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“What kind?”
“Started framing houses when I was eighteen. Did foundations, roofing, commercial builds, project management. Eventually I handled most of the business side.”
Julian sits up a little straighter.
“You frame?”
“Yeah.”
Julian’s mouth twitches.
Ha ha. I know that look. He’s interested now.
“What about concrete?”
“Poured plenty. I’ve done it all.”
“Electrical?”
“I know enough not to kill myself. I actually wired up my grandfather’s fishing shack with electricity.”
Julian nods approvingly.
Five minutes ago he wanted to throw Dane out the door and now they’re apparently auditioning for a home renovation show or something?
Julian takes another bite. “You fish?”
“Oh yeah,” Dane says. He starts going off about fishing and the different types of fish he caught near Huntington, and Julian is all ears. He’s leaning forward, listening intently to everything Dane says. I just grin and eat my burrito, watching with amusement as my new boyfriend wins my brother over.
“I have some good spots here,” Julian says proudly. “There’s one hidden lake in particular. Nobody knows about it.”
“Is it Blackwater Lake?” Dane asks.
Julian’s mouth drops. “Almost nobody knows about it.”
Dane laughs. “I used to come here as a kid. My dad took me fishing there. Huge Bull Trout.”
My terrifying, overprotective brother is being dismantled one masculine hobby at a time.
His tough guy act has vanished and he’s full-on fanboy now as he listens to Dane talk about the fish they caught.
“It won’t be busy today,” Julian says, getting all excited. “Maybe I can ditch work this afternoon and we can hit the water. My buddy Aiden has a boat we can borrow. Ivy, do you mind watching the place while we go?”
My mouth drops open as I stare at him in disbelief. He’s already trying to steal my boyfriend. I only got one date and now he’s swooping in, leaving me at work while they go out and bond.
“You want to go fishing?” I say, narrowing my eyes on him. “You hated him ten minutes ago.”
“No,” Julian says, more to Dane than to me. “I was just quick to judge. I got you all wrong.”
“I guess it runs in the family,” Dane says, giving me a playful smirk.
“If anyone is leaving early to hang out with Dane, it’s me,” I say, wrapping up the empty foil and tossing it into the garbage.
Julian stares in disbelief as I hop off the stool, walk around the counter, and take Dane’s hand.
“So, you don’t mind watching the place while I’m gone?”
“Wha—?” Julian says, his eyes widening. “That’s not what I meant!”
