Page 3 of Slide

“I’m twenty-two years old. I don’t even owe you an explanation…still, here I am giving you one—”

“No, you haven’t,” Hugh interrupted.

“What?” She curled her fingers into tight fists at her sides.

“You haven’t given us an explanation, not really.”

Her pulse started to speed up, the vein in her throat throbbing. “It just…it wasn’t for me. Okay? I quit and now I’m home.”

“Lucy—”

“I’ll pay you back the tuition money, every cent.”

“Don’t want your money. I want you to tell me—”

“Can I use Joe’s old apartment or what?” She was not having a deep and meaningful with these two. Not there. Not ever. Living above the garage wouldn’t be ideal, especially if she didn’t want her brothers hounding her for answers constantly, but right now her choices were limited. “I’ll pay rent.”

Hugh let out another long-suffering sigh. “Even after all the irresponsible shit you’ve done—”

“The parties,” Joe added.

She spun to Joe. “Now hang on—”

“The fucking off to God knows where on summer break, with fuck knows who and not telling us where you are—”

“That was—”

“Getting arrested by campus police—”

“That was two years ago, and that wasn’t my fault, you know that.”

“But this is a whole new level even for you,” Hugh said, ignoring her and Joe completely.

Lucy snapped her mouth shut. Ouch. That one cut the deepest. She wasn’t letting him see it, though. “So, is that a yes to the apartment?”

“Shit.” Hugh shoved a hand through his hair. “Do whatever the fuck you want. That’s what you’ve always done, right, Luce?” Then her eldest brother turned and walked out the door.

He got into his truck, started it up, and drove out. She turned to Joe.

He held up his hands and shook his head. “I’m with Hugh on this one. Shit, I’m actually disappointed in you, Luce. Thought you had more brains than this.”

“Joe—”

“Take your shit upstairs to the apartment. I need to close up.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a bunch of keys. Removing one, he tossed it to her. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Then he walked away from her as well.

Lucy stood there for several seconds, staring after her brothers. She knew they’d be pissed, but she hadn’t been prepared for disappointed. That was so much worse.

Grabbing a couple of bags, she took them upstairs and let herself in. After dumping them on the bed, she moved to the window. Joe was out front. His girlfriend, Darcey, had driven in with her little brother, who she was now legal guardian for. Noah jumped out of the backseat, wearing a baseball uniform and a huge smile on his face. Joe said something that had the kid breaking down in hysterics.

Darcey was perfect for her brother. Lucy liked her a lot. She and Darcey actually had a huge amount in common, not that Joe would ever admit to that. Lucy had hoped they could get closer now she was home; Hugh’s fiancée, Shay, as well, especially as she was having a baby. But after the way both her brothers had just reacted to her quitting school, she didn’t see any big family get-togethers anytime soon.

Her bag was still slung over her shoulder and she slipped her hand inside, gripping the small leather volume of poetry at the bottom, worn and soft, in her fingers. Usually reading her favorite poets filled her up when she was empty.

But there was no filling the gaping hole inside her. She hadn’t opened the book in her hand for months, or any of her books.

After dumping her bag on the bed, she headed back down to get the rest of her things and immediately wished she hadn’t when she walked back through the garage door.

Adam was standing on the far side of the workshop, leaning over one of the benches, and whatever he was working on made the muscles in his forearms and biceps bunch and flex.