“I’m not okay with this. For how many years he’s been the easy one, never settling down, jokester, and prankster? Who’s to say Asa won’t do the same to Montana? And now she works for us. This is going to be an epic nightmare, one you created.” He points at Asa. Boy, oh, boy, Deke has been gunning to hurt my man, and I’ve just about had it. “I mean, it’s less than ideal. Don’t we have anything in the employee handbook that states anything against coworkers dating?”
Tanner pipes up, “I don’t see this being an issue. If that does happen, which I’ve got a damn good gut feeling it won’t, we can separate them until tempers have cooled down.” I watch as Marlie smiles brightly.
“Montana the reason you don’t want to expand to Alabama?” My eyes scan the room. Mr. Hart has his hands on his chest, chin jutted out in a way that shows he’s clearly upset. Mrs. Hart is looking at Deke with disappointment at his words. Wow, he really can’t read a room. Marlie and Alana look like deer caught in the headlights, as if they didn’t know this was even talked about.
“You’re a freaking idiot, Dekey boy.” Leena slaps his chest. Thankfully, she grabs Jace’s hand. “Let’s go have a soda while the adults talk, okay, kiddo?”
“I think you need to rein it the fuck in right now.” Asa’s body is simmering with anger, absolutely boiling that Deke would even think to bring this up during a family function.
“Deke, brother, not sure what’s going on, but you’re taking your anger out on everyone in this room, and it’s not something I’m happy with.” Keller is seething mad, so I do something in an attempt to be smart: I kiss Asa on his cheek, my hand goes to his heart, and I tell him, “I’m going to take the ladies out of the room. I think you all need some time to talk without me, okay?”
“Yeah, this won’t take long. If it gets too bad, we’ll go home,” he replies, kissing my lips.
“The hell you will. No one is leaving,” Mr. Hart states vehemently.
“Deke, I know this is a lot, and if you don’t think me working for Hart Construction is a good idea anymore, that’s okay. I don’t want to be the cause of trouble, but what I won’t do is give up on your brother. It seems to me that’s happened enough throughout his life already.” With those parting words, I walk towards the back of the house. Hopefully, the women follow in my wake because I have a feeling shit is about to get real.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
montana
“What do you think they’re talking about inside?” Alana asks. We’re all sitting out on the back deck. Thankfully, there’s an outdoor fridge and even an entrance to the bathroom. I was able to sneak in, change out of my clothes, and put on my bathing suit, as did the rest of the ladies. All of us letting our sunscreen settle in. Of course, Jace is swimming like a fish in the pool, swimming out until he hits the stairs, running and jumping back into the pool, making as much of a splash as possible.
“I don’t know, but if anything is broken inside my house, I’m going to use my spatula on all of them. Too much damn testerone and not enough common sense, which only equals one thing: my house will have something broken. It’s happened entirely too many times—a vintage glass lamp, a television, a piece of pottery holding flowers. Even this little miss beside us can have her own form of temper tantrum, but it was mainly because the boys wouldn’t let her date some schmuck who was gunning to get too close, if you know what I mean.” I laugh. Since I was taking a sip of my drink, what I attempt to swallow comes out, spewing all over the table, causing the rest of the girls to do the same thing, laughing that is.
“Mom, have you met your sons? I’m twenty-four. I can barely date. The only time I’m even around men they don’t know is when I’m on vacation. I thought between Dad and my brothers, they were going to have a coronary that I left Florida and traveled to Puerto Rico alone.” Leena isn’t wrong, and it’s honestly not fair how they treat her like a baby. I’m going to make it my mission to get Asa to relax a little bit, at least when it comes to her having a life.
“Hey, I have a great idea. Why don’t we go on a girls’ trip?” Marlie suggests. I sit up in my seat, excited about this idea.
“Yes, let’s do it.” Alana is dancing in her seat.
“What do you say, Montana? Are you in?” Leena asks, a gleam in her eyes. She is totally up to something.