Page 100 of With Spite

“I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would,” I admitted. “Chan does really well with the demand and workload. Doesn’t complain, and bonus, doesn’t give me the creeps.”

She shuddered. “Did I tell you that Randel called today?”

“No!” I gasped and practically leaned over the console as she took the right that would lead us to Hux’s place in my neighborhood. “What the hell?”

“It was during lunch,” she said. “I answered the phone and he asked if Odin had made a decision on his employment yet.”

“Odin didn’t tell him?”

“Odin did tell him.”

“Creep,” I murmured as she navigated the slick streets. “What did you say?”

“That we decided not to move forward with his employment due to a conflict of ideals,” she admitted. “Told him to check out Bozeman.”

I snickered. “And what did he say to that?”

“Nothing. Just said ‘thank you’ and hung up.” She pulled up to the house and stopped next to Heidi’s car. “You having a party?”

“A come-to-Jesus meeting,” I admitted, then gave her the quick rundown on Katana. “And family dinner. Plus, we’re going to clean out and box up all of Hux’s things. He’s officially moving into his warehouse this week. Putting his house on the market.”

“You don’t seem all that sad to be losing your neighbor.”

I scratched at my neck. “I might or might not be practically living with him at this point.”

She snorted. “Just make it official.” She looked at me dreamily. “If Hux is anything like Gentry, you won’t be leaving his house ever again anyway.”

“You might be right.” I patted her hand. “Thank you so much for the ride.”

“You’re welcome,” she said as I pushed the door open.

I squeaked when I found Hux there to catch me. “Have a good one, Sage.”

“You, too, Hux,” she called. “Bye, Bernice.”

“Bye!” I called out as Hux carried me into his house.

He didn’t put me down until I was inside the foyer.

There were moving boxes everywhere, and I could hear the laughter coming from the kitchen.

“Y’all’ve been busy,” I said.

He held on to my hands while I got rid of my boots, then helped the jacket off my shoulders. “Put a change of clothes in the bedroom.”

I leaned up onto my tiptoes and waited.

He dropped his mouth to mine then squeezed my hip. “Go.”

I went, changing into a pair of sweatpants, a thick black turtleneck, and my slippers.

The house was a comfortable seventy-eight degrees, and when I got into the kitchen, every last member of the Hosea-Palao family was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

They didn’t seem to mind getting overheated, though.

“Heyyy, Bernice,” Heidi said. “I got you a drink here.”

She handed me a lemonade, and I looked at it skeptically.