Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Jackson nodded. “Yes, if you’re interested. Do you need any special equipment?”
I shook my head. I shot Lila’s videos on my phone, using special lenses she’d purchased, and I used my laptop to edit them. “I’ve got everything I need.”
“We can give you an advance when your car’s ready,” Jackson said.
Reid frowned. “We agreed we’d pay her at the end of the Ten-Day Turnaround.”
There was a glint in Hunter’s eyes as his blue eyes swiveled my way. “We’re going to keep her too busy to go on joy rides.”
For the first time since I’d met him, Jackson looked irritated. “That doesn’t mean we can’t advance her the money. That’s what we do here—we buy the house and pay up front. We don’t earn our money until the house sells.”
Reid gave in. “All right, we can pay you the money upfront.”
I nodded, pleased that he was talking to me instead of about me, as his brothers had done.
“You can’t expect the whole amount today, though, of course,” Reid continued.
“Of course not.” I took a deep breath, trying to get a handle on the crazy idea that had just popped into my mind. “But I actually don’t want the money up front. Or at all.”
A shadow passed across Jackson’s face. “You’re not interested in the job?”
“I’m interested,” I said quickly, and then I followed an impulse. “It’s just that I’d like a different form of payment.”
Surprise flashed across Reid’s face, but he quickly composed himself. “And that would be…?”
Jackson looked curious. “I’m all ears.”
I looked over at the third member of the Flip Trips, Hunter. The grin on his face made me really wonder what he was thinking right now… and what all of them would think when they heard what I had to say.
There was only one way to find out.
5
JACKSON
After Penny’s surprising statement that she didn’t want money to work for us, my brothers both leaned forward, staring at her intently. Reid probably couldn’t conceive of the idea. He was all about finances and budgets.
As for Hunter, well, his expression showed more than curiosity. It showed interest. And that interest was probably more because Penny was stunning, not because of her pronouncement.
Though I wouldn’t put it past Hunter to say something really crass about what we could offer her instead. That thought made me speak up. “What do you mean?”
The creamy skin of her face flushed. I’d seen that happen a lot during the art class when she was sketching me. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say her blush began when I took off my robe and didn’t go away until class ended.
Now, she was alternating between staring down at her hands and taking quick peeks at the three of us. At first, those glances were the normal kind we always got. Three identical men weren’t that common of a sight. But now, it seemed that her nerves were about something else. Not that I knew her that well, but I knew more about her than my brothers did.
She took a deep breath, and I tried to give her an encouraging look, but she was staring at her hands again. “I, um, have a thing.”
That statement wasn’t as enlightening as one might hope, plus it still gave Hunter an opportunity to say something dirty. Not that he needed much of an opening for that kind of talk.
“What kind of thing,” I asked patiently. Unlike my buddy Carl, I wasn’t much of a teacher. But I could be patient when I had to be.
“A wedding,” she said, still not looking at us. “My cousin’s getting married, and, well, I need someone to go with me.”
Reid was astonished. “You want one of us to take you to your cousin’s wedding? In lieu of five thousand dollars?” He shook his head, trying to process that. “A date with one of us isn’t worth five grand.”
“Speak for yourself,” Hunter growled. There was no doubt he’d give Penny a whole lot of bang for her buck—in a very literal sense.
“No, I—it’s not just the wedding. There are a bunch of things next week. The rehearsal dinner. A dance. A brunch.” She tapered off. “My whole family’s going to be there.”
She said something else, but I didn’t catch it. Judging by the expressions on Reid and Hunter’s faces, they hadn’t either. “What was that last part?”
She looked out into the yard, which wasn’t much to look at. A crew was coming in next week to give it a makeover while we worked on the house.
“I said, my ex is going to be there.”
“That sucks,” Hunter said.
I agreed. “He’s not the groom, is he?”
“No, thank goodness. We, um, broke up, and he’s dating my cousin now.” She stared at her slender fingers and spoke even more softly. “Well, he started dating my cousin and then we broke up.”