Page 63 of Cocky Secrets

My brother calls through the door, “It’s Atlas! We’ve got a mission!” He knocks again as a statement that he’s said what he needed to, and is now gone. We know to meet them all in the house for a briefing, and that everyone is being summoned, made to stop whatever they’re doing no matter what it is.

I groan, “Am I ever going to finish my painting?”

Bear groans, “Why’d I let you talk me into selling my house and moving here where they could interrupt us like that?”

Rolling on top of him, I tease, “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He laughs, “Truth,” and embraces me, kissing my neck, and rising to standing.

I take his offered hand and jump off the bed, heading for the proper clothing.

“Sage?”

From where I’m grabbing a pair of jeans from our dresser drawer I turn, eyebrows raised. “Yes?”

“You make life worth living.”

The jeans drop and I race to jump into his arms, wrapping myself around him as he holds me up. Kissing him I confess, “You changed me in all the best ways.”

“Same, Sugar Pop. Same.”

My painting will have to wait.

Duty calls.

But since we helped Viola save her shop by ‘inspiring’ the local schools to reinstate art classes, there’s no hurry and no lack of supplies.

Another good deed we will never take credit for.

To know there are many artists of the future who now have a place to learn and grow, is enough.

Making the world a better place?

That isalwaysenough.

How did we inspire them?

It’s our secret.

The End.