Stirring Up Trouble Read Online Free Page A

nobody else to take care of my sister, and now that she’s gone and broken her hip . . .”
    “No, I completely understand. Family first, of course. And don’t worry, I’ll come up with something for Bree.”
    Exactly what he’d come up with was a bit of a freaking mystery, seeing as how he had to be at La Dolce Vita to supervise a liquor delivery in forty-five minutes. And of course it was Friday, their busiest dinner service of the week, so calling in sick—hell, even being late—wasn’t an option.
    “Bree keeps to herself, but she’s a good girl. Oh, I wish I could be in two places at once. I just hate to worry about the two of you,” Mrs. Teasdale apologized, already turning down the walkway in a rush. “I hope you find someone for her.”
    “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry. Drive safely.” Gavin lifted his arm in a single wave, watching her car disappear down the road before exhaling a breath that resembled a steady leak.
    Two hours. In two hours, Bree would get out of school, and he’d be damned if she’d cross the threshold into an empty house.
    “Come on, Carmichael. Think.”
    Nope. Nada. The frustrated prompting only made his brain go even more blank. Since they’d moved to Pine Mountain, Bree hadn’t mentioned a single friend, and Gavin had been so busy at the restaurant, the only people he knew well and trusted were those he worked with. Without the babysitting service, he wouldn’t even know Mrs. Teasdale.
    Of course! The babysitting service. Surely, they could send him someone temporary. He scrolled through the caller ID until he found the number, nestled between La Dolce Vita and Pine Mountain Middle School. Highlighting it and punching send, he prided himself on his quick thinking. Parenting might not be instinctive just yet, but he was getting the hang of it. This was going to work out just fine. Crisis averted, no sweat.
    Twenty minutes later, Murphy’s Law had ganged up on him in an epic coup.
    “You don’t have anybody available at all? Not even temporarily?” Gavin raked a hand through his hair and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table.
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Carmichael. The short notice makes it a bit of a challenge, and our sitters are in high demand as it is. At the very best, I’d say you’re looking at a couple of weeks. I take it you want us to call if someone becomes available in the meantime?”
    “Please.” Gavin rattled off the number of the restaurant, a fresh wave of trepidation punching through his gut as he ended the call. He didn’t even have hours, let alone weeks to wait for a sitter. He’d been so focused on finding someone for the day that he hadn’t thought of the two fifteen-hour double shifts that followed. And that delivery truck was going to pass through the west gate at the resort in twenty minutes, which meant if he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t make it.
    If he couldn’t find someone to come to Bree, she was going to have to come to him, like it or not. Flipping the phone over in his hand and scrolling back through the numbers until he found the one for the middle school, Gavin did the only thing he could think of.
    “Mrs. Wilkerson? This is Gavin Carmichael, Bree Shelton’s brother. I’m in a really big jam, and I was wondering if you could help me out.”
     
     
    Sloane stirred the steaming bowl of minestrone in front of her, propping one elbow over the table in La Dolce Vita’s empty dining room as she watched the jewel-toned vegetables swirl through the broth like New Year’s confetti in Times Square.
    “Thanks for letting me come straight here. I don’t think I could’ve handled going back to the bungalow just yet.” She cast a look at her best friend, noting that Carly’s chef’s whites already bore dribbles of whatever she’d been working on in the kitchen even though the restaurant wouldn’t open for another few hours.
    “Like I’m going to turn you out. Plus, the dinner staff won’t get here for another