Delaney covered his hand with hers to acknowledge his offer. “Are you sure?” she said into the phone, listening to the response while she stared Barbara down. “Oh, yeah. That’s a great idea. Okay, I’ve got to stop by Mama Cates’s house first, but we’ll see you in an hour.”
Delaney hung up on the call and looked at Barbara. “All right, it’s all set. If you didn’t make me so mad, Barbara, I swear I’d be sorry for you.” Delaney raised her voice so the back of the crowd could hear her. “And just to save the grapevine some trouble, everyone be at the high school in an hour. It’ll cost you ten dollars to get in. Unless you have a life, of course. Then by all means, live it. Please, I beg you, because mine is not all that interesting.”
Quinn grinned. “Well, my life sure is a hell of a lot more interesting since you came back into it.”
* * *
An hour later, the Climax High School Booster Team held their most successful fundraiser in years. Delaney and Quinn had stopped off at his parents’ house first. While Quinn filled his family in on the latest showdown between Barbara and Delaney, Delaney went to change into her running clothes and grab the small case with her prosthetic blade.
She and Marcus had talked about surprising both their families by running a 5K in a few months. It wouldn’t be close to a 5K, and it was much earlier than they had planned, but it would still be a surprise.
They walked onto the track, where Coach Wraithe greeted them with a big smile on his face. “Hey, Quinn. Good to see you.”
“Ben,” Quinn said, shaking his hand. “I didn’t realize you and Delaney knew each other.”
“Oh, hey, I’m not that guy.” Coach Wraithe kept to the guy code and made it clear he wasn’t trespassing. “Delaney, this fundraiser is great. We should be able to afford the new football uniforms and new lacrosse goals now.”
“I can’t take credit. The fundraiser was Marcus’s idea. Excuse us, Coach.” She grabbed Quinn’s hand and pulled him over to meet Marcus. “Quinn, I’d like you to meet my running buddy, Marcus. Marcus this is my . . . oh, wow. I guess you’re my guy now, aren’t you?”
“You bet your ass I am. Running buddy?” Quinn stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Marcus.”
“Back at ya, Officer Cates. Um, sorry about all the rumors, but well, you grew up here. You know how that works. Delaney, the whole cross-country team wanted to show their support so we’ve turned it into a fun run with everybody.”
“Cool beans. The more the merrier. Marcus, I have to go change into my running foot. Feel free to tell Quinn about how we met. Then we’ll make sure Barbara is front and center for the official introductions.” Delaney gave Quinn a kiss. “I’ll only be a sec. Wait for me.”
“Always.”
Since jumping him in front of high schoolers, his parents, and half the town wasn’t a wise option, she sat on the edge of the football field to strip off her sweats and switch into her running blade. Some of the cross-country team joined her, stretching out in preparation to run.
Finally ready, she grabbed Marcus and headed over to the edge of the track, where Quinn stood with Coach Wraithe. Delaney’s gaze ran over the other nearby faces: the Cates family and Greer, Barbara and her posse, some of the veterans, and much of the grapevine, who sat clustered in the bleachers but close enough to get every word. And her eye wasn’t even twitching. Huh. She shook her head and grinned at how much things had changed.
“Hey, everyone. So, about that rumor . . . it’s true. I have been meeting a guy here almost daily for a few weeks now. Are you hyperventilating, Barbara? Hoping to hear about the wild affair Coach Wraithe and I are having?” Delaney shook her head at the eagerness on Barbara’s face. She stepped closer to Marcus, linking her elbow through his. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but this is the guy I’ve been meeting every day after school.
“This is Marcus. Marcus and I met the day I had my meltdown in the gym. Y’all remember that day. I came here feeling sorry for myself and not only would Marcus not let me do that, but he challenged me to run again. To live again. So, that’s it. That’s the big scandal. Oh, and Coach Wraithe offered me a part-time coaching job working with the girls’ cross-country and track teams, which I’m accepting. Now, on to the fun run.”
People cheered. Everyone except Barbara, of course.
Quinn grabbed her hand before she turned away. “A running blade, huh?”
“It was going to be a surprise.”
