She stops walking, turning to face me. Shock on her pretty face. “Little brother?”
“Yep. And Molly’s my sister.”
“So, this is a family business.” It wasn’t a question.
“It’s mine, but I like having my family with me. They’re all I’ve got.”
“Oh,” she says in a pitying voice. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve got family?” Why am I asking her this shit? I don’t want to marry her. Fuck her, definitely. Marry her, no way. Never again.
“I’ve got four sisters who all live nearby, as well as my dad. My mom died when I was ten. Ovarian cancer.”
Now it’s my turn to sound pitying, “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. I’m the lucky one. Since I was the oldest, I got to spend the most time with her.” I watch sadness cross her face and see her eyes shimmer like she’s going to cry, but she lifts her head tossing it back a bit, and she’s back to her happy self before I can blink an eye. Softly, she adds, “She was a wonderful mom. We were lucky to have her as long as we did.”
She looks at me expectantly. I know what she wants. She wants to know about my folks. I can give her something, I guess. “My folks died when I was twenty-one.”
“How?”
“Car accident.”
She gasps. “Both of them? At once?”
“At once.” I nod. I’m not going to tell her whose fault it was––that my dad couldn’t stop drinking long enough to drive my mom home safely. The fucker.
“God, Keeton.” She steps up to me and wraps her arms around my neck. Pressing her lush body against me, she whispers, “I’m so sorry.”
It’s my turn to hesitate but not for long. I’m not passing up an opportunity to hold this girl. I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me. I can’t help noticing how perfectly we fit together, like two puzzle pieces. I swear I can feel the beating of her heart against my chest. Not to be outdone, I whisper, “I’m sorry about your mom, too, baby.”
She sniffles softly saying, barely audibly, “Me too, Keeton. Me too.”
We stay like that for longer than we probably should. Long enough for Eric to walk in and open his damn mouth. “Well, that didn’t take you long, brother.”
Growling, I pat Lainie’s bottom lightly and step away. “Eric, what can I do for you?”
“Just came to get you to sign off on this job. We’re done.”
“I’ll be out in a few. I’m walking Lainie to her car.”
“Is that what you call it?”
Lainie giggles again and it sounds like tinkling bells. So fucking sweet, my girl.My girl?No. No way. I’m not going to do that to her. Sure, I was married once. Sure, it ended amicably, but every relationship since Deb has been a fucking train wreck. I suck at relationships. I should have just stuck it out with Debbie even though there was no spark there. None. The only thing we had in common was our love of machines. Hers? Muscle cars. Mine, bikes.
We walk in silence out to the piece of shit she’s driving. “This your car?”
“It’s my sister’s.”
“You don’t have a car?”
“Nope.” Opening the door, she tosses her purse in first. “Keely, my baby sister, lets me borrow it whenever I need it, so this is fine for now.” Sliding in behind the wheel, she turns the key. Nothing. She tries it a second time and the thing coughs to life. Barely.
I want to ask her why she doesn’t have a car of her own. Didn’t she get one out of the divorce settlement? But, I keep my mouth shut. It’s none of my damn business. “For now?” If she only has a car part of the time, how’s she going to get here?
“For now. I’ll go look for a used car sometime soon.”
“I see.” I probably shouldn’t get involved, but this is my world. Besides, this old thing is spewing black smoke now. Oil leak. “I’ve got a good source for used cars. Reliable used cars,” I say, looking down at the sad little Honda. Something on the fender catches my eye. Is that duct tape? Jesus. I feel compelled to pop the hood to make sure nothing else is taped together. I look at the front tire. Bald. This thing isn’t safe enough for her.
