Page 60 of The Mr. Right Checklist

“That doesn’t surprise me as much as seeing him morph into a marshmallow right before my eyes. What changed?”

“My family had a baby boom, and Fletch had to sink or swim. Now he’s Uncle Fletch, and all the kids adore him, but he still claims not to want a family of his own.”

“Don’t be spilling my secrets, Pipe,” Fletch says earnestly, then turns a sweeter tone on Frankie. “Your mother has a big yapper.”

His gaze flicks to me for only a heart-stopping second, but it’s long enough for me to see the truth in them. He doesn’t want a family. That’s one more item on my checklist he fails to meet. I tell myself it’s a good thing and use it to fuel the perspective that has been slipping through my fingers like sand all day.

A burly brown-haired man comes in through a sliding glass door on the other side of the room. He looks at Piper adoringly, and I know he’s Harley. His hair is darker than Marshall’s, but they’re both bearded. Harley is beefier than Marshall, and he has no visible tattoos, but those aren’t the things that set the brothers apart in my mind. It’s that Harley doesn’t immediately give off as much of a don’t-mess-with-me vibe as Marshall does. I know how loss can change a person, and I wonder if it changed Marshall or if he was always like that.

“Dadada.” Frankie lunges toward Harley.

“Whoa, careful, princess,” Fletch says, handing her over to Harley.

“That’s my baby girl.” Harley kisses her cheek. “Good to see you, Fletch.”

“You too.” Fletch motions to me. “Harley, this is my friend Destiny.”

“Hi.” I wave. “Thanks for letting us interrupt your evening.”

“No worries. Fletch is family, and we always have time for family.” He claps Fletch on the back. “Can you guys stick around for dinner? The dogs are having a blast, the grill is ready, and we’ve got plenty of food.”

Fletch glances at me. “What do you think, sunshine?”

I notice Piper and Harley exchanging a curious glance, which I assume is because of the endearment, and I wonder what they’re thinking.

“That sounds great to me.” I look at Piper. “If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.”

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.

While Harley and Fletch get dinner ready and take care of Frankie, I fill Piper in on my business and describe the event for Arjun and the tower I’d like to have built. She shows me a sketch of a miniature Eiffel Tower she put together after getting Fletch’s text yesterday and explains how she’d build it and roughly what it will cost. It’s more than I thought it would be, but I think Arjun will love the idea.

“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” I say. “I have to finish the budget for my client and get his approval before I can give you the green light, and I still have to get prices from the roof cleaners, and the florist, and, well, basically everything at this point. But assuming my client loves the idea and approves the budget, how long do you need to build it, and how will we get it up on the roof of the restaurant?”

“I can build it in a week. Less if you’re on a tight timeline, and as far as getting it onto the roof, leave that to me. I’ve already got some ideas.”

“That’s wonderful. You don’t happen to know anyone who can make a cobblestone path on the roof that can be deconstructed after the event and who might have access to turf, do you?”

“Sure do. But cobblestones are expensive. If you go with stone pavers, or even fake stone, it’ll be much cheaper. The guy I’m thinking of often has extra stone from projects that he unloads cheap. I’ll see if I can swing a deal for you.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. He owes me a favor. Did Fletch tell you that my sister Bridgette owns a floral shop? I bet she’d give you a great deal.”

“He didn’t mention her, but I’d love to talk with her.”

Piper writes down Bridgette’s phone number. “Her shop is called The Secret Garden, and you can’t miss it. It’s in the center of town, and it adjoins our sister Willow’s bakery, Sweetie Pies.”

“I was just there getting Loverboys to surprise Fletch. Is your sister also blond and pregnant and a real talker?”

“Yes, that would be Willow.”

“I loved her, and those Loverboys are delicious.”

“Everything she makes is insanely good. You’ll like Bridgette, too. She’s more low-key than Willow but not as low-key as Talia.”

“Talia. She’s the one who’s close to Fletch, right?”

“Yeah. They both teach at Beckwith. They’re two peas in a pod. Very cerebral.”