“Oh, it is. And let me say how completely friggin’ hot you look right now. Sorry, Marcus. You weren’t supposed to hear that.” Quinn kissed her. Hard.
“Dude, I hate to break it to you, but we see her in running shorts almost every day. You think we don’t know? Come on, Delaney, they’re letting us run the first half lap by ourselves.”
Delaney couldn’t catch her breath. Quinn had her heart already racing. That guy was so it for her. She was a lot distracted when she took her place in the front row next to Marcus. She felt like she could fly, just like in high school. “Is my life great, or what?”
And then the race gun sounded. Delaney took two steps and fell flat on her face.
“Or what.” Marcus crouched down next to her. Quinn and Coach W magically appeared as the crowd went silent.
“Ow.” Delaney rolled over until she was looking up toward the sky, only all she could see was Quinn’s worried face. She used her hand to gently check her nose and cheek. “Déjà vu, right?”
Marcus and Coach nodded. “Afraid so.”
“This is how you hurt your face last time?” Quinn asked, recognizing the bruising from her face a few weeks ago.
“Yeah. Slow learner.”
“Hardly. You don’t quit—you’re the strongest person I know. God, I love you.”
Quinn grabbed her arms and pulled her up gently until she was standing. He let go once she was steady. Wild applause broke out from the bleachers. “I know. I know you. Go finish the race. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“I know you will. I love that about you.” Delaney placed a whisper-soft kiss on his lips. “A placeholder for later.”
Framing her face with his hands, Quinn kissed her back.
“Quinn? Thanks for bringing me home.” Delaney leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Pinch me.”
Epilogue
Tynan
“What’ll it be, hon?” Renee poured sweet tea in his glass and shot him a smile. “Your usual?”
“Any chance Dave changed the menu?” Because as hungry as he was after a long day of work, eating a burger every time was getting old. And he loved burgers.
“About the same chance I have of a sexy billionaire walking in here, sweeping me off my feet, and flying me off in his private plane to his yacht,” Renee said. “But we can dream, right?”
“Right. Sure. My usual.” Ty slid the menu back behind the napkin holder. “Thanks, Renee.”
“You got it.” She walked away already calling through the kitchen window, “Dave, need a double bacon cheeseburger; hold the bacon and the cheese!”
He really should get back to cooking for himself. He used to cook. Before he deployed off to war zones. He’d been out long enough to get back to a normal life, but honestly, pulling his life together and getting his construction company started had taken all his self-determination and effort. So burgers it was for now. If he got desperate, he could take Kaz up on his invitation to dinner at his place. Not that Kaz wasn’t a good cook, but there was only so much tofu and healthy shit a guy could eat. Unless you were Kaz who thrived on that healthy shit.
“Tynan! Just the brother we were looking for,” Delaney said, as she and Quinn slid onto the seat across from him in the booth.
“What did I do this time?” he asked, darting his eyes between them. “Damn, you two look happy. About time.”
Quinn sat back, hitting him with his cop glance. “What’s up with you?”
“Not a thing. Keeping busy with work is all,” Ty said. He’d worried his family too much when he’d retu
rned home from overseas. He wouldn’t do that to them again. “Why were you looking for me?”
“We’re planning our wedding and want to make sure you’ll be there,” Delaney said. “You’re a flight risk, so I want to pin you down.”
“I’m not a flight risk. You couldn’t keep me away from your wedding.” Sure, his instincts were to run in the opposite direction of marriage, but he’d be there for his brother. “Y’all only settled things two weeks ago. Isn’t this a little fast?”
“Fast? I’ve been in love with this woman for years, so no.” Quinn’s look at Delaney said it all. Love, lust, honor, respect… you name it—it was there. Head over heels. “Plus it’s not for a couple months.”
“I’ll admit I was a bit nervous,” Delaney said, making goo-goo eyes right back at Quinn. “But the idea of me and Quinn having our own family—well, I want that so much. More than I ever thought I could. So I’m not taking the chance of Quinn changing his mind. We’re not waiting for some big fancy wedding like Sijan and Avery. A small church service with a pot luck dinner sounds perfect to me.”
