“Are you…” Arden clamped a hand over her mouth, “…asking my boss out? On a date?”
“No.”His arm wilted to his side. “Not a date-date.” He rocked back on his heels. “Just dinner. With us.”
“Did you see?” Camber burst into laughter. “Just the word date almost made him bolt for the airport.”
“I love you, Uncle Nolan, I do,” Arden said, “but your commitment issues aren’t only geographical.”
Yowch.
“Do you smell something burning?” He sniffed the air. “Oh. Never mind. It’s just me. Being roasted.”
“We should have used more garlic.” Camber inhaled then wrinkled her nose. “Maybe some onions.”
“I have an idea.” Call it guilt or call it inspiration. “Why don’t you two take the rest of the day off?”
The girls exchanged a glance, their conversation wordless but their eyes bright, and I knew I had them.
“Go spend time with Nolan.” I smiled at them. “You guys have lots of catching up to do.”
“Are you sure?” Arden linked her fingers at her navel. “We don’t mind staying.”
“We made a lot of progress today.” I scanned the shop. “There’s not much to do until the paint dries.”
“Promise you’ll go home?” Arden wrapped her slender arm around me. “You deserve a break too.”
“You’ve been living here since…” Camber’s gaze slid away. “You should take an afternoon off to rest.”
With Christmas around the corner, I had a prime opportunity for a grand reopening if I hit the deadline. I couldn’t afford to miss it if I wanted to hang on to our current downtown location. Renovation costs plus payroll minus the lack of income while the shop was closed added up to a huge drain on my savings.
Never thought I would say it, but I was grateful for the Black Hat consultant check sitting in my bank account. It would tide me over until the insurance company got off its butt and reimbursed me.
“Fine.” I kissed each of their cheeks. “I’ll put away the paint, and we’ll do touch-ups tomorrow.”
“Promise?” Arden narrowed her eyes on me. “You say just one last thing, then it’s four hours later.”
“I promise.” I crossed my heart. “I’ll lock up after you guys leave.”
Right after I sweep the floor, wash out the storage bins, and mop for the hundredth time.
“You better.” Camber backed out the door, eyes on me. “I expect you to be gone in twenty.”
“Yes, boss.” I scrunched up my face. “Oh, wait. That’s right. I’m your boss.”
“Semantics.” She flipped an imperious hand. “Are you coming tonight? Dinner is on Uncle Nolan.”
“Hey,” he protested without heat. “Ask a guy first.”
“You owe us five years’ worth of holidays and birthday dinners,” Arden pointed out. “Time to pay up.”
“I would love to go out with you guys.” I mopped sweat off my forehead. “I’ll pay my own way, though.”
“Great.” His grin spread from ear to ear. “Arden can text you with the time and place.”
I appreciated that he didn’t ask for my number, and I blamed that on the bracelet too. Anyone could call me directly if they plucked a business card out of the display. It wasn’t like I kept my digits super-secret.
“Later girls, and guy.”
After walking them to the door, I leaned against it, shoving it into the slightly bent frame on schedule for repairs next week. This time I made certain to jiggle the lock into place and tested it against walk-ins.