by T. L. Haddix
“The client whose kitchen I’m finishing. She’s…” He felt his face heating. “Her husband has more money than he knows what to do with, and spending that money and getting into trouble seems to be the only thing that gives her life purpose.” He stopped, not wanting to tell Eli the rest of it. But Eli wasn’t about to let him get away with that.
“Define trouble.”
“Chasing contractors.” Noah lifted his chin defiantly when Eli smiled.
“Do tell. Like cabinet guys?”
“It’s not funny,” he growled as he stood and gathered their garbage. “Half the time when I show up, she’s barely dressed. Today, when Molly called? She was breaking out the champagne glasses and chocolate-covered strawberries. Literally. And I’ve seen more fabric in bikinis compared to what she was wearing, at least it felt that way.”
“Wow. Does that happen often?”
He glanced over his shoulder to see if Eli was teasing or not and was relieved to see no hint of jocularity on his brother’s face. “Too often. There’s a group of the damned women. All of them are bored housewives and they’re friends, and they treat it like a game or something. I’ve about stopped taking the jobs, but I’m not quite to the point where I can do that financially, not if I want to take time off in the winter to work on personal projects. And I’m not the only guy they do it to, but they seem more dedicated to harassing me than the other contractors.”
“Have you let any of them catch you?” Eli asked as he got to his feet.
Tension worked its way into Noah’s muscles. “Did you miss the ‘housewives’ part of the equation? No.”
Given that Eli had believed for years that Noah had been intimate with Erica on several occasions, admittedly in part because of Noah’s own actions, the question scraped over a not-quite-healed wound. So he left it at that, waiting to see what his brother’s reaction would be. At some point, they’d have to sit down and have a long discussion about all the lies Erica had told, but not today. His encounter with Missy—his client—had left him out of sorts, and all he wanted to do was relax and forget about it.
Eli grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply… Sorry. I know you’re not one of those guys. But that’s probably why they’re so determined to catch you, you know.”
“Why, because I won’t play their game?” He blew out a breath, relieved that Eli didn’t think the worst of him. “There’s nothing I hate worse than games.”
“I know. I feel the same, at least now. I’ll go get cleaned up. Didn’t you say you had one of those new game consoles?” he called as he headed for the bedroom.
“I do, and several games to go with it. We can make an afternoon of blowing stuff up if you want.”
Eli laughed. “That sounds like a helluva good plan. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“I’ll be here. Holler if you need me.”
Watching him go, Noah felt a rush of anger. This time, his ire wasn’t directed at Eli but at the circumstances that had taken his foot. Seeing his brother’s humiliation at needing help doing a basic, simple thing like getting into the damned truck, it tore Noah apart. It wasn’t fair that such a thing had happened anymore than it was fair that his mother had battled breast cancer or his great-grandmother Eliza had suffered from dementia the last few years of her life.
“If you expected this world to be fair, sweetie, you were bound to be disappointed. You know that,” a soft female voice said from beside him.
Noah turned, the skin on his left arm prickling, and acknowledged his grandmother Molly Dean Franks, Zanny’s mother, who’d died nearly three decades earlier. “I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t get angry and rail at the universe from time to time.”
She raised her hand toward him. “You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t. But don’t dwell on what you’ve lost today. Embrace what you’ve gained. What you’ve both gained. Because his being back here? That’s a big win in so many ways you can’t begin to count yet. It won’t be easy, but oh, Noah. It will be so worthwhile once you two figure things out.”
He touched the cheek that tingled where she’d brushed her hand. “You think so?”
Molly Dean nodded. “I know so.” And then she faded out as gently as she’d appeared.
The first time he’d seen her, he’d been five years old and only barely able to comprehend the complexity of his abilities. She’d helped guide him through learning how to handle everything, and as she was the one he’d inherited the ability from in the first place, she’d made an excellent guide. So had his cousin Moira, who, though she appeared to be a child herself, had died more than twenty years before Noah was even born.
Over the years, he’d learned to listen to Molly Dean and to Moira, and they’d never steered him wrong.
“Embrace what you’ve gained. Okay. I’ll give it a shot. Beats the alternative,” he said as he stretched. But he was smiling a little, too, because though Molly Dean had flickered in a few times since Eli’s injury with a reassuring hand on his shoulder here or kiss on his cheek there, she’d not spoken to him. He’d started to wonder if she was keeping quiet because she knew things would turn out badly.
That didn’t appear to be the case, and he could honestly say knowing she was happy about Eli took a load off his mind. It didn’t negate the anger he felt that his brother had been so grievously injured, and it didn’t eliminate all the issues from the past they still had to work through, but it gave him hope. And in Noah’s experience, that was rarely a bad thing.
Chapter Eighteen
“You turkey! You didn’t have to buy my lunch,” Haley said Friday as soon as she closed the door to the private therapy room. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
Eli grinned. “Yeah. So?”
