My brother chuckles. “It was the best thing for me, sis. Trust me. It was Radium who suggested I get into mechanics. He drives trucks for a living, kinda like Rock but he also enjoys demolition?—”
“I hope to god you’re talkin’ about demolition derby or something.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re always thinkin’ the worst.” He raps his knuckles on the door, then slings an arm around my shoulders. “And I appreciate what you said. I’m here for you too, no matter what: any hassles, inconveniences you need dealin’ with, a dead body?—”
“Funny,” I say. “Really funny.”
A few seconds later, Haze opens the door. His eyes meet Max’s, then lower to me. He clears his throat. “Two Sinclairs in one day, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“You can cut the crap, H,” Max says, barging his way in. “I know about you two, and Willow knows about our arrangement. Nice digs.”
Haze stares at me as I thumb over my shoulder. “You’re not a good gardener.”
“Hello to you, too.” He leans forward, kissing me on the forehead. That move alone invokes memories. It used to be my comfort thing, and I’ve forgotten just how much I’ve missed it until this very moment. “How was your day?”
I glance up at him. “We’re really gonna ask about each other’s day?”
He shrugs. “Why not?”
“Because it wouldn’t interest you, for one?—”
“Everything about you interests me.”
“Second.” I hold up a finger to stop him elaborating. “We’re supposed to be taking things slow.”
“Asking about your day isn’t takin’ things slow?”
“Not with that look in your eyes.” I steel him with a narrowed gaze. “I know what that look is all about.”
“I’m a lover, not a fighter, what can I say?”
“Are you going to let me in, or stand there blocking the entrance? You hiding something back there?”
“Only your brother,” he laughs, stepping aside. “But that isn’t much of a secret.”
“I thought Nova was staying with you?”
“She was, but then I apparently cramped her style, so she’s renting a room from Payden.”
“Oh,” I say. “That was nice of her to take her in.” Nova is a wildcard, at best. Though she seems to have turned her life around, a lot like Max. I still see that wild streak in her whenever we cross paths. I just hope she doesn’t screw it up because the Dawson boys have done a lot to get her back on her feet.
“There’s not many I can say are a positive influence on my cousin, but she’s one of them,” Haze says. “I thought she would’ve split by now, but I’m pretty proud of her for stickin’ around.”
“Would that have something to do with a certain pretty boy called Sawyer?”
Haze frowns. “No, why? What have you heard?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Willow.”
“Don’tWillowme. I said nothing. Just if I were single and working under the same roof as him, I’d probably be all over those dimples.”
“What is it with dimples?” He throws his hands in the air. “For the record, Sawyer might be apretty boy,but Nova would scare the shit outta him.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second.”
He closes the door, then jogs in front of me. “But seriously, if you know somethin’, I need to know.”