“Quinn change his mind? Ha!” Tynan snorted, but shut it down when Quinn threw him a look. “I mean, sure, sounds like a solid plan. I am totally there for the shindig.”
“Awesome. My problem is between all you Cates brothers and Hawk, I need five bridesmaids to match,” Delaney said, huffing out a breath.
“Five?” He wasn’t up on wedding etiquette. “That doesn’t seem like a lot.”
“Not normally. But most of my friends were…I mean, are military.” Delaney blinked and pressed her lips together. “Most can’t make it.”
Right. Can’t make it. Because they were deployed or dead. Shit. Tynan knew all about that. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“There’s Greer,” Quinn said, as Tynan drew his hand back.
“And Avery,” Ty said, going all in on helping because he of all people knew how hard this was on Delaney.
“That’s two. I’ve also asked Georgie, Hawk’s sister. She already said she’d bake our cake,” Delaney said. “And I’ve asked Marcus.”
Quinn grinned. “He said as long as he doesn’t have to wear a bridesmaid’s dress, he’s in.”
“He’s a man of honor, not a bridesmaid.” Delaney poked Quinn in the ribs.
“Oh, nice.” Considering Delaney and Marcus had helped each other, it was perfect. “So just one more?”
“That’s where I’m stuck.” Delaney sat forward, her chin on her palm. “Who else?”
“Well…there’s always Barbara,’ Ty suggested, but sat as far back as he could, out of Delaney’s reach.
“Over my dead body,” Delaney growled.
“What about Jolene?” Quinn asked. “You met her when Greer took you to the cake decorating class at the bakery.”
“Jolene. Yes! I can ask Jolene.” Delaney leaned into Quinn and planted a kiss on him. “My hero.”
“You totally have to pair Jolene up with Paxton,” Tynan said, making Quinn snicker.
“Are they friends?”
“Not even close. We’re not pairing Paxton and Jolene up,” Quinn said firmly. “We want a happy wedding, not world war three.”
“Hey, the entertainment value would be off the charts,” Ty said, shrugging.
“Very funny, Tynan Cates.” Delaney threw a balled up napkin at him. “Okay, I’m going to ask Jolene now, since it’s short notice.”
Quinn and Ty watched Delaney walk off before Quinn turned back to Ty with a shake of his head.
“So, Ty—”
“Tell me more about the wedding,” Ty interrupted. Because he knew Quinn was going to ask questions he didn’t want to answer.
“Now see…” Quinn leaned his elbows on the table and hit Tynan with a look that made him squirm. “If you think asking for wedding details is going to distract me—you failed. It’s a neon sign that you’re trying to avoid me asking how you are. Very few dudes want details, even when it’s their wedding.”
He had a point.
“I’m fine. Doing great even. Just great.” Not great, but better than he’d been before Kaz kicked his ass and told him to get his life together. Thank God he had too. He’d needed it.
“You look tired. You hardly hang out with us.”
“I’m just—I’m just settling back in to civilian life. Work keeps me busy.” He loved his brothers and loved how much they cared. But there were things they didn’t—couldn’t understand about life after seeing combat. “I’m busy with the library renovation, and it’s only just getting started.”
“It’s a big job. Is your crew big enough?”
“I’ll have to hire one or two more.” Tynan was itching to get started on the job. It was a beautiful building and he’d make sure to honor the historic integrity of the structure. “Just think… You’ll be an old married man long before the library is reopened.”
“Yeah, I will.” Quinn’s mouth slid into a grin. “I’m a lucky man.”
“You deserve to be happy. So does Delaney.”
“Thanks, Ty.” Quinn’s blue gaze locked onto his. “The problem is I get the feeling you don’t think you deserve to be happy too.”
“I’m happy. You want to make me happier? Name me godfather when you have a kid.”
“A kid?” Quinn couldn’t have looked more stunned if Tynan had used his police issue Taser gun on him. But then his dumbstruck look quickly slid into a grin. “A kid. I haven’t even thought that far, but hell yes. I mean, about the kid—not about naming you a godparent. That will have to be discussed. You sort of have to be a role model…”
Subject redirected, Tynan could relax again. He was as fine as he was going to get right now. Maybe ever. Sure he had baggage he’d brought home with him, but he’d buried it deep never to see the light of day. That was the plan anyway.
