I know she’ll get a good commission from me buying the La Jolla house, but the sale won’t go through for at least thirty days. How is she going to get to work between now and then? And what would she have done if I hadn’t met her yesterday morning and demanded that Kerry let her work with me?

I can’t stand the idea of her living in this shithole, and I really can’t stand the idea of her waiting for a bus or asking someone for a ride in this neighborhood. God only knows what could happen to her.

Speaking of which…I watch as she makes her way back across the parking lot and up the stairs. And while I have the answer to the question I texted my niece earlier—rocky road—I don’t pull out of the parking lot until I see Emerson disappear into her apartment, shutting the door firmly behind her.

I spend my twenty-minute ride home worrying about her, trying to figure out what to do about her dilemma. I’d buy her a new car, no strings attached, if she’d let me. I’m pretty sure she won’t, otherwise she wouldn’t have lied to me about it. But what am I supposed to do? Just merrily go on my way, buying a twenty-four-million-dollar house, knowing that the woman I’m sleeping with can’t even get her car fixed?

I can’t do that.

And wouldn’t it just figure that the first woman to catch my interest since Heather got sick—and probably even longer if I’m honest—is the one who doesn’t expect me to take care of her?

I’m still worrying over the problem when I let myself into Heather’s condo half an hour later, a gallon of rocky road ice cream in one hand and a gallon of chocolate chip in the other. Only to find my niece sprawled out on the chest of my left tackle and best friend, fast asleep.

“Hey,” I say softly as I drop the ice cream on the bar before making my way over to the couch. “How long’s she been out?”

“About fifteen minutes,” Tanner whispers, his huge hand cupped around the back of her head in support. “One minute she was talking about eating a huge bowl of ice cream and the next she was snoring.”

I laugh. “Sounds about right. Where’s Brent?”

“He climbed into bed with Heather about half an hour ago. I’m pretty sure they’re both asleep, too.”

“That’s how we roll over here at Casa Browning. Lights out by nine-fifteen.”

“Sounds about how I roll over at my place, as well.”

“Yeah, right,” I say as I bend over and pick up Lucy, transferring her from Tanner’s chest to mine. “I believe that only if there’s a woman in the dark with you.”

“Exactly what I’m saying, my man.”

“Here’s a tip,” I call as I head down the hall to Lucy’s bedroom. “It’s more fun with the lights on.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t all be beauty queens like you, Browning.”

I ignore him as I place Lucy into her white canopied bed. Tanner had been savvy enough to turn her bed down, so I get her settled under the covers with almost no fuss at all. I check to make sure Mr. Wiggles, her stuffed golden retriever, is within reach, then flip on the small princess lamp on the other side of the room, just in case she wakes up in the middle of the night. She’s always been afraid of the dark, but it’s gotten worse lately. Probably because she asked her brother what would happen to Heather when she died. And Brent had made the mistake of answering her.

After checking on my sister and nephew—Tanner was right, they are both asleep and Heather seems to be relatively peaceful for once—I make my way back into the family room. And nearly laugh at the sight of six foot seven, three hundred pound Tanner Green daintily picking up and folding Lucy’s Barbie clothes.

“Another Barbie night, huh?” I make a beeline for the fridge and, after stowing the ice cream in the freezer, pull out a couple of beers. After popping the tops off, I hand him a bottle and watch as he takes a long, grateful sip.

He grins when he sees me watching him. “Hey, changing Barbie outfits every five minutes is thirsty work.”

“Don’t I know it? I’ve probably spent a thousand hours doing that in the last eight months.”

“You’re a good man, my friend. But I gotta say, it’s a lot more fun taking the clothes off a woman when she’s life-sized and not made of plastic.”

“And here I would have thought that went without saying. You got to put that blow up doll of yours away, Green. Get yourself a real woman for those long nights in the dark.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep it up and you’re going to have to drag Shawn’s ass over here to babysit.”

“Not sure he’d be okay with the makeover.” I raise my brows at Tanner’s dreads, all of which currently have hot pink ribbons wrapped around the bottom of them.

He just laughs. “Lucy has very definite ideas about the appropriate way to wear dreads.”

“I bet. God knows she has opinions about everything else.”

“She’s a woman, isn’t she?”

By unspoken agreement, we wander out to Heather’s balcony and sprawl out on the lounges she has there. It’s a mild night, the temperature hovering around seventy as we stare out over the city lights.

Tags: Tracy Wolff Lightning Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net