Bizarre or not, these four women were her women. “It was wonderful. I had this place in my head that worried I’d be nervous, that we’d be awkward. But I wasn’t, and we weren’t. He wouldn’t rush, and wouldn’t let me rush, so it was slow and sweet. He was ...”

When she trailed off, Parker sighed. “If you think I’d squirm because you’d say my brother is a good lover, a considerate one, you’re wrong. It’s not just skill, you know. It’s also a sign of respect and affection for his partner.”

“He made me feel that there was nothing else that mattered but the two of us, then and there. That’s all there was. And after, I could sleep with him, feeling absolutely safe, absolutely natural. That’s always the hardest part for me. Trusting enough, I guess, to sleep.”

Emma rubbed Laurel’s thigh under the table. “That’s a really good sexy breakfast story.”

“We had a little tangle this morning.”

“A sexy tangle?”

“That, too, One-Track Mind,” she said to Mac. “I needed to find my clothes in the dark so I could call a cab and get back. Full day. But he woke up, which led to a sexy tangle even though I had bed hair.”

“I hate that,” Emma muttered. “There should be an instant cure for bed hair.”

“Then he insisted on driving me home.”

“Of course.”

Laurel rolled her eyes at Parker. “The two of you have this unshakable code of conduct. Why should he have to get up, dressed, drive me when I can get myself home?”

“Because you were in his home, that’s number one. Second, you were in his bed. Good manners are just that, and don’t threaten your independence.”

“Brown Rule of Thumb?”

Parker smiled a little. “I guess you could call it that.”

“He did. Well, that’s going to have to hold you, because I have to get to work.”

“Don’t we all? I have half a million lilies coming in this morning to be processed. And the crew’s starting today.”

“Here, too?” Laurel asked.

“Here, too, according to Jack.” Emma glanced at her watch. “Any minute.”

“You will now live in interesting times,” Mac told her. “And noisy ones.”

“It’ll be worth it. I’m going to keep telling myself it’ll be worth it. Thanks for breakfast, Mrs. G.”

“It was a good story, so paid in full.”

“If things get too crazy in my space, can I shift some of the work in here?”

“You can. Emmaline and Mackensie, you called for the story. You’re on dishes. I’m going to take a walk around the garden before the hammering starts.”

Parker walked out with Laurel. “Happy’s what counts. Remember I like seeing you and Del happy when you feel weird about it again.”