Nick grunted, stepping out from behind the wheel, and reaching for one of the bags in the back seat of the SUV after sliding open the back door.
Jack smiled widely, doing the same.
Opening the storm door, Nick pulled the keys from the envelope taped near the bottom, unlocking the door.
“Hmm,” Jack murmured, as they began climbing the staircase. “Nice woodwork for a back staircase.”
“I was thinking the same thing myself,” Nick said as they reached the landing and began walking down a long hallway.
“What are these other doors?” Jack asked.
“Apparently there’s a small apartment where our office contact, Mike, occasionally stays overnight.” Nick stopped near a door in the middle of the hallway. “I’m going to be looking for a house pretty quickly, I’ve already decided. I want the outdoor space for my niece when she comes to visit. So, I want you to have the largest apartment Jack.”
“I appreciate that, Nick,” Jack said, opening the apartment door, and flipping on the light switch near the door. “Holy crap. This is fantastic.”
“I’ll say,” Nick murmured, glancing at the open concept living room and kitchen. “Refinished wooden floors, stainless appliances, huge windows and a gas fireplace. You even have a large balcony.”
“The furniture looks comfy too,” Jack muttered, laying down his bags. “Let’s go look at yours.”
Walking across the hallway, Nick opened the door on the end, flipping on the lights. “Geez. This is equally nice. Apparently, the only difference is the number of bedrooms. Yours has two and this one has one. I even have a fireplace too.”
“The kitchen is the same size. Huge.”
“Leave it to Rand to go for the most luxurious touches.”
Jack laughed. “The only thing we don’t have is a swimming pool.”
“Knowing Rand, that’ll probably be added in the parking lot next summer,” Nick said dryly.
Jack laughed harder.
* * *
There was generous office space downstairs, and Rand had already divided it up into three equally sized offices, they discovered the next day after glancing at the space quickly the night before. They’d both been tired, so after eating a surprisingly delicious meal at the café across the street, they’d both hit the sack.
Jack was looking at a list of information laying on one of the desks near the computer. “He left the name of a decorator here in town, so I presume he wants us to use her?”
“Judging by the amount of money he left us in the startup fund, we have carte blanche to do whatever we want to do.”
“Then, yes, let’s get a hold of the decorator and see what she suggests before we do anything else. Rand even said not to worry about business itself until after the first of the year because he has a plan in place, and ready to implement after the first. It’s all there on the computer when we’re ready to sit down and study it.”
“Okay. I’ll call the decorator and see when she’s available to stop by. And then let’s go investigate the town, and maybe pick up some Christmas decorations for the outside.”
“Sounds good,” Jack answered.
* * *
They went for lunch at a place called the Crystal Rock Tap, located outside of town, since it had been highly recommended by the owners of the café. Apparently, the restaurant owners in the area had the attitude what was good for one, could be good for them all since they had differing specialties.
They had a couple beers before eating, letting the festive atmosphere of the town take over. The burger Nick had there was great, as was the Reuben that Jack decided to try, and after a couple cups of coffee, they were on their way back into town, heading to the grocery store.
Although it was fun eating out, they picked up a bunch of food for during the day. One thing they were planning on doing before the first of the year was checking out the realty currently available in town to get a head start. They would begin researching by computer first, and then start driving around town to view the homes, while becoming more familiar with the area.
Nick had found gobs of lights and plastic ornaments at the grocery store, so they spent the remainder of the afternoon decorating outside the office.
“It looks nice,” Nick murmured, when they were finished.
“Yeah it does,” Jack admitted, grimacing. “I think I need to pick up a winter coat, along with some warmer clothes. Sweats just aren’t going to cut it.”
“I agree. Besides all that, I’ll need some boots, too,” Nick confessed. “We can do that tomorrow and go out for lunch. They have a winter sports shop at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.”
“They do, do they?” Jack’s look was quizzical. “Isn’t that where Emma Caffrey works?”
“Yes,” Nick answered in a growl.
“Did you try to call or send her an email yet?”
“Yes. I got on my laptop this morning after I couldn’t reach her on the phone.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing,” Nick answered, feeling unusually irritated. “Come to find out, she didn’t give me her real number or email address.”
Jack was surprised for a moment, before he barked out a laugh. Good for Emma – that was telling him.
And noticing just how peeved Nick actually was, Jack began laughing loudly.
Chapter Thirteen
“St. Nick. That’s what I’m going to be calling you from now on,” Jack murmured, grinning as Nick dressed into the Santa suit. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
Because the costume was thick and heavy, Nick had taken off everything but his t-shirt and boxers.
“Blame it on Jake Loughlin. As soon as he heard about who my family was, which I still haven’t figured out