She shook her head and smiled. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t have.”
“So return the favor some day. It’s no big deal. I bought Noah’s lunch Wednesday, too, if that makes you feel better.”
“Hmmm, sure. Let’s see how things are looking today.”
“Wound first?” he asked as he sat down.
“Yep.”
“It hasn’t been tingling as much as it was,” he said as she inspected the leg. “There’s still plenty of feeling in the end but it’s not uncomfortable anymore.”
Haley gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s a very good sign.”
“That’s what I’d hoped you’d say.”
“Are you and your brother close?” she asked once she’d gotten him started on the range-of-motion exercises.
The question was innocuous enough on the surface. Eli blew out a breath as he stretched his injured leg to the point where going any further would result in pain and held it.
“We’re getting there,” he answered. “If we posted our relationship status on social media, it’d be ‘it’s complicated,’ if that tells you anything.”
She nodded sagely. “I understand that. Family has a tendency to get complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does. Most of the complication lies on my shoulders in this, though. I’ve not been the best brother in the world.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “Not even close. But I’m working on making that a piece of the past. Noah’s a good guy. I even thought about trying to set the two of you up, but I decided to keep you to myself,” he told her with a wink.
The pink flush that accompanied her soft laughter only served to make her prettier. “I was right—you are incorrigible.”
“Does that mean I won’t have to worry about some burly boyfriend coming along to beat me up for crossing into his territory? Maybe Eldon’s grandson?”
Haley shook her finger at him. “First off, you’re my patient. And nobody’s going to beat anybody up, second. Third, I’m not ‘territory’ for any man.”
Eli tried to keep a strai
ght face as he rolled over slightly to salute her. “Yes, ma’am. I apologize, ma’am.”
“You Army guys are something else.” She shook her head slowly though she was smiling. “Let’s get this set of stretches done. You’ll be hitting the weights next. Are you looking forward to Monday?”
The prosthetist’s office had called late yesterday—his temporary limb was ready to be fitted.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” he said, all joking aside. “Putting that thing on makes it real in a way it hasn’t been yet. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“It’s good that you’re aware of the emotional hurdles. That you’re not denying them.”
“I’ve denied a lot of things through the years, and it’s only caused heartache. Sometimes I wish I could go back to being that brash, irresponsible guy, at least if I knew he wouldn’t cause any more damage than he already had done.” He rested his head on the cushioned table and sighed. “I’d be tempted to run away if I could get distance from what I’d really be running from.”
“And what’s that?” she asked softly.
He turned his face toward her. “Myself.” Pushing himself up on all fours, he moved into the next stretch. “But I seem to follow myself wherever I go.”
Haley smiled, though her expression remained sympathetic. “It’s funny how that works.”
“Yep. Enough about me. Tell me about you.”
She let him change the subject. “Oh, I’d bore you to tears. There’s nothing to tell. Like I said, reading, knitting, cooking, gardening. I’m a stick in the mud.”
He assessed her with a warm gaze. “Sure you are. What do you like to read?”
“Tons of stuff. Mysteries, fantasy, romance.” She glanced away when she named that genre. “Do you like books?”
“Sure. It’d be hard not to in my family, what with having two writers. My grandfather and my aunt are both prolific.”
“Come on up to a sitting position, and we’ll work on your shoulders. What do they write?” She handed him the therapy weights.
He winced as his collarbone protested the movement. Even though it was mostly healed, he still had twinges from time to time. “I’m okay,” he said before she could ask. “Just a pinch. Grandpa writes children’s books, though I think he’s starting to ponder doing something else. And my Aunt Pip—well, Amelia, but we all call her Pip—she writes mysteries under a pseudonym.”
“No kidding?”
“Nope.”
“That’s awesomely cool,” she said. “Mysteries are probably my favorite. Have you read any of the Atticus Grange series by Alex Collins?”
It took everything in him to keep a straight face. That was Amelia’s pen name. “I’m familiar with them, yeah. They’re good books.”
She grinned. “Good? I devour them when they come out, along with her other series. Atticus is hilarious. The poor man can’t get ahead. The next one is supposed to be released early next year, and I don’t know if I can wait that long or not.”
“I don’t think you have a choice,” he teased.
Haley stuck her tongue out at him. “I can hope, okay?”
As they finished the one-on-one exercises, they discussed their reading lists. There were a lot of books on them they had in common, and she’d read several he’d been intending to check out but hadn’t had a chance to yet.
“Maybe when Noah gets here if I’m not too nasty from sweat we can run by the library. You have me eager to catch up on my reading now. If my vision hadn’t been wonky from the concussion, I would have already started.”
“Has that cleared up?” she asked as they headed for the main room.
“Finally. I’m hoping to get the okay to drive Monday. Then I guess it’s time to go car shopping. Speaking of cars, I noticed your vehicle the other day. Have you had the engine checked recently?”
