Braving the Heat

by Regan Black

  “Hey!” Kenzie waved as she crossed the yard. “Have you been waiting long?”

  “No.” Mentally, he shook off the melancholy and forced a smile onto his face. She wore strappy sandals, and a dress in a blue patterned fabric that tied behind her neck and flowed over her body, down to points just past her knees. Her hair was braided differently today, across the top of her head rather than straight back. It looked softer and left her shoulders bare. She was a punch of sex appeal with a girl-next-door smile, and he struggled to find two words to fit together into a coherent thought.

  “Why don’t I follow you over in the loaner?” she suggested.

  If it wasn’t so hot, he would have suggested they walk back to the shop after dinner. “Mitch and Julia will give us a ride back. He wants to be here when the potential buyer for the Mustang stops in.”

  “Oh. I didn’t realize you had an appointment today.”

  Stephen shrugged and walked over to open the passenger door for her. The fluttering fabric of the dress played peekaboo with her knees as she hopped into the minivan. He jerked his gaze away. “Mitch sent me a text message from someone curious about it after I drove it around last night. I’m hoping it’s a legitimate offer.”

  He felt her watching him as he rounded the hood of the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. “Are you feeling all right?” she asked.

  “No,” he admitted, before he caught himself. He couldn’t put the brakes on any of the feelings knocking around like bumper cars in his gut.

  “Your family would understand if you skip dinner because you’re hurt. Just give your mom a call.”

  Hardly. They all thought he dwelled in the past too much. Although they respected his grief, too often they suggested Annabeth would want him to move on. Previous attempts to move on had been too much like boxing up their shared memories and giving up on justice. “Not Mom. Besides, she’s eager to see you.” He managed a weak smile as he twisted to back out of the space.

  He made the mistake of glancing Kenzie’s way and the concern in those blue eyes stopped him. Looks like that should be illegal. “What?” he demanded.

  “Stephen, the pain is etched on your face,” she said, with far too much compassion.

  “Gee, thanks,” he muttered. Surely he’d gotten better at hiding his raw emotions by now. He resumed the task of driving as if his life depended on it. The sooner they got over there the sooner it would be over.

  “Did you do anything helpful when you got home?” she pressed.

  Stephen wasn’t following the subject change, but he refused to risk another glance at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your ribs. It’s obvious you’re sore from falling last night. Are you sure nothing’s broken?”

  He nearly laughed with relief, except that would hurt too much. “I’m all right.”

  “If you say so.” She didn’t sound the least bit convinced.

  “Thanks for the concern,” he said sincerely. He’d forgotten how it felt to have someone other than family take an interest in his welfare. Well, Grant cared enough to tell him to stay away from the dealers near the community center. It wasn’t something he could stop. Annabeth deserved more than an acquittal arranged by a fast-talking lawyer.

  He couldn’t articulate any of that to Kenzie, not without revealing far more than she needed to know. “In my experience nothing helps bruised ribs but time,” he said, as he parked on the street in front of the house he’d grown up in.

  The door opened and Megan hurried out to see her minivan. “You washed it for me.” She beamed at him. “James will be grateful.”

  “Part of the full package,” Stephen replied. As he moved to open the door for Kenzie his sister got in the way.

  Megan scoffed. “Since when?”

  Stephen dropped the keys into her hand. “I had time.” He gave her a gentle, one-armed hug with his good side.

  She stepped back and glared at him. “Who told you?”

  He ignored her question in favor of introducing Kenzie, pleased when his voice didn’t crack in the process.

  “Hi.” Megan gave a halfhearted wave. “You were in Mitch’s high school class.”

  “I was,” Kenzie replied with an easy smile.

  As the two women bonded over fashion, Stephen wondered why he didn’t remember Kenzie from high school. Apparently back then being the oldest meant he’d had zero interest in his younger siblings.

  “Julia and Mitch are already here,” Megan said. She turned back to Kenzie. “Are you on his side when it comes to the Marburg law firm?” She pointed at Stephen.

  He rolled his eyes. “Leave her alone, Megan.” His family acted like he had no common sense. Just because Marburg got Annabeth’s killer acquitted didn’t mean he hated his new sister-in-law for working there.

  “Everyone knows Marburg is representing the plaintiff against her,” Megan replied in a stage whisper. “I was only going to give Julia fair warning if Kenzie turned out to be as moody as you.”

  “Megan.” He urged them up the walk toward the house.

  “I’ve met Julia at the firehouse,” Kenzie interjected. “And no, I don’t blame her that the law firm she works for represents the guy suing me.”

  Stephen gestured for Megan to go inside first, then pulled the door closed behind her. He held firm when Megan tried to open it again. “For the record, I’m okay with Julia, not with Marburg.” He swallowed, searching for the right words. “If there’s anything I can do to help you beat the lawsuit, count on me.”

  Her blue eyes went wide, then sparkled as she squished that big laugh of hers into a quiet chuckle. “Thanks for the offer, Stephen. According to my lawyer we just have to wait out the process, but it’s good to have a friend right now. Better than good. Thanks,” she said again.

