Key of Knowledge
Page 71
“Okay, I’d just like to say—” Zoe stormed halfway into the room before she skidded to a halt. Staring at the couple wrapped in each other, she pressed a hand to her heart. “Oh.” She reached back to dig the bandanna out of her pocket, but Brad stepped up beside her, pushed his into her hand.
“Thanks.” She sniffled into it. “But I did have my own.”
“Shut up, Zoe.”
Because the moment was too precious to spoil, she did.
Jordan eased back. “There’s something I have to do.”
Her eyebrow winged up, and her smile was quick and wicked. “Right here? In front of all our friends?”
“Cool,” was Brad’s response, which earned him Zoe’s elbow in his belly.
“This isn’t the time for gutter thoughts.”
“It’s always the time.”
“Ignore them,” Jordan murmured and pressed his lips to Dana’s forehead.
“I am.”
“There’s something I have to do,” he said again. “So I have to renege on giving you a hand around here today.”
“But—”
“It’s important,” he interrupted. “I’ll explain it tonight.”
“We all need to get together tonight and go over what you wrote. I’m running out of time.”
“Why don’t we meet at Flynn’s? It’s the most central.” He glanced over. “Is that okay with you, Malory?”
“Sure. The kitchen’s not finished yet, so we won’t get food like we did at Brad’s. Actually, even with the kitchen finished we wouldn’t get food like we had at Brad’s.”
“Pizza and beer works for me,” Dana said.
“That’s my girl.” Jordan kissed her again. “I’ll see you there.”
“You’ve got something up your sleeve.” Dana narrowed her eyes. “I can see it. If you’re thinking about messing with Kane—”
“He’s got nothing to do with this. I’ve got to go, or I’m not going to get it all done. Brad, you’re coming with me.”
“I haven’t finished here.”
“You go. Take him,” Zoe said, pointing at Brad. “Leave the sander. All will be well here.”
“You’re not hauling that thing upstairs by yourself.”
“It’s not that heavy, and I’m not that weak.”
“You’re not carrying it up those stairs.”
“Jesus, Vane, cart the thing up and be done with it.” Grinning, Jordan slung his arm around Dana’s shoulder. “Don’t you know how to handle a woman?”
“Kiss my ass.” Brad turned on his heel and strode away.
“I can do it myself,” Zoe began.
“Zoe.” Basking in the glow of love rediscovered, Dana shook her head. “Stop being a jerk.”
“I can’t help it.” Zoe lifted her hands, let them fall. “He brings out the jerk in me.” She heard him cursing under his breath as he carried the sander toward the steps, and folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to do anything.”
“Good plan. Why don’t you grab a roller?” Malory suggested. “We can finish in here, then start upstairs.”
“Can I just say you women are doing a hell of a job with this place?”
“There, see?” Delighted, Zoe walked over and gave Jordan a loud kiss on the cheek. “Here’s a secure man who has respect for a woman’s abilities.”
“Absolutely. Nothing sexier than a self-sufficient woman.”
“Lap it up, Hawke, lap it up.” Dana nudged him aside. “Now take your playmate and run along. We’ve got work to do.”
She waited until Jordan and Brad had gone out, then dashed to the window to spy on them. “What’s he up to? Yeah, yeah, Brad’s asking him what gives right now. I can tell. But he’s not saying. He’s not saying because he knows I’m standing here watching. Damn it!”
She jerked back with a laugh as Jordan looked straight at her through the glass. “You just can’t pull one over on Jordan. God, I love that about him.”
“I’m so happy for you.” Malory sighed. “And if we’re not careful, we’re going to start another weep-o-rama.”
“Since I’ve leaked more in this one day than I have the entire past year, let’s paint.” Dana turned, gave her biceps an exaggerated flex. “He’s right, you know. We’re doing a hell of a job with this place.”
THEY worked downstairs until the walls were done, then took a coffee break, sitting on the floor to admire them.
“The floors in Dana’s section need to be damp-mopped. You need a clean surface before they’re sealed.”
“I don’t know how the sealing part goes.”
“It’s easy,” Zoe told her. “I’ll show you. Once they’re sealed, dried good and hard, you can start moving stuff in.”
“Wow!” Since Dana’s stomach jumped, she pressed a hand to it. “It gets more real every day. I ordered the shelves. If they get here when they’re supposed to, along with the other stuff I ordered—and the first shipments of books—I should be setting up in a couple of weeks. Maybe less. And I have a potential employee.”
“You didn’t say anything about that.” Zoe punched her lightly on the arm. “Who is it?”
“It’s a woman I met when I was working in the library. I ran into her at the grocery store, and one thing led to another. She’s personable, presentable, likes to read, wants a job, and isn’t looking for a big salary. She’s going to come by sometime and get a look at the place. If she doesn’t run screaming, I think I’ve got myself a bookseller.”
“Zoe, how soon do you think I can start moving stock in?” Malory asked.
“I think next week.” Zoe sipped coffee, glanced around the room. “It’s all coming together so well, I don’t want to jinx it, but I really think next week. It’s going to take me a little longer. There’s more to set up in a salon. And we still have to replace some of these windows. Plus there’s going to be a good, long list of punch-out work.”
