Page 99 of Unleashed

“Lindsey is training to take over some of the responsibilities of running the warehouse.” Walker stuffs both hands into the pockets of his worn blue jeans, looking like he would rather be anywhere but here, talking to us. “She’s new in town, and I figured you guys could help her get acclimated.”

“Of course we can.” Brooke gives Lindsey a warm smile. “I know this place can be a lot when you first start, so if you have any questions, just ask. We’re happy to help.”

“Thank you so much.” Lindsey is still sporting her overly-wide smile, looking just as angelic and stunningly beautiful as she did the last time we met. “I’m really excited to get started. I think I’m going to learn a lot here.”

I force on a smile, doing my best to be nice. This poor chick has done nothing to earn my negativity, and it makes me feel a little guilty for everything I thought about her back when she was interviewing. “You’re always welcome to come have lunch with us.”

Her brows lift. “Really? That would be so great.”

I don’t know if great is the word I would use.

“Cool.” Walker backs away, his daily allotment of social interaction likely met.

Lindsey gives us a wave, the dimple in her cheek peeking out like it wants to say goodbye too. “Bye. It was great to meet you.” She points at me. “And great to see you again.”

Shit. She might be genuinely nice. I might be forced to end up liking her. In spite of all the excitement and positivity radiating off of her.

Walker pauses at the end of the hall, turning back. He must have found a few more words from his daily quota, and he uses them to remind me of what I’d finally put out of my mind.

“See you two tonight at family dinner.”

31

Trevor

“Can we drive this everywhere?” Zara isn’t even fully strapped in yet, and she’s already madly in love with my side-by-side. “Can it go on the road?” Her eyes widen. “Can I drive it?”

“We can drive it everywhere on this property, but not on the regular road.” I finish buckling her into the harness I ordered to keep her safe. “And you can drive it when you’re sixteen.”

Her lower lip pokes out. “That’s so far away.”

I make sure none of her hair is caught in the straps, then tap her on the tip of her nose. “It will be here before we know it.” Rounding the front of the vehicle, I climb behind the wheel, starting the engine before backing out of the garage.

Maren sits beside me, the dessert she made balanced on her lap. Her dark eyes scan the landscape as the setting sun casts it in a golden glow. “It’s really pretty out here.”

I take in her profile, backlit by the last light of the day. “Breathtaking.”

Work was crazy today, so I didn’t get to find my way to her wing of the building until it was time for us to leave. I hated not getting to see her throughout the day, but it was a necessary evil. I had a timetable to stick to. We didn’t have to leave early to pick Zara up, but we did have to leave in time to make it to my parents’ for family dinner. Or there would be hell to pay.

Primarily because we have one of their beloved grandchildren in tow.

When we reach my parents’, I park in the closest possible place I can, then work on getting Zara’s chair out of the back. I initially planned to bring the van, but then decided that wouldn’t be fair. Everybody else gets to ride in a side-by-side, and there’s no fucking way I’m going to make Zara do anything different.

It only takes a few extra minutes to break down her chair and reassemble it, so it’s not really that much extra effort. And watching her point out every squirrel and bird she saw as we wound our way through the trees was worth every second.

Quinn takes over the final steps—getting in a little more practice since he’ll be responsible for this if the need to dismantle Zara’s chair during the school day arises—while I help her get unbuckled. It takes a little trial and error to figure out the best way for her to transfer, especially since she prefers to do as much of it on her own as she can, but soon we’re rolling toward the back of my mother’s house.

She hosts enough events here that require caterers to bring in fully loaded carts of food, that there’s actually an elevator already in place. It’s not big enough to hold all of us, so I send Maren and Zara up together, sprinting up the stairs and into the house so I can beat them to their destination. It isn’t difficult to operate the small lift, but since it’s Maren’s first time, I want to be there in case she needs help.

“That was awesome.” Zara greets me with a bright smile as I slide open the door between us. “I’ve never been on an elevator in somebody’s house before.”

It’s something she’ll get used to very soon, because I’ve got a structural engineer working with the same company who installed my mother’s elevator to figure out where we can put one in my house. Zara is capable of making her way up and down the stairs, but one wrong move could send her tumbling. Plus it’s exhausting. I can only imagine how tiring it will be for her at bedtime after a long day at school.

“Hello, hello, hello.” My mother beams as she heads our way, an apron tied around her waist and a smudge of flour across her nose. “How was everyone’s day?” She points at Zara. “Not you. I already know how your day was.” She gives her a wink. “It was magnificent because you spent it with your Nana DeeDee.”

“It was great.” Zara leans to peer around my mother in the direction of the kitchen. “Are there lots of people here?”

“Just a normal amount.” My mother steps around Zara’s chair, taking over for Maren. “And you’ve already met everyone.” She pushes Zara down the hall, running through the list of everyone who’s coming to dinner.