Club Saturday: Contemporary Menage Romance (Sarasota Sin Series Book 2) by Talyn Scott Page B

rubbed his sternum but smiled. “Not this time.”
    “I’m not going to call Avery,” Julian said. He turned and walked to the door. “And I wish each of you luck, especially when Avery gets back.”
    “We’ll meet you at the board meeting. Drake and I have something to discuss.”
    When Julian closed the door behind him, Drake said, “We’re brothers always.” But he wasn’t going to back down from Vania for anyone.
    “Never mattered to me that we weren’t related biologically.” Evan sat down. “Aunt Gilda took us from foster and raised us as family, and I don’t hurt my family. With that said, I refuse to back down now. So where does that leave us, if we’re not talking about sharing for a while but for a lifetime?”
    Drake tapped his fingers on his desk, while thinking Dylan and Avery had made their relationship work to the point of marriage, so why couldn’t he do the same with Evan? “We’ve got a long day ahead of us, but we first need to reach a mutual agreement regarding our Miss Lange.”

Chapter 12

    By five o’clock in the afternoon, Avery told Vania to wrap up her workday. Even by telephone, her boss was a force to be reckoned with, yet beyond generous.   He and his wife were compassionate regarding Vania’s embarrassing situation with Matt and her immediate need of a home.   So as of now, she no longer required her villa at The Easton Hotel.  
    Though Avery agreed she could lease one of the available apartments here at the firehouse, he suggested that Vania move to Payton and Libby’s old loft, which was nestled above the main art gallery. After all, neither was returning there to live.
    Compared to the firehouse’s other apartments, the loft was the largest, a three bedroom. Vania had no idea what she would do with the extra space, but at least she wouldn’t have to share it with an inattentive, womanizing bastard.
    Vania poured her last cup of coffee, headed outside into the Florida sunshine, and took in the sights and sounds of progress.  
    Although she didn’t inspect the leased apartments or the owners’ loft, she combed over the vacant ones, ensuring they were operational while also noting what needed work. At this point, her notes consisted of several pages, which explained why three tenants cancelled.
    Vania waved at the hospital volunteers as she passed. Several were measuring for the white tents that would dot the lawn during the fundraiser. One of the tents would be large enough for a band, an outrageous chandelier, and a substantial dance floor.  
    Vania’s nerves would be screaming, if not for Gilda Easton’s reassurances. Gilda spent an hour on the phone with Vania, cutting the workload in half by making several key suggestions. All and all, she thought Avery would be satisfied with the result, which was highly important to Drake.  
    Vania breathed easier, felt more comfortable on the property as the hours passed. She couldn’t dream of a better place to find herself again. The views were spectacular and the neighborhood pristine.  
    She’d get to work in five minutes or less. So maybe she would sell her old car, and then she could walk to work for a while. Every month, she could put away a little money to buy a newer car with a lower loan balance. Patting her ass, Vania mentally confirmed that plan. A few months of walking would prove beneficial.  
      She set her coffee mug on an iron bistro table adjacent to a trickling, stone fountain and tugged the loft’s key from her pocket. Almost giddy, she took the stairs two at a time.  
    The teeth-gritting sound of wheels skidding on asphalt froze Vania mid-step.   She turned and looked across the parking lot. Her heart stuttered in her chest as a Mercedes careened into a parking space. “No. No. No!”
    Vania tilted back her head, looking to the sky for divine   intervention. “I thought this day was too perfect.”
    Throughout the day, she considered what Alan Murphy suggested last night at the hospital.