“It seems like a lot of work for you. And getting up really early.”

“I’m a farmer. I’m up early every day.” And it seemed he liked taking care of her, even if he didn’t say it out loud. Oh, and the fact that he was a control freak and if she was at his house he’d have more control.

“Okay then. I’m not arguing. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes. Call me when you lock up. I’ll meet you here after that.”

She nodded and he and Loopy both got out to walk her to the door. Paddy clutched a mug of coffee and tipped a chin at his brother and winked to Tuesday. “Morning. Tuesday, how you manage to look so good this early in the morning I don’t know. But you made my day.”

She laughed. “You Hurleys are so full of it. I like it.”

She kissed Ezra and waved goodbye before heading inside.

Smiling.

Natalie came into the kitchen wearing a robe. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. You look like someone who came a lot last night.” Natalie smirked as she poured a cup of coffee.

“Takes one to know one. Not like it’s a complaint. I have to run to work now. Ezra’s taking me to Portland tomorrow morning and he’s driving up with me when I close up so you two don’t have to give him a ride.”

“No kidding. Did you ever think Ezra was going to ride with us when you were going to be alone in another car? Are you new here?”

Tuesday ducked her head. “I like it, okay? I don’t know if it’s okay to like it, but I do, so there. I like that he wants to make things easier for me. He does it without weakening me. He respects my abilities.”

No time to think about that stuff right then. “I have to run. I’m spending the night at his house so I may not see you until tomorrow at Easton central.”

“I’ll probably see you tonight then. Why don’t we all do something? Mexican food and a movie?”

“Works for me. Have the menfolk figure out the details.”

“We should also finish the conversation we started last night in your room. I’m sorry it made you upset right before you left. It was bad timing.”

Tuesday had no plans to go back to that convo anytime soon. She needed to digest stuff for a while.

“Maybe. Anyway, no need to apologize for caring about me.”

After one last hug, Tuesday put her stuff away and headed into town.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

EZRA’S PHONE RANG once he’d dropped Tuesday off and helped her set up. She’d looked so fantastic he really hadn’t wanted to leave. But his accountant had invited him over for breakfast so he’d given her one last kiss—in full view of that dude hawking funky wind chimes who’d been staring at Tuesday—and headed out to the suburbs.

He punched the button on his steering wheel to answer.

“Hey, Ez, it’s Jeremy. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Jeremy had been the band’s manager for nearly all their career. The successful parts, anyway, which was what counted.

“No. I’m in a Portland traffic snarl trying to get out to my accountant’s house. He’ll get those papers to you after I sign them today.”

“Excellent. Not the traffic part, but as I’m sitting in traffic trying to get to the airport to come up to Seattle, I can commiserate. I wanted to see if you had some time coming up. Maybe we can head up to Vancouver for a few days. It’s been a long time.”

He and Jeremy had been close once. Like brothers. And then Jeremy had lost his child to a terrible tragedy and within a year afterward, his marriage had also died. And then there’d been drugs that had torn through Ezra’s life.

Both of them had to dig out of a metric fuckton of pain and they’d grown apart.

But that friendship had never died.

He asked Ezra to do things all the time and Ezra usually shied away, though he did have Jeremy come stay at his house when he was up with his other northwest clients—notably Adrian Brown, mega superstar rock phenomenon who lived in Washington with his family.

Adrian had been another close friend once. Ezra hadn’t had the courage to try and rebuild their previous closeness. Maybe he needed to change that.

“We’re bringing the alfalfa in next week. When are you going to be able to get away?”

“I’m going to a high school graduation. Adrian’s oldest, Miles. And then I’ll be in Bainbridge Island for a week or so and then I’m coming down to you all. I’ll stay in Portland. I want to meet with the band, talk about the tour. I just got a bundle of stuff I need to go over on the plane. But you broke some records this tour. Label is thrilled. They want to talk new material and some box-set proposals. Let’s say two weeks or so from now. A week after your harvest.”

Ezra heard the pleased note in Jeremy’s tone. It had been too long since he’d hung out with anyone but his family and more recently Tuesday. That had been good. So good it reminded him there were other relationships that once had been good in his life. And to get something else to focus on to figure this thing out with Tuesday.

“All right then. It’ll be quiet for a few weeks after we bring the alfalfa in. Then my dad will take over and get it where it needs to go. You sure you want to hang out with me for two days in another country when I might bore you to death with farm talk and you don’t have a drinking partner?”

Jeremy’s startled laugh made Ezra grin.

“It’s been way too long, Ez. I’m sure we can eat harder now that drinking hard isn’t on our dance card. I’ll call you next week to coordinate when I’ll be down your way. Wrangle your brothers if you can, please.”