A tiny frown line appeared between her brows. “It’s running on a wing and a prayer these days. If I can get it to survive the winter, I’ll probably have to replace it. My uncle’s a shade-tree mechanic, and he helps me keep it on the road.”
Eli didn’t like the idea of her being on the road this winter in such an unreliable vehicle. “How far away do you live?”
“Twenty minutes or so. I’m over near Troublesome Creek, close to Knott County. Why?”
He shook his head. “I was thinking about your drive this winter. How good a mechanic is your uncle?”
“He’s an artist with baling wire and duct tape. Seriously, he should win an award.”
Eli laughed as he sat down at the weight machine she’d indicated. “Okay. Has he said anything to you about your engine block or head gasket?”
She wrinkled her nose as she looked up at him. “I’m pretty good at most things handyman-related, but cars are a complete mystery to me. Sorry.”
“No problem. Has it ever overheated on you?”
“A couple of times.” She gave him instructions on what she wanted him to do, then watched him carefully as he moved through the first set. “Good. Why did you ask about the overheating? Is that important?”
“It can be,” he said, exhaling as he repeated the exercise. “If you overheated and didn’t get it cooled down fast enough or in the right way, it could damage the engine block. That could account for the white smoke I saw the other day.”
“And that’s serious?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m afraid it is.”
She grimaced. “Great. I swear I’m starting to think I only work to pay for things that break.”
Eli smiled with sympathy. “Isn’t being an adult loads of fun?”
“Oh, so much. I can hardly stand it, things are so fun. You look like you’re set here. Go slowly, please. I don’t want you stressing that shoulder too much. I’ll be with Eldon if you need me.”
Once again, he was left with a lot to think about as he finished his exercises and watched her across the room. First and foremost in his mind was trying to figure out how to get her to let him examine her vehicle. While most of his career had been spent working on diesel engines, he knew enough about gas-powered cars that he could provide her with a fair assessment.
When Jeanne came to check on him, she provided him with the excuse he needed.
“So how are you liking our Haley?” she asked as she helped him move to the next machine.
“She’s great. I’m already feeling a lot stronger than I was.” That was true—his muscles were getting used to being used again, and a good deal of the soreness that had set in due to the new stresses he was putting on his body was fading.
“That girl’s a sweetheart. She has a lot on her plate, though, what with her grandfather being so sick. They’re pretty much each all the other has as far as I can tell. Her uncles are as worthless as teats on a boar hog. I expect once something happens to Fred, they’ll step in and try to take everything that’s left.”
Eli scowled at the thought. “I knew she lived with him, but I didn’t realize he was ill. What’s wrong with him?”
Jeanne shook her head. “He got his legs crushed in an accident way back before Haley was even born. He’s been in a wheelchair ever since. And he’s got a degenerative condition because of that which causes him a lot of pain. It’s gotten a lot worse in the last year or so, and all that has taken a toll on his system. He spent nearly two weeks in the hospital a few months back with pneumonia.” start here
He thought of his own grandfather, who was still going strong and was physically active at eighty-one. “And her uncles don’t help her?”
“Only if there’s something in it for them.”
When Haley came back over to check on him a few minutes later as he was getting ready to go, he touched her hand briefly. “What are the chances you’d let me look under your hood?”
To his su
rprise, her face turned bright red and she quickly stifled laughter. “Excuse me?”
It was only then that he realized how his words could be misconstrued, especially coming out of the blue like they had, and his own face heated. “Ah, geez. I meant… I didn’t mean…”
She waved a hand in front of her face as she snickered. “I’m so sorry. Oh, goodness. Eli, I’m sorry. It’s been a long week.”
“Tell me about it. But seriously, I’d like to see what’s going on with the engine. I might be able to help.”
Haley’s smile was sad. “I don’t think that’s necessary. But I appreciate the offer.”
“It stands if you need me to. Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay. Do you have any questions or concerns about early next week? We can try to get you in here Tuesday if you think you’ll be back in time. I hate to lose so much momentum when we’re making progress.”
He hesitated. “I don’t know what to expect. I think we’d best plan on Wednesday just in case.”
“That’s fine. I’ll walk you out. If something changes, call in and let Lou know.”
“I will. Now you do me a favor. Keep a really close eye on your temperature gauge, and if you don’t want me to, you might consider getting your uncle to look at it soon. Especially if that white smoke is normal when you start it up and it isn’t cold or damp outside. If it overheats again and that block is compromised, that engine is probably going to be toast. There won’t be any repairing it at that point.”
She glanced up at him worriedly. “You think it’s that bad?”
“I hope it isn’t. It’s just a suspicion. But it’s an educated guess, so…”
“I’ll keep an eye on it. I promise. Thanks for letting me know.”
He saluted her, careful not to lose his balance. “My pleasure, ma’am. See you next week.”
Noah was waiting in the reception area, chatting with Lou, when he walked out the door.