Page 65 of Reaper

If it had been her right hand and arm that had gotten hurt, things would have been way slower since she’s right-handed, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Last I knew, their personal bedrooms and attached bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and another bathroom on the first floor were all finished. That left the basement, guest bedrooms, and the now separate exterior buildings on theproperty for her woodcarving and beer making to tackle yet. I know she was thinking of tackling the brewery next so that she could brew even more, but I don’t know if she started on it yet or not.

When we climb the porch steps and reach her front door, I hesitate.

Lark smiles softly. “Do you want to come in?”

My shoulders sag in relief. As the night had worn on, the urge to just hold her tonight grew stronger with every interaction and I no longer wanted to head back to my empty house.

“Would love to, Darlin’.”

She unlocks the door, resets the alarm, and relocks the door. Knowing Lottie would have my ass if I wore my boots in the house, I untie them, slip them off and step into the living room.

The last time I’d been here, they’d just finished the living room and hadn’t decorated yet. Now, there are knickknacks on the shelves along with some of the books and pictures that survived the fire. On the walls there are even more pictures, some new throw pillows and blankets on the couches, and Lottie’s gliding rocking chair has a basket full of yarn for her to knit or crochet sitting next to it.

Lark comes up behind me and I slip my arm around her waist. “It looks good, Darlin’. You did good.”

She beams up at me. “Thanks. Last weekend, we finished the decorations in here. We had to spend a bit more time than we thought getting the pictures and books cleaned up again. There’s still a faint smell of smoke to them, but we’re pretty proud of how they turned out.”

Lark pauses when she sees that the light on the end table near Lottie’s glider is on. “Granny?” she calls out and then I hear a shuffling sound coming from the kitchen.

A moment later, Lottie comes back out into the living room carrying a coffee mug that’s filled with tea judging by the taghanging over the side. Lottie’s eyebrows go up when she sees me, but she doesn’t say anything, though from the knowing glint in her eye, I’m going to bet she saw me walking up here with Lark on their security system. She walks over to the end table and sets down her mug on a coaster before settling down into her glider.

“Insomnia again?” Lark asks as she leans into my side, her hand drawing lazy circles on my back.

Lottie nods. “Just made me some of that tea you found the other day to hopefully help me fall asleep. We’ll see how it does.” She pauses as she faces me and the way she looks up at me has me feeling like she can see my darkest secrets. “You gonna treat my grandbaby right?”

“Granny!” Lark’s cheeks flame red as she stares at Granny, an almost embarrassed look on her face.

The corner of my lips twitch with the urge to smile, but I do my best to keep from letting it show. Though judging by Lott’s raised eyebrow and amused look on her face, she clocked the movement.

I nod in response to her question. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Lottie nods back in return. “Good. And none of that ‘Ma’am’ business. Since you’re seeing my grandbaby and you’ve returned the smile I haven’t seen in the past year, you call me ‘Granny’ now, ya’ hear?”

I try to continue keeping a straight face, but Lark’s all smiles as she beams at Lottie, I mean Granny, her embarrassment seemingly forgotten.

“Yes, Granny.”

She nods in satisfaction again before making a shooing motion with her hand. “That’s better. Now you two run on along. I’ve got a book to keep me company as I drink my tea. And don’t worry, I’ll turn off my hearing aids.”

Larks face once again flames red and I bite my cheek hard to keep from laughing.

We say goodnight to Granny and as I follow Lark upstairs, I bite back a groan at seeing her perfect ass swaying in front of me. As soon as I’m out of sight of Granny, I reach down, adjusting myself.

Besides Lark’s room, there are three other bedrooms up here, but so far, they’re all empty.

“After I finish setting up the brewery, they’ll be next,” she says as she gestures to the empty bedrooms. “I need to get the batches going again because it’ll take a while for them all to ferment. Normally what I brew here would be for our own private use, but with everything getting destroyed, what I brew here for a while will supplement what I make at the tavern and the supper club. I want to have everything redone and ready by next year. It’s tight down in the speakeasy so I can’t put in much more equipment. I didn’t want to disrupt the foundation that Grandpa Raymond had laid down.”

“As long as you aren’t pushing yourself too hard.”

Her shoulders slump as we enter her room, but my suspicions are confirmed at the action. She has been pushing herself.

“Darlin’, look at me please.” I try to make my tone gentle, but judging by how she jumped a little, it must have been harsher than I meant it to be.

Lark turns toward me, tears in her eyes and I pull her toward me, wrapping my arms around her.

“It’s okay to take some time to yourself and just relax. There isn’t an axe over your head that says you have to finish everything before the end of the year. It’s okay to take some time and enjoy the process as well. Besides, if you push yourself too hard, you could end up causing a set back with your healing.” I don’t say it, but another reason is that I hope to have Lark in my house soon. For her to set up her shops in my basement. However, it’s way too early to voice those words. Then, worry sets in. I know how much Lark loves her family’s house, but Ineed to be at the clubhouse. Every member either needs to live in the clubhouse or in a house on our grounds.