Marissa had arrived at the Graytons less than a month before she had.
Marissa stood up in the water next to her, looking down at the round rocks along the shore. “I don’t know. It’s just some of the choices I’ve made in life.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I see so much of her in me.” Marissa looked up into Cassey’s eyes. Cassey could see sadness there and something else in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” She moved closer to her.
Marissa looked up and shook her head. “Nothing. I guess I’m just being emotional.” She smiled and then splashed water at her playfully. “I’ll race you to the docks?”
Cassey took the challenge and lost, like always, and quickly forgot all about the conversation until the next morning when she’d gone in to wake Marissa for school and found her bed empty with a note on the pillow. The note only said that she had to leave and nothing more.
Cassey blinked back to the now. She was losing the light, so she walked over and flipped on the overhead lights. A few bulbs were out, causing the room to be in shadows.
She’d wiped down the bar and cleared out the old bottles and trash from behind it. There were a few spots for small fridge units, and she knew the keg hold and lines would need some work. She planned on having a new soda machine installed.
Back in the kitchen, the pizza ovens were still in working order and she thought of adding flatbread pizzas to the menu along with fresh seafood items and some other favorites—burgers, steaks, and chicken dishes.
She worked until she was too tired to work anymore, but she was happy that the place was already looking better by then. As she cleaned, she added a dozen or more items she would have to buy or fix to her list. There was still so much to do before opening day, which she planned on being a little over a month from now.
She had applied for the liquor license when she’d signed up for her business license. It would take a few weeks for approval, but she had a few weeks to spare. The building inspectors were scheduled to stop by in three weeks, and there was so much to do before then.
Walking up the back stairs, she slowly made her way down the hallway to her new home. She plopped down on the bed, fully clothed, and was asleep before she could even remove her shoes.
“Is she dead?” a deep voice said above her.
“She looks dead. Poke her,” another one said.
“I’m not going to poke her. Remember what happened the last time we woke her up?” the first voice said again.
“That’s because you dumped a bucket of cold water on her head.”
“It was your idea.” There was a deep chuckle.
Cassey rolled over and covered her ears with her pillow as an argument ensued.
“Enough!” She sat up and looked into three gorgeous faces hovering above her. “How did you get in here?” She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.
“You forgot to lock the front door.” Marcus, the leader of the pack, spoke first. His smile was contagious as his dark hair fell over his eyes.
“You look like hell,” Cole said. His blond hair was long and his blue eyes sparkled with humor.
“Shut up. Don’t pester her,” Roman said as he sat next to her. Roman had always been the sensitive one. His dark hair was neatly trimmed; his eyes were dark and had always been full of love. “Isn’t it obvious? She’s just tired. We should probably get to work and let her rest.” He patted her hand.
Cassey sank back on her pillows and listened to her brothers start to argue again.
“Suits me,” Marcus said, smiling. “More donuts for us.” He turned to go.
“Donuts?” Cassey sat up again. “There wouldn’t happen to be a raspberry-filled one in there?”
“Two,” Marcus said, holding out a box from her favorite bakery, which was only a few doors down.
“I’m up…if you have—” She didn’t even finish before Cole held out a tray of four cups of coffee.
“You three are saints,” she said, moving slowly as she got out of bed. Every muscle in her body ached. Cole handed her a double-chocolate-chip Frappuccino and she took a sip and smiled. Then Marcus handed her a jelly-filled donut and her life was complete.
They sat out on the patio table as they ate their fatty breakfast and talked about the plans for the day. She knew her brothers would be there for her until the job was done. And they would work just as hard as she would, which made her love them even more.
By the end of three weeks, the place looked spotless. There had been a couple problems, but with help from her brothers and a few contractors they’d hired, everything had smoothed out.