by Marie Harte
Considering what Evan had just witnessed, the scene didn’t seem so far-fetched. “Thanks.”
“Sure. Just like to help.” The boy looked at the truck. “Vets on the Go!? You some kind of animal doctor or the military kind of vet?”
“Military kind. Our company employs veterans to help people move.”
The boy glanced around. “Just you?”
“Yeah. I’m helping one of the ladies move out. And she mostly only has smaller stuff. Though I’m supposed to have some help on the larger furniture. But her boyfriend hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Well, if you need help, let me know. Got a phone?”
Evan frowned, wondering if this was part of a scam to steal cell phones, which had become a citywide problem recently.
“Whoa.” The boy raised his hands, appearing harmless. “Easy. I’m not gonna take it or anything. I’m just gonna give you my number. You can text me if the boyfriend doesn’t show.”
Not that Evan would. He could just see the boy getting hurt and the company being liable for a lawsuit. “I’m good, kid. But thanks anyway.”
“Your loss.” The boy smiled to take the sting out of his words. More shouting from inside the house turned them both in that direction once more. “Well, I’d better leave. If my mom catches me around here, she’ll ground me.” The boy turned and tripped, and Evan caught him before he hit the pavement.
The kid quickly righted himself, a flush on his cheeks. “Nice catch.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, if you change your mind, I’m the red two-story four houses down. Good luck with the crazy ladies.” The boy waved goodbye.
Evan waved then turned to the job at hand. He’d given the women enough time to get it together. He had a schedule to keep, and this house had to be moved today. Time to load the rest of the boxes from the bedroom.
Skirting the drama in the living room, he emptied what remained into the truck, leaving room for a few larger pieces, like an armoire, desk, chair, and bed. Rachel didn’t actually have that much to move, so she’d only requested one mover and a smaller truck.
He stared at the armoire and frowned, wondering how he might heft it out himself. Even with the dolly, it would take some doing. Fortunately, Rachel’s boyfriend arrived, and they muscled it and the other big pieces into the truck. The women had vanished. Though Evan would have liked to have seen the “batshit nuts” looker again, he thought it for the best that he didn’t.
“Thanks, man.” Will, Rachel’s boyfriend, tried to tip him as he locked up the back of the vehicle.
“Nah. This is such a small move. It’s no biggie.” It wasn’t as if Evan needed the money. And Will had been a big help; he had a good amount of strength behind those wide shoulders.
“Take it,” Will insisted, and Evan reluctantly pocketed twenty bucks. “Trust me. You doing this saved me a lot of hassle.” Will wiped a hand over his face and asked in a lower voice after glancing around, “Did she freak out?”
“Uh, yeah. You could say that. Wrapped herself around her friend Lila like a boa constrictor and was choking her over something she insisted on taking with her. Apparently they disagreed over the thing.”
Will sighed. “That stupid trophy.”
“I don’t know what the fight was about. I just know it got a little ugly. Then some other woman arrived, got sucked into the group brawl, and they collapsed into tears. Then laughter, then tears again. It was scary.”
Will laughed. “Better you than me.”
Evan wanted to ask about the sexy chick, but he stopped himself. “I’d better get going. Got to get this unloaded before traffic gets too bad.” Traffic was always bad in the city, but there were degrees of road rage Evan could handle.
“Gotcha. My brother’s waiting for you at my place, and you can just unload it all into my garage. He’ll help with the bigger things.”
“Great.” Evan reached into his back pocket to verify the address on his phone. And found it empty. “Shit.” He double-checked the vehicle to make sure he hadn’t left it inside. Nope. Not there either.
“What’s up?”
“My phone’s missing.” The same phone he’d had in his back pocket when he’d helped the boy who’d tripped over his own feet.
That freakin’ kid.
“What color is it? I’ll check the house.”
“It’s a red iPhone.” Evan went with him. Nothing turned up.
“Man. That sucks.” Will shook his head.
