“I’ll, uh, I’ll help you,” Kaleb said as he stood from the couch and walked over to Jay. “I’ll be through there with Mr. Bailey. I’ll get you some juice, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.” The little guy’s eyes never left the television screen.
We walked into the kitchen, and I opened the fridge, holding up cranberry and orange juice. “I don’t have a cup with a lid, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, uh, I have one in the truck. I’ll be right back.”
Kaleb was out of the house like a shot, and Jay didn’t even notice. The kid was funny. I was guessing he was around four years old as he sat on his feet with Iron Man in his right hand.
His father came back in with a cup with a lid and a straw. His face flushed as though he were embarrassed, which was odd.
“Great. Which one?” I asked.
“Orange is fine. Thanks. I wouldn’t mind a beer,” Kaleb said when I put the cranberry juice back in the fridge.
I grabbed two of the IPAs Jagger and I liked, handing one to Kaleb. “Have a seat— I mean, unless you need to be in the living room with Jay.”
Kaleb grinned. “He’s fine as long as he can hear my voice. So, uh, how do you know Jag?”
“He used to work for my brother on his protection team when Jagger was still a State Patrol officer. We ran into each other when he bailed me out of jail.”
Kaleb’s jaw dropped, and I laughed. “I was a private investigator back then, and I was working a case. It was a misunderstanding.”
That was more or less the truth. Thanks to the help Jagger and I gave him, Spitzer was able to make a case against the Víbora Cartel and the Viper Kings Motorcycle Club, so the chargesagainst me for anything I did regarding Boyd Newton when I posed as the scary clown and chased him up the street were never filed. I was calling it a win.
“Ah, okay. Are you still a private investigator?” Kaleb asked.
I chuckled. “I still have my PI license, but after the first of the year, I’ll be taking classes to be a bail recovery agent and work with Jagger. I’m taking some time off right now to do some stuff around the house. We bought the house next door, and after Christmas, we’re going to start construction to make it into a single-family home.
“I see. That’ll be nice. So, are you and my brother a couple? I ask because I noticed some pictures of the two of you, and Jag looks really happy like you...” He trailed off and stared at me.
“I think it’s best if you wait for Jagger to get home. It’s something the two of you should discuss.” Sounded like the right thing to say.
“So, that’s a yes. How long have you been together?”
I wanted to repeat my previous answer but fuck it. “Yes, Jagger and I are partners. We’ve been together since September, but we met when he worked for my brother, Governor Gregory.”
“That’s really cool. Two of my neighbors are lesbians. They moved in together after dating for about a month. They’ll be getting married next June, and I’m playing guitar at the ceremony.”
Jagger had never told me much about his family, other than that he didn’t get along with them. He never said why.
“Why has it been so long since you spoke to Jagger? Did you two have a fight or something?” Hey, if he could ask questions, so could I.
Kaleb picked up his beer and took a swig before answering. “Not at all. He actually talked me out of proposing to Jay’s mother. She was cheating on me, and Jag happened to pull over her and the other boyfriend on the highway outside of Renoone Sunday afternoon. She’d told me she was going to see her parents, and she was, but she took the other guy with her instead of me.
“Jag didn’t say one word to me about seeing her with someone else. Sarah came over to my apartment that night, accused Jag of stalking her, and said she was going to report him to his superior.
“She ended up spilling the bullshit to me later that night as she continued bitching about Jag stopping them. I broke up with her and sent her away from my place. Two weeks later, she called me to say she was pregnant. When I talked to Jag about it, he suggested I ask her for a paternity test.”
I nodded. “So, is that when you stopped talking to your brother? Because you were embarrassed that he knew about your girlfriend cheating and didn’t tell you?”
His mouth opened and closed a few times. “I can see why you’d think that, but no. I guess it just happened naturally, as those things do. I was busy being a single parent and feeling sorry for myself. I quit going over to Mom and Dad’s because I got tired of hearing them tell me I should marry Sarah, even though she cheated on me. Jag never even hinted at anything like that.
“Of course Robby never got along with Jag because Robby’s an arrogant prick. He went to law school and thinks he’s better than both of us, and our parents only feed his fucking ego. No, Jagger and I never had a falling out. I just got lazy about our relationship, and I really miss him. I need someone in my family to talk to when shit happens, and I want to hear about shit that goes on in Jag’s life. I truly miss my brother. I’m here to try to fix it.”
That was good to know. Jagger would be thrilled to be in touch with his brother. “I’m glad, Kaleb. Jagger is the best person I know. I don’t want to see him get hurt, okay, so if you’re here for any other reason than to see him and catch up, I’d like you toleave our home. He’ll be upset with me for asking you to leave, but I can take it. He can’t take you breaking his heart.”
Kaleb nodded. “I swear, Bailey, I’d never try to hurt Jagger. Robby is the asshole, and he and I don’t speak because he keeps calling Jay a bastard. I hate that fucker.”
