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“Where would you put it?”
“On the bar?” Her nose wrinkles, and she pushes it behind the cabinet again. “You’re right. The dancers would kick it across the room and kill somebody.”
I huff a laugh, and she shakes her head. “What’s this about a pool tournament?”
“It’s still in the planning stages, but I think she’d like to do it after Thanksgiving.” I lift a wheel of twinkle lights out of the box and the staple gun. “She wants the kids to be the players and let them go around getting sponsors.”
“Do they even know how to play?” She sits back on her heels looking up at me.
“Got me, but I can teach Edward the basics.”
“You are so sweet with him.” Her head tilts, and her gooey eyes make me ready to go.
“He’s a good kid.”
“Rachel must be over the moon that you’re working with him.”
My jaw tightens. “That’s not why I did it.”
“Oh, I know.” She pushes off the floor to stand, picking up the orange streamers before following me out into the dining area. “You always looked out for me…”
“Mom said it was my job as a big brother.” I’m only partly teasing—although in Dylan’s case, I really let everyone down big time.
“You take care of Kimmie…”
“You help way more with her than I do.”
“Well, Jack’s all by himself.”
When we emerge, Rachel is at the bar with Allie taking the popsicle-stick turkeys out of the crate. She’s still wearing that overall-miniskirt thing over her bathing suit, and my eyes slide down her toned legs, all smooth and exposed.
She looks as tempting in a one-piece as she does in a bikini.
Kimmie dances past us twirling her stuffed red turtle, and Edward studies the room with a solemn expression while he holds Smokey in one hand and a pinecone wreath in the other.
The big windows are open, and a cool, salty breeze swirls through the space. I don’t stop, heading straight for the porch with the twinkle lights and my equipment in hand.
Dylan follows me, carrying an extension cord and still chattering. “Gloria loves you, Miss Gina loves you…”
I stop at the door, lowering the ladder and leveling my eyes on hers. “Don’t say it.”
“I just wish you weren’t alone all the time.”
Shaking my head, I pick up the ladder again. “If only I were alone some of the time.”
“Don’t be like that. You know what I mean. I just want you to be happy.”
“Hold the door.” She exhales loudly as I pass her, going onto the porch. “I’m happy. Now let me get this done.”
She mutters something about stubborn mules before dropping the extension cord in the corner and going back inside.
I spend the next half hour holding twinkle lights over my head and stapling them to the eaves then moving the ladder and doing it all again.
The girls come in and out placing scarecrows, pumpkins, and corn stalks around the rocking chairs no one ever uses, and I try not to notice how Rachel’s skirt rises dangerously high on the back of her thighs when she bends over.
The worst part is when she and Allie hang a garland over the door. I have to turn away from the sight of her full breast swelling out of the side of her bathing suit. I wipe my forehead against my biceps while I staple the last stretch of twinkle lights in place.
I wish it worked to wipe the memory of her bare breasts from my mind. As it is, I have to wait to descend the ladder until they’ve gone back inside so my damn dick will calm down. Garrett’s a pain in the ass, but he’s right about one thing. It’s been a while since I got laid.
