“I don’t know. It was built before Kenzie was born though, and she’s thirty-one.” Daniel looked Evan over. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.” Evan grinned. “I’m single, have all my teeth, earned a bachelor’s in accounting, am a CPA and have a master’s, also in accounting, served six years in the Marine Corps as an officer, have one mom and two cousins, and work part-time at a moving company when not working for myself. Anything else?”
“Um, what are your hobbies?”
“Well, I like soccer. I played in college and loved it. I pretty much don’t have any other hobbies.” Evan sounded surprised by that. “I used to work too much, and when I’m not working, I help my mom with stuff.”
“That’s nice.” The guy took care of his mom. Daniel was starting to really like Evan. “Ever been married?”
“I was engaged once.” A sad smile crossed his face. “But I haven’t had time to date in a while.”
“How long is a while?”
Evan snorted. “You writing a book?”
“Maybe.”
“Over six months. Happy now?”
“Why didn’t you get married?” Had Evan left his fiancée like Bryce had?
“She got sick and passed away. It was pretty rough. But I got through it. She was an awesome lady.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Daniel flushed. “I gotta look out for my sister, you know.” He was quiet as they crossed the Fremont Bridge. “She was really into Bryce, her ex-boyfriend. And it wasn’t easy for her to date him. She has me, and she’s always put me first. I don’t think she’s been with too many guys. Not that I ever met, anyway. Then Bryce came, and he was nice. She loved him a lot.”I did too.“But he couldn’t take always having me around.” Daniel looked out the window at the buildings they passed. “And Kenzie and I are always going to be together.” He glanced back at Evan, who hadn’t reacted. “She and I are a team. We’re family.”
Evan nodded at him, met his gaze, then looked back at the road. “That’s how it should be. Your sister is a good person, Daniel. She cares about you. It couldn’t have been easy for an eighteen-year-old to take responsibility for a baby. But she did it. And she did a pretty good job, except for that hint of smart-ass there on your forehead.”
Daniel rubbed his face before he realized what Evan had said. He chuckled. “Jerk.”
“Yeah, I’ve been called worse. My point is I respect the heck out of your sister. She does what’s right. And where I come from, we put family first too. Like my mom, my cousins. They’re important. Money and girls come after that.”
“Huh. That’s good.”
“Yep.” He paused. “I know what you’re going through, looking out for your sister. My mom has a boyfriend. I met him yesterday. Freaked me out, to be honest. I mean, she’s my mom, and she’s dating. But he was a super nice guy. I liked him.”
“What about your dad?”
“He died a few years ago. It’s past time my mom went out and had a life.” Evan pulled into the driveway. “My cousins have their own girls, starting new pockets of family. It’s cool because we just add more people to the mix. Well, one of my cousins is pretty much alone. He’s a definite work in progress.” Evan rubbed his chin, and Daniel noticed the stubble there.
He wondered what it was like to shave your face. When he’d have to start.
Evan saw him staring. “You shave yet?”
Daniel blinked. “Uh, not yet.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll come. I was fifteen when I started. My macho cousins were younger, I’m sure.” He sighed. “I always wanted brothers, but my parents only had me.”
“Me too. I mean, I’m the only boy. Kenzie’s old enough to be my mom.”
“Yep.” Evan smiled. “Make sure you tell her how good-looking she is for a woman her age. Womenloveto hear that.”
“Yeah, right.” Daniel chuckled.
“Daniel?”
“What?”
“Your sister is lucky to have you looking out for her. Don’t ever stop.”