Evan would strangle the boy when he found him. “You ever see a tall teenager hanging around here? Light-brown hair, brown—maybe hazel—eyes?” He frowned. “Good-looking kid, seems friendly. Lives a few blocks down in a red house.”
Will shook his head. “Red house? Never seen him.”
“Well, he apparently knows all about the crazy lady who lives next door.”
“Kenzie?”
“I don’t know, but I need my phone. My life is on that thing.” At least he’d password-protected it.
“I know what you mean.” Will shrugged. “Might as well see.”
They walked next door and knocked at the back entrance. Will shouted to be heard over raised voices, “Yo, Kenzie. I got a problem.”
The door opened, and Evan’s angel appeared…holding a knife.
Evan gaped. “Holy shit. The kid wasn’t kidding.”
She stared from them to the knife in her hand and blushed. “I was just making a salad. Cutting vegetables.”
“With a butcher knife?” Evan had a tough time believing that. Then he met her striking gaze, that color in her eyes an intriguing mix of green and brown that seemed to change as he watched her. All thought left his mind.
Her blush intensified. “All the other knives are dirty…” She threw over her shoulder, “Since someone hasn’t done the dishes like he was supposed to!”
No one answered, though Evan heard Rachel and Lila talking in another room.
Kenzie stepped back. “Come on in.”
Evan knew it wasn’t smart, but drawn to Kenzie and needing his phone, he followed her into the kitchen, Will behind him. Rachel and Lila joined them.
“Hey, babe.” Rachel gave Will a kiss, the petite woman comfortably enfolded by the larger man hugging her so tightly.
“Lunatic.” Will grinned. “Oh, and Lila. Didn’t see you there, Lunatic Junior.”
Lila flipped him off.
“What’s going on?” Kenzie asked Will while studying Evan with an odd look on her face. He couldn’t tell if it was fear, disdain, or curiosity because the expressions flashed by so fast and she refused to meet his gaze. Probably a good thing, considering a smart guy shouldn’t want to be on this woman’s radar. No matter how fine she might be.
He couldn’t help noticing her long, slender legs or the curves under the thin cotton of her T-shirt. Or that she must be reacting to the cool breeze that suddenly blew through the room because her nipples had turned to hard little points.
Forcing himself to glance away before he embarrassed himself by leering, Evan saw a surprisingly neat and orderly kitchen, something he wouldn’t have expected of the supposedly unstable woman.
Will explained, “Someone took Evan’s cell phone. Some teenager who lives a few doors down in the red house.”
Rachel frowned. “Red house? That’s Tom McCall’s place, and he’s eighty-four. His grandkids live in Vegas, and they’re in their thirties.”
Kenzie’s eyes widened. “He did not.”
Lila blew out a breath. “Oh boy.”
“What’s going on?” Evan had a schedule these people were destroying minute by minute. “Look, I really have to get going. And I need my phone. So if you have any idea where this kid is, I’d appreciate you telling me.”
Kenzie gripped the knife in her hand even tighter, Evan noticed. “Ah, maybe you should put d
own the weapon, Kenzie.” Saying her name gave him an odd thrill, and he chalked it up to adrenaline.
“Knife? What?” She looked confused.
Lila answered, “I think he means the potential murder weapon in your hand. Put it down before you stab someone.”
Will took a step back, and Rachel planted herself in front of him. “Not the face, Kenzie. You can stab him anywhere else, but I like my men pretty.”
“Jesus, Rachel, it was one time and an accident,” Kenzie snapped.
“That I’ll never forget.” Will showed Evan his forearm, where a large scar bisected his arm. “Almost took my arm off.”
Lila and Rachel erupted into laughter.
“If you could see your face.” Will grinned. “Kidding, man. This is from a car accident years ago. Kenzie only stabbed me with a paring knife when I got too close to her cucumbers.”
Kenzie chimed in, looking furious, “That I was in the middle of cutting. Daniel,” she shouted. “Get your ass down here!”