  Part of him appreciated being safely labeled as a friend while another part of him rebelled at the idea. The door opened before he could decide on a suitable response, and Stephen was ready to snap at Megan when he realized it was his mother. She stared him down.

  “Hello, Mrs. Galway,” Kenzie said.

  His mom drew Kenzie inside and gave her a big hug as she aimed an “I taught you better” glare at Stephen.

  Disappointing his mother was the worst and an excellent distraction from the unexpected turn his thoughts were taking with Kenzie. Being attracted to a pretty woman was normal, though not at all welcome. Why couldn’t she have worn shop coveralls to dinner? He walked in and closed the door, trying to focus on tattling little sisters and the other details of life that never seemed to change.

  Megan’s little ones came at him first and he quickly sheltered his bruised side from their boisterous greetings. He was glad he and Kenzie had arrived last, subjecting them to less predinner chitchat. He lingered in the foyer with the kids while his mom reminded the rest of the family of how they all knew Kenzie.

  He was inching toward the kitchen when Mitch and Julia walked in from the dining room, their hushed conversation cut short when they spotted him.

  Stephen tried to pretend he didn’t have a care in the world. He turned Julia’s hug to the side as he’d done with Megan, but Mitch clapped him hard on the shoulder and caught him wincing.

  “Again?” Mitch said under his breath.

  Julia looked back and forth between them. “Do I want to know?”

  “No,” the brothers said in unison.

  “All right.” She slipped into the family room and joined the conversation there.

  “You two probably should’ve finished that discussion in the car,” Stephen said, “or waited until you were home.”

  “How much did you hear?” Mitch asked, his gaze aimed at the family room as if he could keep an eye on his wife through the wall.

  “None of it,” Stephen assured him. “Trouble is stamped on your face.”

  “I’ll fill
you in at the shop,” Mitch said. He forced his lips into a dreadful excuse for a smile. “Is this better?”

  “Better than my version usually is.”

  “You can fill me in on that later, too,” Mitch said.

  Stephen didn’t dignify that with an answer. It was bad enough Mitch had outgrown him by a couple inches. He wasn’t about to relinquish his role as the oldest brother and all the perks that came with it. Not even for the duration of a conversation. He didn’t need a keeper, didn’t need any reminders that harassing drug dealers was a dangerous hobby. He had to assume Mitch heard about his afterhours treks to the community center from a friend on the police force, the same way Sullivan had heard about it.

  Thankfully, the family gathered around the dining room table, and Stephen let the voices flow around him, blotting out the ache in his side and the thoughts of last night. He tried to stay quiet so no one heard the grief lodged in his throat or accused him of being cynical. Though he offered comments and answered questions when necessary, he preferred hearing what was going on in their lives. What could he say? His life had frozen three years ago and his existence revolved around the garage, with the same routine day in and day out, week after week.

  To his vast relief his family included Kenzie in the conversation as if she were a weekly fixture without expressing any hint of pushing her at him in a personal capacity. He picked up on the details that her mother and little sister, Courtney, had moved to Maryland five years ago. She made it sound like they got together only a few times a year.

  He briefly entertained the idea of that much freedom, but shut down the vision when it felt as if he’d been cut loose to float away. When his lips parted to ask about her dad, he dug into his potatoes. Not his business and definitely not smart to ask her anything personal in front of his mother and sisters.

  She and Julia got along easily enough, proving Kenzie was a better person than him. He’d been rude, hating Julia simply because she was an attorney. Well, he’d wanted to hate her and couldn’t quite manage it, since it was so obvious his brother had seen something more under the woman’s employment with the notorious Marburg law firm.

  “The lawsuit Murtagh filed against you has been all over the news, Kenzie,” his father said. “How are you holding up?”

  “Being sidelined is a challenge,” she admitted. “The shifts at Escape Club are a great distraction. No one there seems to recognize me.” She sent Stephen a glowing smile that hurt more than his rib cage. “Stephen has been more than generous about giving me time and space at the shop to fix my car.”

  Weakness more than generosity, he told himself. He liked her company and already he knew he’d miss her when she left.“Your dad would be tickled to hear you talk like that,” Samuel said with a chuckle. “The two of you were sure something.”

  Kenzie only nodded, as if some emotion had her choked up. Stephen swallowed more questions along with the urge to give her an outward sign of support. His mom would leap on any glimmer of interest he showed as hope for something more than a platonic association. He was surprised to realize he didn’t want her to run Kenzie off too soon.

  “He might have a proper guest room to offer, too, if he ever bought a house,” Myra said.

  The gentle reprimand underscoring her words only poured more salt in that wound. What did a workaholic bachelor need with a house? Stephen cut into his ham and shoved a big bite into his mouth, preventing him from saying something he’d regret.

  “The camper is plenty comfortable,” Kenzie said. “Stephen did a great job with it.”

  Crap, he thought, as Myra’s eyebrows arched and her gaze met her husband’s across the table. Kenzie seemed oblivious to the way she’d drawn full attention from every adult at the table. He caught a gleam in his youngest sister’s eye and blurted out the first thing that came to mind before Jenny could open her mouth.

  “Dad, you knew Murtagh. Do you think he’d sabotage her car? Someone put sugar in her gas tank.”

