“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” he says, voice flat enough to skate on.
“Missed you too,” I say, forcing something like a grin as my crew fans out behind me for a backdrop.“Wanted to grab a few things for the party.You got any steaks?Chuck?I’ll make it worth...”
“You throwing another circus up there?”he asks without looking at me, like the answer’s already got his jaw tight.
“It’s a party.”I keep my tone light.“You know...fun.For Canada Day.”
“Right.”He tosses the rag over his shoulder like he’s throwing the whole conversation in the wash.“And I’m guessing Summit City’s nightlife scene is invited.”
Before I can come up with a line that deflects without admitting anything, I hear Kenzie.Even from here, her laugh is sunshine, bright and loud and incapable of missing its mark.There’s another laugh braided with it, lower, warmer.I turn, and the yard tilts a degree.
She isn’t trying to be seen; that’s the first difference.
Holy shit.
Red hair braided loose over one shoulder, little flyaway’s lit up like copper wire.Freckles, real ones, the kind you only get from sunlight and time.Rubber boots, not heels, scuffed at the toes and covered in layers of dirt and dust.Jeans that have actual wear on them from actual work, rips earned instead of bought.A plain navy tee worn from time, where you’d only notice if you were staring.
Apparently, I’m staring.
“Who’s that?”I ask, trying to make it sound casual and hearing the wrong hunger in it anyway.
Eli doesn’t even glance.“Stay the fuck away from her.”
I huff something that’s supposed to be a laugh.“Why?Is she yours?”As I ask the question, my stomach drops.I continue to watch her.The familiarity of how she interacts with my baby sister.Kenzie is talking animatedly with the redhead, wearing ripped jean shorts, old white sneakers that have seen better days and a white tank.Her mess of blonde curls is up on top of her head.
“She's not a possession, asshole.”He finally cuts me a look that smarts like a shovel blade.“She’s Mike Lane's daughter.She just moved back and is too good for whatever you’ve turned yourself into.”He nods toward my SUV, where two girls in tiny skirts are taking turns pouting for selfies.“And you already brought enough mistakes for one day.”
It hits where it’s supposed to.I swallow it down and smile like none of this bothers me.
“Jesus is that your sister?”one of the guys behind me mutters.I don’t have to turn to know which one, newest call-up with hands soft from city living and a mouth that runs faster than his feet, McKenna.
I keep my eyes on Eli and say, “Watch it.She's off limits.”
"What about the hot piece of ass with her?"Colby asks.
Eli growls and looks about ready to get the shotgun.Kenzie spots me then.She lights up like she’s still twelve and I just got back from a road trip, no hesitation, no audit, just love.She jogs across the yard and crashes into me, arms tight around my waist.I breathe her in.Citrus and sunshine and something that smells like line-dried cotton.
“I thought you were a myth, like I imagined having two brothers,” she says into my chest.
“Rude,” I manage, voice thick with more than dust.“I am extremely real.See?”I hold my arms out.“Flesh.”
She snorts and leans back to really take me in.“You look tired.”
“I’m fine.”
“You say that when you’re not.”
“Are you analyzing me now?Did you take a psych class or something?”
“Nate.”She softens it with a grin.“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” I say, and almost believe it.
The noise shifts behind me.All the guys have now discovered the redhead.Something gets said, low, testing.The kind of line a man throws out when he thinks he can catch someone who isn’t looking.
She doesn’t bite.She turns and takes them in with one glance that isn’t cruel but isn’t kind either.It’s… clean.Sorting.She lands on me last and almost takes my breath away.Kenzie chuckles as I suck in a breath.Up close, she is even more stunning, eyes so blue the colour almost seems fake.She is looking at me like she can see everything I am struggling with just below the surface.
I shoot her a deflecting grin, "Like what you see, red?"
