His eyes lifted to mine.
“Do you need me to give someone a knuckle sandwich?”
It was the right question. Some of the tension slid off his face, a smile tugging at his mouth as his eyes warmed.
“I’ve got this,” he said, locking his phone and shoving it into his back pocket.
“Well,” I said lightly, “if you change your mind…”
He grinned wider. “You’re my first call.”
Then he held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s find food before your stomach givesusa knuckle sandwich.”
That got a real laugh out of me. I took his hand.
Rachel snorted as she brushed past us toward the door. “Smooth,” she muttered to Coop.
He just winked.
By the time we made it downstairs—me bundled into comfortable clothes and my hair still damp, and drying, Rachel flanking me like a bodyguard, Coop hovering just close enough without crowding—the energy had shifted again.
Archie was on his phone, posture rigid, jaw tight in a way that meant he was holding something back. Jake was pacing, scrolling furiously. Bubba stood near the breakfast bar, arms crossed, vibrating with barely contained fury.
Another photo dump.
Another wave of people deciding our lives were content. Well, their lives at least.
Archie hung up as I reached the bottom step.
“They’re being served today,” he said flatly. “My attorney’s already on it. Sharon. Her parents. Anyone involved.”
“Good,” Bubba growled.
Rachel slid closer to me, her hand finding my elbow. Coop did the same on my other side.
I wasn’t alone. Not even a little.
Jeremy had done his usual miracle—something warm, something normal—but the tension walked into the room a beat after we did. Maddy and Edward—Eddie, yeah I couldn’t get used to either—glided in. He was like a buoy of calm sat thick at the table. Maddy was already there. Edward—Eddie—beside her, posture calm, observant.
Maddy wasted no time.
“This is exactly why you should quit your job,” she said, eyes sharp. “This chaos is too much. You don’t need to be anyone’s sitting target until this mess is cleaned up.” When she saidmessshe flicked a dismissive look over the guys.
I bristled. “Excuse me?” I’d just picked up a plate to fill and put it back down as I glared at her.
“We have to pull together as a family,” she continued, brushing past me like I hadn’t said anything. I had the most violent urge to just reach out and grab her hair and yank.
It was so visceral, I could almost see myself doing it. In fact, I had to curl my fingers into my palms to keep from acting on it.
“A family.” It wasn’t even a question. Maddy paused two steps past me and locked eyes with me. Sometimes, when I stared at my mother, I saw what I would look like in twenty years or so. This wasn’t one of those times. It didn’t matter how alike we looked, she might as well have been a stranger.
“I know it’s early, but do keep up, Frankie. You have the intelligence.” The coolness underscoring the words only layered ice over my temper. “We certainly don’t need the money and?—”
“Whether you need it or not is irrelevant,” I said, too damn aware of everyone else in the room and the sudden vacuum of sound.
Rachel was right behind me and I could almost feel her vibrating with the need to intercede. Coop hadn’t backed off in the slightest. Archie was angling toward us, but I kept my gaze on Maddy.
“I do need it, however,” I continued. “I’m paying you for the car, per our arrangement, since you made it clear you weren’t a charity.”
