really. Brian and Andy both insisted that I marry Brian so that I’d have his last name for the children. I don’t see why it should matter.”
“You will have a little more security this way in case something happens to Brian.” Rita tried to explain the reason behind it.
“Still, I feel like I’m slighting Andy. He assures me that he’s fine with it and thinks it’s the best idea.” Tish frowned.
“What worries you about the private ceremony?” Caitlyn changed the subject, hoping to get her mind off of the legal ceremony.
“I want it to be perfect and I’m scared the cake isn’t going to be right or something will happen to mess it up, like it will rain.” They were having the ceremony outside behind Brian and Andy’s house.
“It’s not supposed to rain for several days,” Rita supplied.
“And the cake is going to be perfect.” Caitlyn decided Tish was working herself up over nothing. “You’re going to look beautiful in your dress and the men will fall in love with you all over again.”
“That’s so romantic of you to say,” Tish said. “Thanks.”
“That’s because you’ve made my brother very happy. For that I’ll always be grateful. He deserves to be happy.”
Once they were finished, it was just after five. She hesitated at going back to Lamar and Brody’s house right away in case they weren’t home yet. They had told her where a key was kept, but she didn’t feel comfortable being alone in their house. She would be uncomfortable until they got there.
She took her time perusing the stores next to the spa before climbing into her SUV and driving toward their house. She decided when she was only a half mile away that she would drive by first to see if they were home. They had taken separate trucks that morning. If at least one of them proved to be there, she would turn around and go back.
To her relief, both trucks were there. She turned around and pulled into the drive. Still, she hesitated getting out of the car. She knew she was on the verge of falling for them. It scared her because she really felt like moving to Austin was the best option for her.
The door to the house opened and Lamar walked out with a puzzled expression on his face. He walked over to the SUV and cocked his head.
Caitlyn grabbed her purse and opened the door to get out.
“Hey, is something wrong?”
“No, I was just thinking.”
“About whether you wanted to come inside or not?”
“No, just thinking about life in general. Nothing in particular.” She walked ahead of him toward the door so that he couldn’t see her face. She knew she didn’t lie well.
When she got to the door, Brody had already opened it. His face didn’t show anything of what he was thinking. If he had found it strange that she’d been sitting in her car in the drive, she couldn’t tell it. Guilt tightened her stomach.
“Did you have a good time at the spa?” he asked.
“It was definitely an experience. I enjoyed the manicure and pedicure, but I think I could have done without the two different kinds of mud they smeared on me.”
“Mud?” Lamar shook his head. “I thought they were purifying your skin, not putting dirt on it.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. He had a look of distaste on his face. She had felt almost the same way while they were applying it.
“Are you hungry? Lamar thought we would grill steaks out.” Brody watched her almost as if he expected her to turn around and leave.
“Steaks sound good.” She turned to Lamar. “Need help with anything?”
“Nope, I’ve got it covered. How do you like your steak cooked?”
“Medium is fine, thanks.”
“Come on, Caity. You can pick out movies to watch tonight.” Brody steered her toward the living room with a hand to her back.
“You already know that we’ve got quite a few DVDs to choose from. Some of them we’ve never even seen. I think Lamar stopped by the store and bought a few more.”
“I’d rather watch something that you’ve never watched, so tell me if you’ve already have.”
She found the new ones without a problem because they still had the plastic on them. Two of them were comedies and the other two were action thrillers. She pulled them off of the shelf and handed them to Brody. He glanced at them and grunted. She assumed that meant that he was okay with them. With him, it was hard to tell what he thought when he was in one of his moods, as she thought of them.
“Steaks should be ready soon. He has baked potatoes to go with them.”
“Great. I’m sort of hungry. They served wine and cheese to us at the spa, but I’m still hungry.”
“Good. He’ll feel slighted if you don’t eat.”
Caitlyn felt like they were making small talk. His speech was a bit stilted. It worried her. Something was going on with him.
“Brody, is my staying here tonight really okay with you? You don’t seem very comfortable.”
He dropped his head back on his shoulders and looked up. Then his lips thinned and he looked back at her.
“It’s not that. We’ve got some things going on at work that have me on edge. It’s absolutely fine that you’re here. I want you here. Lamar wants you here.” He huffed out a breath.
“Is there something I can help with? Is it about your bookkeeping or taxes?”
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her close.
“Thanks, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the books or taxes. It’s customer related. I’m sorry I brought it home with me. I’m not used to there being anyone here other than Lamar, and we usually talk about work whenever we want to.”
“You shouldn’t have to change your routine for me, Brody. I don’t want to cause trouble by being here.”
“You’re not causing any trouble.” He pushed her away so that he could look down at her. “You belong here with us. I wish you would realize that.”
“Brody, don’t push me. I already worry that seeing each other is going to be a problem in the long run.”
He let go of her and ran one hand through his hair. He looked like he was going to say something, but Lamar walked in and announced that dinner was ready. Brody let it go but the look on his face said that he wouldn’t
forget about it. He would bring it back up later.
They ate at the kitchen table since there was more room than there was on the bar. Lamar had grilled her steak perfectly. She managed to eat it all and most of her potato, which obviously pleased him.
“We’ve got ice cream and a lemon pie for dessert,” he said when they had finished.
“I can’t eat anything else right now. Maybe later.” She stood up and began gathering the dishes.
“I’ve got them. You go and relax in the living room. We’ll be right there.” Lamar gave her a little push toward the other room.
Caitlyn left them dealing with the dishes and sat on the couch to wait on them. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Immediately, images of the three of them in bed appeared in her head. She realized that she had slowly gotten aroused just being around them. If they affected her so easily, they would soon have her begging for sex. She couldn’t let that happen. As soon as the wedding was over, she needed to pull away from them before someone got hurt. She figured she would be the one hurt in the long run.
A good fifteen minutes passed before they sat down on the couch on either side of her. She started, opening her eyes wide to find them watching her. Brody still wore a strained look on his face but now, Lamar did, too. It was unusual for him to look so serious. What had they talked about in the kitchen while they were cleaning up the dishes? Did she really want to know? Yeah. She figured it had to do with her and whatever it was, they had argued about it. That was something she didn’t want to happen. It was why she didn’t think a ménage relationship would work. Now she had all the proof she needed.
Chapter Thirteen
Brody had been brooding over the problem with their bids on projects. For some reason, most of them came back as refused. They’d never had a problem like that before. Ever since they had found out he and Lamar had been trying to get to the bottom of the problem. So far all they had found out was that someone was undermining their credibility and the quality of their work. It was frustrating and beginning to hurt their business and the bottom line.