“I love it when she talks the manly talk,” Dana commented. “Now let’s go up and play with the sander like men.”
“Thanks.” She sniffled into it. “But I did have my own.”
“Shut up, Zoe.”
Because the moment was too precious to spoil, she did.
Jordan eased back. “There’s something I have to do.”
Her eyebrow winged up, and her smile was quick and wicked. “Right here? In front of all our friends?”
“Cool,” was Brad’s response, which earned him Zoe’s elbow in his belly.
“This isn’t the time for gutter thoughts.”
“It’s always the time.”
“Ignore them,” Jordan murmured and pressed his lips to Dana’s forehead.
“I am.”
“There’s something I have to do,” he said again. “So I have to renege on giving you a hand around here today.”
“But—”
“It’s important,” he interrupted. “I’ll explain it tonight.”
“We all need to get together tonight and go over what you wrote. I’m running out of time.”
“Why don’t we meet at Flynn’s? It’s the most central.” He glanced over. “Is that okay with you, Malory?”
“Sure. The kitchen’s not finished yet, so we won’t get food like we did at Brad’s. Actually, even with the kitchen finished we wouldn’t get food like we had at Brad’s.”
“Pizza and beer works for me,” Dana said.
“That’s my girl.” Jordan kissed her again. “I’ll see you there.”
“You’ve got something up your sleeve.” Dana narrowed her eyes. “I can see it. If you’re thinking about messing with Kane—”
“He’s got nothing to do with this. I’ve got to go, or I’m not going to get it all done. Brad, you’re coming with me.”
“I haven’t finished here.”
“You go. Take him,” Zoe said, pointing at Brad. “Leave the sander. All will be well here.”
“You’re not hauling that thing upstairs by yourself.”
“It’s not that heavy, and I’m not that weak.”
“You’re not carrying it up those stairs.”
“Jesus, Vane, cart the thing up and be done with it.” Grinning, Jordan slung his arm around Dana’s shoulder. “Don’t you know how to handle a woman?”
“Kiss my ass.” Brad turned on his heel and strode away.
“I can do it myself,” Zoe began.
“Zoe.” Basking in the glow of love rediscovered, Dana shook her head. “Stop being a jerk.”
“I can’t help it.” Zoe lifted her hands, let them fall. “He brings out the jerk in me.” She heard him cursing under his breath as he carried the sander toward the steps, and folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to do anything.”
“Good plan. Why don’t you grab a roller?” Malory suggested. “We can finish in here, then start upstairs.”
“Can I just say you women are doing a hell of a job with this place?”
“There, see?” Delighted, Zoe walked over and gave Jordan a loud kiss on the cheek. “Here’s a secure man who has respect for a woman’s abilities.”
“Absolutely. Nothing sexier than a self-sufficient woman.”
“Lap it up, Hawke, lap it up.” Dana nudged him aside. “Now take your playmate and run along. We’ve got work to do.”
She waited until Jordan and Brad had gone out, then dashed to the window to spy on them. “What’s he up to? Yeah, yeah, Brad’s asking him what gives right now. I can tell. But he’s not saying. He’s not saying because he knows I’m standing here watching. Damn it!”
She jerked back with a laugh as Jordan looked straight at her through the glass. “You just can’t pull one over on Jordan. God, I love that about him.”
“I’m so happy for you.” Malory sighed. “And if we’re not careful, we’re going to start another weep-o-rama.”
“Since I’ve leaked more in this one day than I have the entire past year, let’s paint.” Dana turned, gave her biceps an exaggerated flex. “He’s right, you know. We’re doing a hell of a job with this place.”
THEY worked downstairs until the walls were done, then took a coffee break, sitting on the floor to admire them.
“The floors in Dana’s section need to be damp-mopped. You need a clean surface before they’re sealed.”
“I don’t know how the sealing part goes.”
“It’s easy,” Zoe told her. “I’ll show you. Once they’re sealed, dried good and hard, you can start moving stuff in.”
“Wow!” Since Dana’s stomach jumped, she pressed a hand to it. “It gets more real every day. I ordered the shelves. If they get here when they’re supposed to, along with the other stuff I ordered—and the first shipments of books—I should be setting up in a couple of weeks. Maybe less. And I have a potential employee.”
“You didn’t say anything about that.” Zoe punched her lightly on the arm. “Who is it?”
“It’s a woman I met when I was working in the library. I ran into her at the grocery store, and one thing led to another. She’s personable, presentable, likes to read, wants a job, and isn’t looking for a big salary. She’s going to come by sometime and get a look at the place. If she doesn’t run screaming, I think I’ve got myself a bookseller.”
“Zoe, how soon do you think I can start moving stock in?” Malory asked.
“I think next week.” Zoe sipped coffee, glanced around the room. “It’s all coming together so well, I don’t want to jinx it, but I really think next week. It’s going to take me a little longer. There’s more to set up in a salon. And we still have to replace some of these windows. Plus there’s going to be a good, long list of punch-out work.”
“I love it when she talks the manly talk,” Dana commented. “Now let’s go up and play with the sander like men.”