  Samuel’s face clouded over, his jaw set. “Murtagh always was an a—a jerk,” he said, correcting his language for the grandkids just in time. “If your lawyer wants to depose any of us who worked with him, we’re every last one of us willing.”

  Kenzie’s lips pressed together, holding back the surge of emotion welling in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  The sight of those tears she wouldn’t let fall was like a metal splinter under his skin. He wanted to take her away from anything that dimmed her sparkling laughter. What was wrong with him?

  From his side of the table, Stephen caught the look of concern Julia aimed at Mitch. They must have been talking about Kenzie earlier. He couldn’t imagine that Marburg would assign Julia, Mitch’s wife, to Murtagh’s legal team. Once they reached the privacy of the garage, it would be Stephen’s first question.

  Conversations resumed and his dad asked him about his current project.

  “I’m finishing up the rebuild of a 1967 Camaro SS for Matt Riley,” Stephen replied.

  “General Riley’s oldest?” Samuel asked.

  “That’s right.” Stephen nodded.

  “I didn’t realize that one was for Matt. We haven’t seen them in years,” Myra said. “It sounds like they’re becoming good clients,” she added, with a hefty dose of maternal pride.

  “And they have excellent taste in classic American muscle cars,” Mitch added. “I still want to know where he found it. It’s in such good shape.”

  Megan’s oldest asked what a muscle car was, drawing Stephen back into the conversation. He happily explained, in the simplest terms, that a muscle car earned the name because of how it was styled and built, and had an engine geared for performance. “The cars that are classics now were new when Grandpa was your age.”

  “Show some respect,” Samuel grumbled with a grin.

  Kenzie looked down the table at his wide-eyed nephew. “My dad taught me muscle cars growl when you’re going slow and purr when you drive fast. I bet Uncle Stephen will teach you all about it when you’re older.”

  Stephen gave her a long look. Classic cars were one interest his fiancée hadn’t shared with him. Oh, she’d admired and respected his work, but she didn’t know cars or parts and hadn’t been inclined to learn. That had been fine with him. She’d traveled with him to a few car auctions, hanging out at the hotel pool while he conducted business. He thought of Kenzie answering the phone and managing the customers. Annabeth would never have been comfortable stepping into his space that way.

  Stephen couldn’t figure out how that made him feel. Done with his dinner, he helped Jenny clear as the others finished. As his mom served up thick slabs of cherry cobbler for dessert, he caught Megan and James exchanging cryptic glances. Happy to get even for earlier, he called her on it. “Something you’d like to share with the rest of the class, Meg?”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Who told you?”

  “You did,” he said.

  Her eyebrows snapped together a moment. “No, I didn’t. We haven’t told anyone.”

  James draped an arm across the back of her chair and Stephen felt a sharp pang of resentment over the gesture. He missed sharing intimacies like those looks and small touches. He checked his watch, wishing for an excuse to get out of here before the surly mood took over and he said something stupid.

  “We were saving the news,” James said.

  “News?” Myra set dessert in front of her husband and leaned in when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

  As James gave Megan’s shoulder a squeeze, Stephen gritted his teeth. He knew what his sister would say before the words came out of her mouth.

  “We’re expecting again,” Megan said at last. When the first chorus of happy congratulations died down, she added, “It’s twins.”

  Laughter and groans filled the room and Samuel offered James his sympathy. “Good luck with that,” he
said with a heartfelt sigh. “One to two is enough challenge.” He nodded at Stephen and Mitch in turn. “Going from two to four overnight?” He gazed up at his wife, eyes sparkling with humor and love. “Good luck,” he repeated.

  “You’ll have all the help you need.” Myra paused to kiss the top of Megan’s head as she returned to her chair.

  “Meg and I weren’t that bad,” Andrew declared, defending himself and his twin sister.

  “None of us slept for weeks,” Stephen said, as if it had been agony.

  “Years,” Samuel said, teasing them all.

  Mitch said, “I remember helping Mom all the time.”

  Myra cackled. “Please. You rescue people now in less chaos than I faced daily with four children. I cried tears of joy when Stephen started kindergarten. And then Jenny came along.”

  “And being a perfect angel, I quickly became the favorite,” Jenny said with a wink.

  To prove he could do something of value other than marry well and procreate, Stephen retreated to the kitchen. They tended to rotate the cleanup chores, but he needed some breathing space. He was happy for his sister. Delighted, he assured himself as he rinsed plates and loaded the dishwasher.

  “You okay?”

  Mitch. He kept his back to the sympathy in his brother’s voice.

  “Fine,” he said. Anything more than one syllable would push the envelope of his control.

  “I’ve told everyone we need to get over to the garage to meet the potential buyer for that Mustang. Julia and Kenzie are ready when you are.”

  Stephen finished loading the dishwasher and returned to the dining room. “Ready.” When the conversation paused, he ordered Andrew and James to finish the cleanup for his mom. He made quick work of the goodbyes and finally made it through the door. Julia and Kenzie were trailing Mitch to his car.

  “Hang on.” Megan was on his heels, preventing a clean escape. “How did you know I was pregnant?”