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“Beck’s late,” Owen commented
“You’re the one who decided we needed to e bite of donut, washed it doith coffee He hadn’t shaved, so a dark stubble covered the hard planes of his face But his gold-flecked green eyes lost soar
“Too many interruptions once the crew’s here I looked around soood day”
“Daht We’ll finish punch-out on the third floor this hts and those dao in a couple roo on the rails and banisters”
“So I saw I’ve got some notes”
“Yeah, yeah”
“I’ll haveover two, and head up to three”
“Why wait?” Ryder grabbed a second donut, started out He tossed another chunk without bothering to glance at the dog, who trotted with him
Dumbass fielded it with Golden Gloves precision
“Beckett’s not here”
“Dude’s got a wo He’ll be here when he is, and can catch up”
“There’s soan
“I got eyes, too”
“I’hout If three gets punched out today, I can have them start on thetreatments by early next week”
“The men cleaned up, but it’s construction clean It needs a real cleaning, a polish You need to get the innkeeper on that”
“I’ll be talking to Hope thisus start load-in”
Ryder slanted a look at his brother “We’ve got another teeks, easy, and that’s not counting the holidays”
But Owen, as usual, had a plan “We can get three done, Ry, start working our way down You think Mo around buying s in place?”
“I do figure it We don’t need them underfoot any more than they already are”
They heard a door open from below as they rounded up to the third floor
“On three,” Owen called down “Coffee’s in the kitchen”
“Thank you, Jesus”
“Jesus didn’t buy the coffee” Owen brushed his fingers over the oil-rubbed bronzed oval plaque engraved Innkeeper “Classy touch”
“The place is full of theulped more coffee as they stepped inside
“It looks good” Owen nodded as he toured through, into and out of the little kitchen, the bath, circling the two bedrooms “It’s a nice, comfortable space Pretty and efficient, like our innkeeper”
“She’s damn near as pain-in-the-ass fussy as you are”
“Remember who keeps you in donuts, bro”
At the word donuts, DA wagged his entire body “You’re done, pal,” Ryder told hih, DA sprawled on the floor
Owen glanced over as Beckett came up the steps
He’d shaved, Owen noted, and looked bright-eyed Maybe a little wild-eyed, as he ie of ten and the school- chaos that created
He reh, and wondered how his parents had resisted doing s
“One of the dogs puked in Murphy’s bed,” Beckett announced “I don’t want to talk about it”
“Works forin”
Beckett paused as he gave Du, punch-out”
“Not up here” Owen crossed to the first of their two suites, The Penthouse “We could outfit this suite Hope could move her stuff in across the hall How about Westley and Buttercup?”
“It’s done We hung the bathroohts yesterday”
“Then I’ll tell Hope to break out the h he trusted Ryder, he’d check the roooes where, so she can run down to Bast, tell them what to deliver up here”
He made notes on his clipboard—shiphtbulbs and so on Behind his back Beckett and Ryder exchanged looks
“I guess we’re loading in”
“I don’t knoe’ is,” Ryder corrected “It’s not ot to finish the damn place”
“Don’t bitch at es to the bakery project next door if we’re going to shift the crew fro”
“I could use a lag,” Ryder muttered but headed
down behind Owen
Owen paused at Elizabeth and Darcy, gave the propped-open door a study “Beckett, you ht want to talk to your pal, Lizzy Make sure she keeps this door open, and the terrace doors shut”
“It is open They are shut”
“Now they are She got a little peeved last night”
Intrigued, Beckett lifted his brows “Is that so?”
“I guess I had ht, heard so with ht I called her an asshole, and let me know she didn’t care for it”
Beckett’s grin spread wide and quick “She’s got a temper”
“Tell e”
“We’re done in here, too,” Ryder told hi and baseboard in N&N, and there’s soht in there It came in, finally, yesterday J&R in the back’s full of boxes Lamps, lamps, more lamps, shelves, and God knows But it’s punched out
“I’ve got a list, too” Ryder tapped his head while the dog walked over to sit at his side “I just don’t have to write every freaking thing down in ten places”
“Robe hooks, towel racks, TP dispensers,” Owen began
“On the slate for today”
“Mirrors, flat screens, switch plates and outlet covers, door bumpers”
“On the slate, Owen”
“You’ve got the list of what goes where?”
“Nobody likes a nag, Sally”
“Exit signs need to go up” Owen continued working down his list as he walked to The Dining Room “Wall sconces in here The boxes we built for the fire extinguishers need to be painted and installed”
“Once you shut up, I can get started”
“Brochures, website, advertising, finalizing rooes, room folders”
“Not my job”
“Exactly Count your frigging blessings How er for the revised plans on the bakery project?” Owen asked Beckett
“I’ll have the”
“Good deal” He took out his phone, switched it to calendar “Let’s nail it down I’ to tell Hope to open reservations for January fifteenth We can have the grand-opening deal on the thirteenth, give us a day for putting it all back together Then we’re up”
“That’s less than a month,” Ryder complained