Page 10 of Flushing His Pipe
My phone pings, and I reach for it quickly, hoping it's a text from my brother, Dane. In a fit of desperation last night, I left him a long, rambling voicemail asking if he thinks I need to back off on Jameson, but he still hasn't gotten back to me. I don't usually share anything about my love life with my brother, but I can't talk to anyone in Duhring Park about it, and my only other good friend, Rachel, who still lives in the city, is knee-deep in diapers and bottles right now, so I called Dane. He, of course, has not returned my frantic call. If I'm ever kidnapped and held hostage, I'm dead if Dane is the ransom contact.
I check my phone, and it's not from my brother. Instead, it's a message from Violet.
Hey, heads up for the groom. He's handsy, according to Melody.
Eww.
No problem. I can handle those guys. I was a masseuse, remember?
"All right. So, typically, we'd wait until we're about six months from the date to talk hair and makeup options, but do you want to see some pics?" I ask Aubrey, pulling up the draft of the brochure still in progress.
"I've got hair covered. I'm going with Addy's sister, Paige, and she said she's already talked to you?" Aubrey takes a sip of her coffee and grins. "Is this from The Reading Grounds?"
"Yes, Miranda and Cole are supplying the coffee bars for the suites, and Violet also offers a coffee bar cart as an add-on for the receptions."
Aubrey nods. "So smart. Violet is great at this."
I smile in agreement, glancing at my phone again.Should I text Dane instead?
"Do you need to make a call? Go ahead." Aubrey nods at my phone.
I wave my hand at her. "Sorry, no," I pause.Preoccupied with thoughts of a sexy grump who doesn't seem to be interested in me in the least."I was hoping to hear from my brother, but he's taking his sweet time getting back to me. Per usual." I shake my head and smile.
"I have two older brothers, and one of them is terrible at texting back," Aubrey says with an understanding sigh.
"It's ridiculous. Dane worked at a base camp in Antarctica for a few years, and I'd hear from him once a month, which I figured was because of limited internet or something." I put my phone face down on the table. "Turns out he would get three hours a day and could text me daily if he wanted to. He sucks at communication."
"Both my brothers are standing up with me in the wedding, so good luck to you all in dealing with their nonsense." Aubrey laughs and gathers her purse. "Oh, by the way... Piper said you're looking for an apartment?"
"Yes, I actually looked at your former apartment on Forest Avenue."
"Oh, no." Aubrey grabs my arm. "Don't do it. Loud neighbors, and the landlord takes forever to respond to anything. I have an apartment above the bakery. Max and I were planning torenovate it, but it won't happen until sometime next year. It's completely livable, but nothing fancy or modern. However, I could rent it to you dirt cheap."
"That would be amazing." My excitement dwindles. "Did Piper tell you I have a dog?"
"Yes, and the park is right down the street, so it’ll be perfect." Aubrey beams at me, and I grin right back at her. "Let us clean it up this weekend, and we'll have you stop by on Monday to take a look."
"Okay, thank you." It's nice to get a win, and if Jameson is not into me, it's best I get out of here as soon as possible. The thought of having to see him around town constantly is bad enough. I definitely don't need to keep putting myself in his path daily.
"All right, I better go." Aubrey gives me a big hug and ducks out as a well-dressed couple and an older woman—who I assume is the mother of the bride—walk up the hallway toward us.
"Mrs. Smith? Dave and Marie. I'm so happy to meet you," I greet my clients, giving them my biggest smile as I shake hands with each of them. "Ready to make your dreams come true?"
Chapter five
Jameson
"Ow, ow!"
A catcall from the hallway has me turning my head quickly in surprise, but it's Aubrey, grinning at Max as he pretends to do a striptease for her. He holds his voltage tester to his chest and makes a buzzing sound like it went off, and Aubrey bursts out laughing. She walks over to him and kisses him so passionately that I turn away politely.
"Hey, Jameson," Aubrey calls.
I grunt out a hello.
Max is wiring the foyer today, which is the last room before he starts installing light fixtures. Archer is working on the plumbing in the kitchen, and Hayes and Emmett are cleaningupstairs. We’re getting close to the final punch list for the project, and even though I don't need Max distracted, I'm happy for him and Aubrey.
And I'm secretly hoping she drops something about Naomi because I'm dying to see her, even though I swore to myself I would leave her alone. After two cold showers and three obsessive jerk-off sessions in the past twelve hours, I still can't stop thinking about last night.
