“Give me the good news, sweetheart.”
“I got it!” I’m practically skipping down the street toward my Jeep, still parked in front of the studio. “They approved me.”
“Of course, they did. I never doubted you. All of those sleepless nights and worry was for nothing.”
“Not for nothing,” I say as I approach the studio and see Noah standing outside, his phone pressed to his ear. “This is my dream we’re talking about.”
“You’re right,” he says, his brown eyes shining as I approach. We’re both still talking into our phones. “It’s incredibly important, and I’m so proud of you, Fal.”
“Thanks. We should hang up now.”
He clicks off and shoves his phone into his pocket as I lead him up the stairs to the studio.
“Okay, tell me what you see.”
“First, I need pretty cubbies along this wall”—I point at the space just inside the door—“for my clients to store their belongings during class. I want to replace the wall of mirrors, and I want an infused water station over there.”
“Infused water?”
“You know, with cucumber, strawberries, blueberries. It’s delicious and so good for you. And then, over here—”
Before I can finish my sentence, Noah scoops me into his arms and kisses the hell out of me, making all coherent thought scatter like spilled sand.
When he comes up for a breath, I smile. “What was that for?”
“You’re sexy when you have your bossy hat on.”
“Well, that’s good, because I plan to be bossy often when it comes to this business.”
“Works for me.”
He pins me against the mirror, and his hand dives under my tank and up to my breast, worrying the nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
“Jesus, I can’t get enough of you,” he growls.
“No complaints here,” I reply and unfasten his jeans. But just when my hand folds around his cock, there’s a knock on the door.
“Fallon?” Gray calls out.
“I hate my brother,” Noah mutters, readjusting himself with a pained expression on his handsome face. “What’s he doing here?”
“I asked him to come,” I inform him. “I have remodeling questions. Are you okay?”
“No.” He sighs. “Go ahead and open it.”
Gray grins when I open the door, then laughs when he sees his brother. “Did I interrupt something?”
“Yes. Go away,” Noah says, but I roll my eyes and step back.
“Come in,” I reply. “This won’t take long. I won’t take possession of ownership for about six weeks, but I want to show you my ideas so you know what I want.”
I go through everything I just showed Noah.
“Also, I need more shelves over here for new mats and pillows. I also want a new desk for over here.”
“You’re going to have him build you a desk?” Noah asks.
“No, I’m going to buy one, I’m just thinking out loud.”
“I’ll put in an order for the mirrors now,” Gray says, making notes. “Those could take a while. Do you want to replace this floor? It’s pretty beat-up.”
“I don’t want to spend a fortune,” I say, biting my lip.
“I have an idea.” Gray reaches for his phone and taps the screen, then turns it to me. “This is a laminate floor. It’s durable, and you can’t tell that it’s not hardwood.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s also a quarter of the price of hardwood.”
“Seriously?” I enlarge the photo, getting a closer look. “Okay, you’ve sold me. Let’s do it.”
“I’ll put that on order, as well,” he replies. “As long as all of the supplies arrive, this shouldn’t take longer than a week to do.”
I cock a brow. “Didn’t you say that about my former living room? Is that place done yet?”
“Don’t try to be funny, Fallon,” Gray says with a scowl. “It doesn’t work.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m freaking hilarious.”
“Keep me posted on when you want me to start this. I’ll have a crew handy for you.”
“Thank you,” I say seriously. “I know you’re busy, and I appreciate you making time for me.”
“That’s what family does,” he replies simply before he leaves.
“But I’m not—”
“Yeah,” Noah says, rubbing my shoulders from behind. “You’re family, whether you like it or not.”
“I think I like it,” I whisper before turning and wrapping my arms around Noah’s middle. “I like it a lot.”
Chapter Seventeen
~Fallon~
“Honey, I’m home,” I call as I walk into the house later that night. I’ve started hosting an evening class twice a week for people who work during the day, and so far, they’ve been a big hit.
But it also puts me home later than usual. It’s almost dark outside, and as we’re nearing the end of summer, that means it’s late.
I’m starving, and I’m ready to wind down for the night.
“In the kitchen,” Noah calls back. “But don’t come in here yet. Go change or something.”
“What are you doing?” I ask with a smile.
“None of your business.” His voice is full of laughter. “Seriously, give me ten minutes here.”
“Okay, I’ll go change.”