“Ty?”
“Yeah?”
“You really are crazy if you think you can distract me from caring about you.”
Well, hell.
“Don’t you have a wedding to plan?” Ty growled.
“I sure as hell do.” Quinn stood to go, giving Ty a grin like he’d won this round.
“Hey, I’ll plan your bachelor party.” Tynan smiled wide. “We might end up arrested, but it’ll be epic.”
That wiped the grin off Quinn’s face. “Ty, I’m a cop. I can’t—”
“I’m kidding.” Maybe.
Excerpt Grumpy Boss
Lying to Her Grumpy New Boss
“Um…Lu? You’re doing it again.”
“What? No…I…” Lu rose up from the half-sheet cake she was decorating for the Turner twins’ sixth birthday. She started to shake her head, but a quick glance at her watch showed her she had lost track of time again.
“Yeah, you are.” Bonnie wiped her hands on her apron, then gestured to the cake. “That is the angriest clown I’ve ever seen.”
Lu pursed her lips, examining the cake she’d been lost in. Okay, so maybe the clown’s flame-red hair did shoot out from his head as if on fire. And possibly being whipped around by hurricane-force winds. His eyebrows slashed like angry cuts over piercing green eyes. Red lips twisted in a maniacal snarl, revealing teeth honed to razor-sharp points. “Oh, boy.”
“It can’t be that bad, Lu.” Claire closed the heavy door on the walk-in refrigerator and joined them at the stainless-steel counter. “You’ve been doing better this—oh, yikes! That’s not going to work for a party of six-year-olds.”
“Or sixteen-year-olds,” Bonnie said.
Lu sighed, looking down at the clown/serial murderer she’d created in piped butter cream frosting and edible paint. “I guess I’m having another bad week.” I should’ve just stayed in bed today. This week. This year.
When the bell over the front door chimed, Bonnie wrapped an arm around her, steering her from the back kitchen out to behind the front bakery counter. “I’ll be right with you, Sherry. You’re doing great, hon. Isn’t she, Claire?”
&
nbsp; “Absolutely. You can’t expect to get over losing someone overnight. It takes time.” Claire nodded a little too enthusiastically as she pushed Lu down onto the barstool normally reserved for Bonnie when her pregnant body needed a break. “And, and…you’re back to work, so that’s good.”
Lu’s body sank down onto the stool as if gravity had doubled. Her arms were weighted down, too heavy to lift. Her hands were numb in her lap. Claire’s words echoed in her head. It takes time. Time? Hadn’t she been dragging herself through each rotation of the earth like a good girl? Some days her heart was made of spun glass, every little thing ready to shatter it. Other days her heart was a diamond, compressed by sorrow’s weight and hardened from the pain. She waved off Claire’s concern so they could take care of the customer.
“Sherry, how can we—oh, wait, you’re here for the garden club cake. Let me go get it from the walk-in.” Claire threw a worried glance in Lu’s direction on her way into the back kitchen.
Huh. Was she having a good day or a bad day when she’d decorated the cake for the garden club? Claire came back out front, a huge, relaxed smile on her face. She threw Lu a wink on her way to set the cake on the counter for Sherry to admire before she rang her up. Claire folded back the cake lid, putting the cake on display.
Lu almost couldn’t look, knowing how sketchy she had felt two days ago, but she stepped up and leaned in a little for a peek. It was beautiful, thank goodness. She eased back onto the stool with a sigh of relief. It was about time she’d done something right. She was in the process of admiring the beautiful verdant garden she’d created when her gaze caught Sherry’s horrified expression.
“It’s beautiful,” Bonnie said, yet her eyes darted over the cake, as if looking for something evil hidden in the lush greenery.
“What’s wrong?” Claire said, her backbone pulled up tall and straight.
Sherry took a step back from the counter. And the cake. Her fingers twisted around themselves as her gaze flicked over to Lu before landing on the cake. “Those are all toxic.”
Still Crushing on His Best Friend’s Older Sister: Cates Brothers # 2 Page 25