Page 2 of Made for Wilde

“Can’t a sister visit her favorite brother without an agenda?”

“I’m your only brother.”

“That doesn’t make it less true.”

I grunt and toss the rag onto the wood pile. “You could have called first.”

“I did. Three times.” She raises an eyebrow. “Do you ever check your phone?”

I pat my pockets and realize that I left my phone charging inside. “I’ve been busy.”

Dana looks pointedly at the mountain of split logs. “I can see that. No one needs this much firewood, Koda.”

“I do.”

A cold gust of wind cuts through the clearing, making Dana shiver despite her tailored suit.

“You going to invite me in or are we having this conversation out here in the cold?” she asks, wrapping her arms around herself.

I sigh and glance at the darkening sky. There’s no getting rid of her now that she’s made the drive up here. Whatever she wants, it must be important.

“Fine,” I mutter, grabbing my flannel shirt from where it hangs on the porch railing. I shrug it on and gesture toward the cabin. “Come on.”

Dana follows me up the wooden steps.

I hold the door open, and she walks past me, bringing with her the scent of expensive perfume that seems out of place in my rustic home. I close the door behind us and flip the lock. It’sa habit I’ve never been able to break, even up here where the nearest neighbor is three miles away.

“Coffee?” I ask, heading toward the kitchen.

“Please.” Dana moves around the main room, her gaze sweeping over the stone fireplace, the hand-built shelves lined with books, the clean pine floors. “You’ve kept the place up nicely. It looks good.”

“Thanks.” I fill the coffee maker with water and measure grounds into the filter. “Finished the back deck last month. Added railings.”

“I noticed.” She walks to the large windows that overlook the valley. The view is spectacular this time of day, with the sun starting to sink behind the mountains, painting everything gold. “You always did have an eye for location.”

I hit the brew button and lean against the counter, watching my sister as she takes in the view. “How are things at the gym?”

“Busy.” She doesn’t turn from the window. “We’ve had a good influx of new members since the rebrand.”

“That’s something, at least.”

“It is.” She finally turns to face me. “We’re starting to rebuild our reputation after the mess Vega left behind.”

When Dana took over as CEO of Worthington Sports six months ago, the place was a disaster. The previous owner had been using it to launder money, and the Worthington family needed someone who could turn it around fast. Dana was their first choice. She has a talent for fixing broken businesses.

I pull two mugs from the cabinet as the coffee maker gurgles and hisses. “Equipment holding up okay?”

Dana makes a face. “Not exactly. We had a pipe burst in the men’s locker room last week. Flooded half the facility.”

“Shit.”

“Had to close for two days while they fixed it.” She walks to the kitchen table and pulls out a chair but remains standing.“And the week before that, some idiot broke one of the weight machines by overloading it.”

The coffee maker beeps. I fill both mugs and carry them to the table, setting one in front of Dana as she finally sits down.

“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full,” I say, taking the seat across from her.

“I do.” She wraps her hands around the mug, and I notice the slight tension in her shoulders. “Actually, something else came up yesterday.”