“We can never be truly sure it was an accident,” Rachel added in a loud whisper.
Will nodded. “I still have the emotional scars.”
Evan felt as if he’d fallen down the rabbit hole. “You people are giving me a headache. Do you or do you not know where my phone is?” He stared at the knife still clutched in Kenzie’s hand.
She dropped it in the sink and stomped into the living room.
Everyone followed her, so Evan did as well. He couldn’t help seeing a fairly neat and eclectically decorated house full of color. Rich hardwoods and handcrafted moldings gave the house an upscale feel, but the furniture appeared worn and comfortable. No sign of clutter except for some gaming magazines, a pair of large sneakers by the couch, and an opened bag of chips on the coffee table.
They continued up the stairs and passed two bedrooms and a bathroom then paused at the doorway to the last bedroom down the hall.
“He’s not here,” Kenzie fumed. She spun around and moved so quickly she knocked into Evan.
He gripped her shoulders to stop her from moving through him. The contact startled him, once more shocking him into immobility.
Kenzie stared back, her lips full, rosy, and begging for a kiss.
Someone cleared her throat.
Evan immediately dropped his hands and stepped back. “Sorry.” Shit. His voice sounded thick, gravelly.
“S-sure. I just… It’s my…”
“Mom! I’m home,” a familiar voice called from downstairs.
Evan stared into Kenzie’s face, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Now that he thought about it, the boy did look a lot like his mother. Yet their ages seemed a little close for her to be a mom. Unless she’d had him as a teenager herself.
Her eyes darkened. “Mom?” She stormed past Evan.
He noted the caution on the others’ faces. “This can’t be good.”
Rachel sighed. “You got that right.”
Then he followed the group once more, aware he was losing time, his focus, his phone…and wondered when crazy had become contagious.
Chapter 2
Kenzie Sykes rushed downstairs to see her “son” smiling like an angel.
Ha. More like the devil in disguise. She must have been very bad in a past life to be saddled with such a little punk. One not so little anymore. The boy had surpassed her own five-seven frame years ago and now took great delight in looking down on her. Literally.
“What’s up, Mom?”
“Look, bozo, we’re not doing this again. Give him back his phone.”
“What? Whose phone?”
“And quit calling me Mom.” Her cheeks blazed, and she wondered why today of all days she had to meet Evan—Adonis personified.
When she’d spied the hottie moving Rachel’s things, she’d peered through the window, catching every glimpse she could. Tall, muscular, great cheekbones. And that ass… She sighed.
So of course Daniel had to ruin it for her. Because no way sexy mover guy would want to go out with a woman surrounded by so much nuttiness. Not that she’d ask him out or anything, but a girl could dream.
First, he’d seen her break down with her best friends. Then her thief of a brother had stolen his cell phone. And Daniel had been doing so well lately.
Mr. Not-So-Innocent blinked. “Why are you so mad?”
She knew that look, the one that said Daniel had done exactly what he’d been accused of.
“Buddy, where’s my phone?” Evan’s deep voice sounded calm, but she knew he had to be furious.
“Buddy?” Daniel raised a brow and in a lofty tone added, “My name is—”
“Daniel. Thomas. Sykes,” she answered for him in precise, clipped words. “You give the man his phone back right now.”
“But Mom…”
“And quit calling me Mom!”
Behind her, Rachel snickered. Will coughed to stifle a laugh.
“It’s not funny.”
“It kind of is,” Lila muttered.
“Hey, I don’t have his phone. Frisk me.” Daniel held up his hands.
Evan sighed. “I’m so behind.” She noticed him glancing at the clock on the wall. “Look, kid, I have a job to do. Just give me the phone, and I’ll let this go.”
Daniel shrugged. “I saw it on the ground, so I picked it up and put it on the hood of your truck. If it’s not there now, it’s not my fault.”
Evan stormed out the door, and Kenzie rushed past her brother with the others. She saw Evan reach for a phone on the hood of his truck.
