“Which particular skills are you referring to this time?” Rachel asked.
He filed away a mental note to quiz her sometime about exactly what Gavin had told her and when and why.
“Not only can I come up with unique ways to drive my brother nuts, I also have the ability to help the boys forget some of this shi—” He caught himself, since Kellan was possibly within hearing distance. “Stuff at Gavin’s place.”
“If you make it so those recorders stay at Gavin’s house, I’ll totally owe you.”
“How big are we talkin’?” Travis asked.
The wicked gleam was back, and he liked it. A lot. “Pretty big. I mean, that would be quite the feat.”
“Big enough you’ll come along to Twin Lakes?” He couldn’t help it. Rachel should come and, as a bonus, if she agreed here, he could take full credit for getting her to tag along.
Everyone would end up a winner, except Gavin would be dealing with recorders, puppies, sand, and karaoke.
Rachel rolled her eyes. “You’re so much like your mother, it’s scary.”
“You mean I adore your children and don’t want them to miss the best summer ever?” he asked, hoping she understood that he was being totally serious with this insistence. “Then, yes, I’m exactly like my mother.”
Without the penchant for wearing hot pink and sleeping with his hair in curlers.
“To be clear, there will be no tree surfing.” She crossed her arms.
He huffed. “You take things way too seriously.”
“And maybe you don’t take anything seriously enough.” With that parting shot, she shooed her boys down the stairs.
He did so take things seriously. All the time. Just not the things she did. Frowning, Travis grabbed their duffel bags and followed.
“Call me tomorrow when you wake up.” Standing in the doorway, under her Shut the Front Door sign, Rachel pressed a kiss to Brady’s forehead.
Travis crossed his arms and grinned as she practically had to tackle Kellan to get him to slow down long enough for a hug.
He would’ve helped out but, since he didn’t take anything seriously, he held back. Rachel didn’t need his help, anyway. She managed the Frank hooligans like a pro.
Not that Kellan wasn’t affectionate. Travis just happened to know that he usually saved that for when he didn’t feel well, wanted something, or when Brady was the object of their mother’s affection.
There was no time for cuddling, thank you, there was a whole rainbow of things to do in the world.
The whole crew—Rachel and all the in-town Franks—spilled out onto the porch.
“Thanks for helping Rach out today.” Gavin pulled their mother into a hug. “I’m sorry, again, that I couldn’t be here when I should’ve been.”
Two apologies in one day? Over the same thing? Travis looked to the sky to see if there were pigs flying.
Seriously, what in the Sam Hill was going on with his brother?
There was something up, Travis could smell it like three-day-old salami left in Rachel’s SUV over a long weekend.
He thought he understood Gavin’s modus operandi in life. Then the guy went and started apologizing and Travis wasn’t sure what to do with the curveball. So, he figured he’d do what he knew best, exploit the situation. If Gavin was in a giving mood?—
“Hey, Gav.” Travis smacked his brother on the back and spoke when he was certain the boys couldn’t hear. “Kids have a game this week. You gonna make it?”
Gavin paused, thought for a brief second, and finally said, “Planning on it.” Then he added quickly, “I’ll be there.”
Travis wasn’t squinting at his brother; he was squinting at the situation.
Huh.
