Power Drilled (Roommates, #8)(19)

“Or a home office,” Reid said.

Jackson flipped open his sketch pad and showed me a surprisingly detailed rendering of the loft. A spiral staircase in the corner of the living room would lead up to it. A wall separated the loft from the living room.

I was impressed. “That would make an awesome kid’s room.”

Reid frowned. “Wouldn’t be safe with those stairs.”

“I don’t mean a toddler, but a kid in elementary school. It would be like living in a treehouse.” The more I looked at Jackson’s sketch, the more I could visualize the loft in my mind’s eye. “I would’ve loved something like this when I was a girl. You could have your privacy but also still hear everyone down below.”

Hunter grinned. “It’s the perfect place to spy on the rest of the family. Sounds like fun.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, we haven’t decided what the extra space will be for,” Reid said. “Right now, our biggest concern is getting it done.”

“Looks like you’re off to a good start.” I handed the sketch pad back to Jackson. For a moment, I had a vivid memory of showing him my sketch of his naked body. Hopefully it was too dark out here for the men to see my blush.

“Thanks.” Jackson closed the pad. “Now it’s all on Hunter to make it happen.”

“And then we need a buyer,” Reid added.

“Do you have to furnish the place and everything by the end of your ten days, too?”

Reid shook his head. “After we do our part, a crew led by our realtor will set the stage with borrowed furniture. Then the people come, some of them make offers, and we get rich.”

Jackson grinned. “That’s simplifying it a bit, but yeah, that’s the plan.”

“Have you ever had a house not sell?”

“Not so far,” Jackson answered.

“Not ever,” Hunter said smugly.

“And we don’t intend to start,” Jackson added. He popped a piece of pork in his mouth. He was as good with chopsticks as he was with the pencil that was always tucked behind his ear. “We’ve got something else we need to discuss before I take Penny to get her stuff.”

“The wedding week,” Reid said.

The food I’d just eaten suddenly seemed heavier in my stomach. “I won’t let it take too much of your time. I just need someone to go with me for the most important events.”

Rather than being placated, Reid looked annoyed. “We said we’d be your fake boyfriend this week. That’s the deal.”

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” Jackson winked at me. “But we need to know more about what we’re getting into. What have you told your family about your new guy?”

“As little as possible.”

“Good girl,” Hunter said, and I felt oddly pleased.

“Do they know his career? Last name? Or even first name, for that matter.” Reid was all business.

“No. I said I didn’t want to jinx my new relationship by talking too much about it.”

“Smart,” Jackson said.

Hunter was less sure. “And they bought it?”

“I think so.” Maybe not Tanya and Jeff, but everyone else seemed to tiptoe around the subject since they knew how hard I’d taken it after Jeff cheated on me.

“That makes things easier on us,” Reid said. “So who should we be?”

“What do you mean? Like make up a name and a backstory and all that?” I wasn’t very good at that kind of thing.

“No, we just need to pick which one of us to be. So that instead of us acting like three separate men, we pretend to be the same brother,” Jackson explained.

That was a bit hard to wrap my head around. “What makes the most sense?” I was kind of hoping it was Jackson, but he and Hunter both said “Reid” at the same time.

“Why?”

“Well, obviously we can’t all pretend to be me,” Hunter said, but it wasn’t obvious to me.

Jackson noticed my confusion. “We’d get in too much trouble as Hunter.”

Though I didn’t know Hunter that well, that rang true, nonetheless. “What about you?” I asked Jackson.

“It’s a possibility, but I think it would be easier for me to act like I’m Reid rather than the other way around.”

“Why?” I seemed to be asking that a lot.

“He’s the most sincere among the three of us,” Hunter said. “I can fake that.”

“I’m good with parents,” Reid said. “And your whole family will be there.”

“Trust us. This is the best way,” Hunter said, and I nodded. After all, these men knew a whole lot more about pretending to be someone else than I did.

“The trick is to keep it simple,” Jackson said, and I thought he was talking more to his brothers than me. “Don’t elaborate. Don’t volunteer information. And don’t make up shit.” He leveled a look at Hunter.

“Spoilsport,” Hunter muttered.

“While you’re around Penny’s family, just ask yourself one question: what would Reid do?”

“Bore everyone with financial talk and speculate on how much the wedding costs?” Hunter suggested.