“It’s rotting away, Dex, which is not what Mom or Dad would have wanted.”
His jaw tightens. “Do you need my help?”
I shake my head. “Actually, no. I feel like taking this on is something I need to do. I’m struggling,” I laugh darkly, “obviously. I want to take care of this—unload the baggage.”
“I understand.” He pushes his coffee cup away. “And then what? You come back to the Wayward Sun? Take back the house?”
“I haven’t gotten that far, but hopefully, while I’m working on the house, I can figure that out.”
My brother mulls this over in his quiet, thoughtful, way. He can be unnerving, but I know it takes him a minute to process situations. I don’t feel the low grade of anger under his skin like I used to—that’s been smoothed out.
“If this is what you want to do, I’m okay with it. My life is in Lee Vines. The shop and house? We can deal with all of that later.” He runs his hand through his curls, a sure sign he’s agitated. “You hurt us badly when you left, Sierra. Thank god for Mrs. Nye and Starlee’s mom, or we would have been fucked.”
“I’m so sorry—”
He shakes his head. “I don’t want an apology. I want you to get better, to find the happiness me and the guys have found. If you think this starts with handling Mom and Dad’s estate, then go for it.”
“Are you sure?” I blink back tears.
“Yes.” He pauses. “Toss my stuff in some boxes. I’ll come down and get it when you’re ready.”
I nod. “Okay. Thank you.”
The waitress comes back over and asks for our order. I think Dexter may leave, but he quickly checks out the specials and orders a few. “For research,” he says, after she leaves. “I’ve been working on a few new items for the menu.”
I lean forward. “Tell me about them. I want to hear everything.”
He perks up. “It’s kind of a new twist on the CrossRoads Bun and a Possession Pie…”
I sit back and drink my shitty coffee, listening to my brother talk about the business—my business—one he’s managed to make thrive. I may have screwed up a lot of things, but Dexter Falco isn’t one of them.
I push up on my toes and hold the rag over my head, wiping down the windows. The bucket on the ladder is filled with dirty water. I want to get started painting the trim, but the window sills were coated in dust and grime. Everything needed a thorough cleaning first.
Water drips down my arms as I scrub off the dirt and I use the hem of my tank to sop it up.
“Knock, knock,” a voice calls, startling me. I jerk in surprise, toppling the bucket. Water crashes down, showering over the man below me.
“Oh my god,” I cry, rushing down the ladder. Reid Langford stands in the doorway, drenched in dirty water. “I’m so sorry.”
“My fault,” he says, wiping his face with his shirt, revealing his stomach.
“No, you just scared me, I was totally in my own world. Let me get you a towel.” I rush past him and head to the hall closet. The linens haven’t been washed in ages but they’re still clean.
I grab two and head back down the hall. When I step back in the living room I see Reid standing in the middle of the room. Shirtless.
“Uh, here you go,” I say, averting my eyes. He’s not unfit, but long gone are the lean lines of his high school body. His middle has a definite paunch—the kind you get from too much beer. “Do you need a shirt? There may be one back in my brother’s room you can use.”
“Nah,” he says, drying off. “I’m okay.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask. “How did you find me?”
“I saw your name on your receipt and looked you up.” He grins sheepishly. “I had the day off and thought I’d see if you wanted that estimate. Hope that’s okay?”
“Sure, yeah that’s fine.” Although, I’m not sure it is. I hadn’t planned on having anyone come in today, and I’m not really dressed for visitors. I look down at my white tank. It’s streaked in dirt and damp from window washing. My jean shorts are old, ratty, and a size too small. I’d found them in my old bedroom drawer. “Sorry, I’m a mess.”
His eyebrow raises. “I think you look great.” He eyes my tank, and I shift uncomfortably. “What’s that mean?”
I glance down. It’s always a huge strike when a guy isn’t into or aware of the show. “Oh, it’s from the show Supernatural. It’s kind of like their logo.”