“You’re gonna piss Lisa off with that.” He points at the bakery box in my hand.
“It’s just dessert. My favorite taste of home; custard tarts.”
He smiles his crooked grin at me as he guides me to the clubhouse, his arm slung around my shoulders.
I barely have a chance to give Lisa a hug because Finn is about to bounce out of his high chair at the sight of me. I pluck him out of his seat and soak up his slobbery smile sporting four perfect little teeth, two at the top and two at the bottom.
“Look at you.”
“Bah!”
He slaps a hand on my face and immediately grabs for my lip. Ever since his own first tooth broke, he seems to have a fascination with teeth.
“Gotta be gentle, buddy,” Brick cautions him and reaches for him, but Finn clings on for dear life, burying his face in my neck.
“It’s okay. He’ll be gentle, right, Finn?”
His head lifts and I’m rewarded with another smile as his head bobs. I grin back; this is the kind of attention I could handle all day long.
I take a seat at the kitchen table, Finn on my lap, and catch up with Lisa as she dishes out lunch. The baby briefly protests when Lisa picks him up and firmly seats him in his chair so I can eat, but he’s quickly distracted with some food. Typical boy.
I’m about to dig into the tarts Lisa grumbled about, but put on a plate anyway, when Tse walks into the kitchen. He grins wide when he sees me.
“Miss me already?”
Tse
Spent the morning with Paco, picking up where we abruptly left off yesterday.
By a stroke of luck, Jed Mason was available to sit down with us and we left my concept drawings with him. He has an architect he works with he said he’d get in touch with, and he was going to drive up to the site to have a look at the existing foundation.
We talked about potential timeline, his availability, and the possible labor the brothers could contribute. He offered to crunch some numbers and would get back to Paco with a cost range.
Paco and I came back to the club to talk to Trunk about my idea to get some of the kids involved with the build. Give them something to work on during the summer. But when we pulled up, I didn’t see his bike.
What I did see, however, was Sophia’s Jeep, and I was already grinning when I walked into the clubhouse.
The only person there is Nosh, who has news on TV while working on his daily crossword, a common sight. I know Ouray and a few of the guys were supposed to head out to the Backyard to clean up and install a few security cameras before it opens up for business again tomorrow, but I can hear voices coming from the kitchen.
Her face is priceless when I walk in and I can’t resist.
“Miss me already?”
Her lips thin with annoyance but before she can say anything, Lisa gets up.
“You hungry? There’s plenty of soup and I have some frittata left. Pull up a chair.”
The only empty seat is the one on the other side of Sophia, with Finn’s high chair wedged between. The kid already has his arms out to me.
“Bah!”
Ignoring his sticky hands, I lean over and kiss the top of his head.
“Gotta eat first, buddy.”
Over the top of the baby’s towhead, I wink at Sophia as I take my seat.
“You heading to Moab this weekend?”
I turn to Brick.
“Been thinking about it. You?”
He grins at his wife, who rolls her eyes in response but doesn’t quite manage to hide the smile as she turns to the stove.
“You bet. Lisa’s coming with me. The old lady’s taken to the back of my bike of late.”
“That so?”
Lisa sets a plate and a bowl in front of me.
“Yeah, I like it. It’s too bad my husband insists on ticking me off and risking a fork in his eye for calling me his old lady.”
“I hear you,” Sophia contributes. “I had the same impulse when Tse called me his woman yesterday. I’m not sure what pissed me off more: the presumption or the label. Either one is barbaric.”
“And stabbing someone in the eye isn’t?”
Brick looks in mock horror at his wife, who snickers as she takes her seat beside him.
“Would you’ve preferred girlfriend?” I ask Sophia innocently.
“Nice try,” she fires back, her eyes narrowed on me.
“Old lady?”
“Get real.”
“Don’t diss it until you’ve tried it,” I tease her, the thought of her on the back of my bike very appealing. “You should come. To Moab. On the back of my bike.”
“Me on a bike?” she snorts. “Don’t forget I’ve been in a car with you, you drive like a maniac.”
Brick starts laughing, the bastard. I may have a bit of a reputation as a speed devil. I turn my upper body to Sophia and put my hand over my heart.
“Swear I’ll be on my best behavior. I’ll even let Brick take the lead, he doesn’t go any faster than a lawnmower.”
“Hey. Just because—”
“Hush, honey,” Lisa interrupts him with a pointed look my way. “Don’t let him goad you.” Then she turns to Sophia. “Or you,” she adds. “Having said that, I think it’s a great idea. You should come, that way I won’t be the only odd one out. It’s my first rally.”
I try not to grin when I see Sophia bulge her eyes at Lisa, who pretends not to notice.
“I have to work.”
“We don’t have to go both days,” I suggest. “Take one day off. Sunday’s the better day anyway and you have Mondays off, right?”
Her eyes dart around the table
