She’d already expressed appreciation while she sat, in her pajamas, in one of the highbacked chairs, knee up and cradling a fancy coffee that Jeremy had prepared right down to the whip cream. Her blissful sigh sent a ripple of laughter around the table. While this was hardly my first meal at Archie’s place, I had to admit, it was the warmest. Jake stretched over to serve himself up five pancakes, while Bubba did the same. Archie hadn’t touched any of the food, a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.
While we didn’t know all the details of Frankie’s Great Adventure, which was what we’d dubbed this summer vacation plan of Arch’s, we did know today was launch day. We weren’t willing to let her linger a moment longer than necessary. The apartment was packed up and emptied. The movers had picked up some of my things for me while they emptied her apartment. From there, they went to Jake’s and then Bubba’s. All personal items were being shipped to New York ahead of us.
Well, everything except some of the more important personal pieces. “Are you sure you don’t mind the cats running all over the house?” Frankie asked for like the tenth time since we arrived the night before to find that Tabby had claimed the formal living room while Tory had made herself at home in the kitchen and what I thought had to be Jeremy’s rooms.
Tiddles? He pretty much swanned all over the house like he owned the place, and I’d already seen him head up the stairs via the railing. No way there wouldn’t be claw marks.
“They’ll get cat hair everywhere…”
“That’s what a vacuum is for, and I assure you, they’re fine. Mr. Archie already approved that they could go where they want. I have their toys and trees in the solarium, but for now, they seem to be enjoying themselves exploring. I promise it’s not an ounce of bother. Now, drink your coffee, Miss Frankie, and then eat. You’ve a busy day ahead of you.”
Archie flicked a look up at him, but Jeremy ignored the warning in Archie’s expression. “My house is your house, and your house is the cats’ house, so the cats belong here, babe. Jeremy loves having them here. It gives him something to fuss over, so stop raining on his parade.”
Well, that was one way to get Frankie to stop arguing about the cats. She made a face, and it was Jeremy’s turn to give Archie a look.
Yep, never getting in between those two laser stares. Particularly not when there was food to eat. Instead, I slid my free hand over her foot and gave it a squeeze. The swift smile curling her lips righted everything, and detente was reached in the stare off as Jeremy nodded and Archie went back to taking over the world or whatever it was he was doing on the phone.
“That producer is back with another offer,” Archie said, and Frankie froze with the bacon halfway to her lips. “I still think it’s a lowball, and no way are you giving up the rights to what you write. They can lease your music exclusively for a set period of time, but no direct sales. That’ll cut into long-term profitability for you.”
“You mind if I read the offer now?” Bubba’s droll tone held not an ounce of hostility.
“No, you should, but forewarning—I think the guy’s a dick.”
“You haven’t even met him,” Bubba pointed out as he lifted his own phone, one he’d been ignoring. We’d changed our plan the week before. Now all five of us were on the exact same one, our phones cued to the same cloud so we could save images, and all of it shuttered behind a firewall Archie insisted on building. My phone had all kinds of crap I wasn’t used to yet, and I didn’t really care about figuring out. Except you could play pool, something Jake and I had taken to doing on nights we were both working.
“He writes like a dick,” Archie continued. “You shouldn’t have to do business with assholes.”
“But he can do business with you,” Jake pointed out, and I rolled my eyes at his shit-eating grin. He just couldn’t help himself. Frankie still hadn’t eaten her bacon, so before any arguments could break out, I caught her hand and leaned forward to nibble the bacon right from her fingers, all the way down until I could lick her fingers clean.
Hers wasn’t the only shocked grin thrown my way.
“I’m telling him that we need time to review the offer,” Bubba said after pinning me with a look. “If he gets pushy after that, you can tell him to fuck off.”
“Yes,” Archie said with a pleased little grin and a raised brow at me as he lifted his coffee cup.
“Save me,” I whispered to Frankie before dragging her over to sit in my lap. She laughed, but I didn’t miss the promises of retribution in the eyes of my best friends. It was all good. No tables were injured in the path of this potential disagreement.
Our leisurely breakfast ended with Jeremy frowning as Frankie carried her used dishes into the kitchen. Jake, Bubba, and I followed suit, because we knew better than to leave dirty dishes on the table. Archie’s long-suffering sigh as he joined us followed by Jeremy’s chuckle was a bit like winning the lottery.
We were not allowed to do dishes. In fact, Jeremy chased us out with a firm reminder we needed to be ready to leave in ninety minutes. Jake half tackled me on the stairs as Frankie scooted ahead of us. Bubba just laughed as he circled round, but Archie moved