Suddenly she felt bad, that she might have accused her brother of something he for once hadn’t done.
“Told you,” Daniel said.
Evan glared at him. “Neat trick. Especially because it was in my back pocket until you bumped into me. But whatever.” He turned, speared Kenzie with a frustrated expression—how is this my fault?—then got into the truck and left.
“Well, that’s a potential love slave down the drain,” Lila said. “Too bad. He had a nice ass.”
“True.” Rachel and Lila bumped knuckles.
Will rolled his eyes.
Daniel gagged.
Kenzie turned and yanked her brother into the house. She didn’t yell at him, just stared, giving him her guilt-heavy “I’m so disappointed” look because she knew how much he hated it.
He tried to outlast her, but as usual, he failed. “I hate my life!” He rushed away, heading upstairs. A door slammed.
She turned to see her friends pitying her. “Oh, screw off.”
They started laughing, and she couldn’t help a sigh. “That was terrible, wasn’t it? That guy is never going to help any of us move ever again.” Sad, but since a relationship didn’t seem to be in the cards for her anyway, losing the moving god before she’d had a chance to screw up their relationship could only be expected.
“That poor guy. A twenty-buck tip wasn’t enough.” Will shook his head. “Daniel is such an ass.” He chuckled. “I love that kid.”
“Shh. Don’t let him hear you,” Rachel admonished, and in a lower voice added, “Not in front of Kenzie.”
She wished her friends would discourage her brother from his illegal antics. But since Daniel had been banished from anything computer-related for the next few weeks until school started, he’d taken to “acquiring” electronic devices from friends to reach the internet. Now, how to make him stop behaving like a jackass and turn back into the responsible teenager he’d once been, back before the evil entity called puberty had entered his body and turned him into a conniving monster?
“Still, too bad you didn’t get a shot at being Moving Man’s love slave,” Lila said. “Because he was giving you the eye. We all saw it.”
“I did,” Will agreed.
“And he was sex-ee. With three e’s.” Trust Lila not to let
it go.
“So you date him.” Kenzie shrugged, pretending the potential loss didn’t annoy her. Which told her she’d better start putting in overtime at the job. If she had time to think about dating, she had enough time to take on that pain-in-the-ass client she’d told herself not to take.
“I’m not into white guys.” Lila grinned, lying through her teeth.
Even Rachel snorted at that.
Lila frowned. “And you hush. You got your own white guy.”
“I’m a quarter Hispanic, actually,” Will cut in. “And my uncle is—”
“Besides, Moving Man wasn’t looking at me like he wanted to do me. Which is too bad because I could teach him some things…”
Kenzie groaned. “Can we please not talk about him anymore? Why don’t we focus on what’s really bothering all of us?”
“The fact that no one has commented about how fine I am?” Will asked. “Because I’m much better looking than Evan.”
Rachel nodded solemnly and patted Will on the arm.
“No, what’s really bothering us is the fact that you’re stealing Rachel,” Lila answered. “I mean, I know you’re not. Not really. You’re all in love and stuff, but I’m going to miss my roomie.” Lila teared up.
Damn it. Kenzie thought she’d expended enough tears for the day. “I’m going to miss you too.”
“I feel it, right here.” Rachel put a hand over her heart. “But we’ll always be sisters from other misters.”
“Oh my God.” Will let out a loud breath. “We’re just moving eight blocks over. You still work together all the time, and we’re within walking distance.”
“I feel it,” Rachel repeated. “Not the same.”
Will groaned. “I need a drink. I’ll talk to you drama queens later.” He gave Rachel a peck on the lips. “I’ve gotta get back to work. See you soon, Meryl Streep.”
They watched him leave.
“Yep. Thrown over for a penis.” Lila shook her head.
Daniel froze behind her, having come into the kitchen. He turned around and stomped back the way he’d come, throwing over his shoulder, “Have I mentioned how much I hate my life?”