Page 101 of Mulberry Hollow (Riverbend 2)

Wes and Gavin held eye contact as the moment stretched like a wire, vibrating with tension.

Finally, Gavin spoke. “What, are you gonna make me beg, Bro?”

Avery raised her hand. “I, for one, would enjoy that.”

“Ditto,” Cooper said.

Gavin shot his siblings a glare. “I don’t need an answer tonight. You can think about it if you want.”

Wes took a swig of lemonade, taking his time. “It so happens I might consider a new challenge. Would you be a pain-in-the-butt boss?”

“Probably. But I pay well—and I might be willing to consider a partnership down the road.”

“Partnership, huh?”

“Ifyou can pull your own weight”—Gavin’s gaze shifted to Avery and back—“and if you treat my sister right.”

Avery snuggled up to Wes’s side, curling her hand around his muscular arm. She placed a kiss on his bristly cheek. “Don’t you worry... he always treats me right.”

Gavin held up a palm. “AndI don’t have to hear about any ofthatstuff. Ever.”

“I’d like two weeks off annually to do volunteer work.”

“I’m sure we could work something out.”

Wes seemed to consider for a moment. Then he gave a nod. “All right then. It’s a deal.”

Gavin straightened in his seat. “Seriously?”

“We’ll talk salary later, but if you’re fair, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Should’ve made him sweat it out a little,” Cooper said.

Avery nudged Wes. “At least overnight.”

“It’s going to take some time to get things up and running,” Gavin said. “I haven’t even found a good location yet.”

“I’m in no hurry. I’ve got my job at Valley Cabinet to keep me busy.”

“Maybe we could meet this week and talk things over.”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

The family went back to their meals, the topic going from the new business to the cold spell coming the following week.Gavin went quiet again. Maybe the start-up was what had her brother so introspective lately.

It was almost dark by the time the family gathered their plates and carried them into the house. Wes and Avery were the last ones at the table, sitting beneath the glow of a thousand emerging stars and the twinkle of white string lights. A cool breeze blew, stirring the canopy of leaves, and somewhere in the distance an owl gave a lonely hoot.

Avery leaned into Wes’s side, inhaling the familiar smell of him. “So, that’s pretty exciting. But are you sure you want to work for my brother?”

He draped his arm around her shoulders. “Would you mind? I mean, is that too messy for you, mixing business with family?”

She snorted. “You do realize Cooper’s new wife is my best friend, and we work together?”

“True. I guess that’s worked out okay.”

“Minus some very tense moments last year. But we got through it. That’s the thing about family—when conflicts occur, we talk things out and try to remember we love each other.”

“Well, you know I’m on a learning curve where family is concerned. But I promise I’m working on my communication skills.”