When he stood beside her, and she still didn’t respond, he grabbed a bit of her long hair and gave a gentle tug. She turned up her face, unable to hide the grin from her success. Dev smiled down at her.
“Abi has a new boyfriend,” Mae spouted.
An instant frown formed on both daughters’ and fathers’ faces. Abi kicked a foot, jolting Mae’s chair enough to tousle her in her seat.
“Shut up,” Abi said. If laser beams could shoot from her eyes, they’d most certainly singe Mae’s hair. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, I do, Daddy,” Mae shot out, defending her knowledge. “She has a boyfriend.”
The energy in the room stood still from Dev’s fierce stare. “You aren’t old enough to have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t have one,” Abi answered and dismissed Dev, turning back to her homework.
“She does. His name’s Maverick and he’s so cute. They were holding hands when Mrs. Phiri picked her up. I saw it. Mrs. Phiri gave him a ride home, so he didn’t have to walk. His house is bigger than ours.”
Mae read a room about as well as Dev did.
Suddenly, Abi abruptly pushed her chair backward. With all the attitude a Fox could give, she gave an aggravated huff, or at least he chose to believe that was a huff, not the devil inside her trying to free itself on Mae, and grabbed her books.
“You’re too young to have a boyfriend,” Dev said again sternly. His tone and message bit out forcefully. This Maverick had no idea what he was in for with Dev as Abi’s father. Poor guy. “You don’t know what dudes are thinkin’. I do. You’re too young.”
“Thanks,” Abi tossed to Mae before storming out of the room.
Dev started after Abi, no doubt determined to mansplain his ways to her. He did it all the time, but she was too much like him. She’d do the exact opposite of what he wanted just to get under his skin. Cash gripped Dev’s wrist, holding him back. Abi might be the most responsible Fox in the family. She needed time and trust. She’d earned both over her short life.
“Let her go. Talk to her later,” Cash encouraged, drawing Dev to him. “Tell me about the meeting today. Was Alec impressed?”
It took a few seconds for Dev to shift to the new topic. His grim features eventually softened until he grinned broadly.
“I don’t wanna hear anything about the dumb motorcycle shop,” Mae said and stood on the seat, jumping to the floor before racing in the same direction Abi had gone.
“All the hell Keyes put me through was for nothin’,” Dev grunted. “Alec’s fundin’ the entire project, the sole investor. Keyes already knew he was dishin’ out the dough.” Dev took hold of the back of Mae’s chair, dragging it out before dropping heavily down in the seat. He kicked at the chair beside him in invitation for Cash.
“So, you didn’t have to offer any help?” Cash asked quietly, surprised.
“Not a single dime. Keyes thinks Alec should be a paid partner. He’s handlin’ the money and he’ll take care of all the marketin’. Somethin’ like that. Keyes talked to me when we left the office, but he’s started using so many words to say things that it’s hard to listen to it all,” Dev explained, wrapping his arms over his chest. “Keyes is doin’ most of the work. I can’t see where I should be an equal partner to Keyes. Maybe Alec shouldn’t either. I don’t know. We’re usin’ my name and reputation… Alec’s a smart guy…” Dev shook his head. “However it works is fine.”
“What does time management look like now?” Cash asked. He missed Dev during the nine or so hours of his workday. If the motorcycle shop really took off, he saw lots of lonely nights and weekends in his future.
“Keyes and I can manage a lot over the phone and by video calls. I can’t afford to let the ink parlor suffer any more than it has. Trace is transitionin’ my overflow well enough, but his schedule’s stacked. I figure I can shift more of my one-offcustomers to him, and he can shift what he can’t do to the new guy. They can also handle the walk-ins. On my evenings with the girls, we can head to Keyes’s place for a couple of hours. They like it over there. The dogs play. They love that shit.”
Cash nodded, hopefully pulling off a look of encouragement, but feeling needy inside. “I can head there after work…”
“Gonna miss me?” Dev teased, leaning forward, and getting closer to Cash, who leaned back in his seat. The deep connection he’d developed sometimes made him vulnerable and insecure.
“I…” Cash clamped his mouth shut when nothing else came. Dev read him like a book, barking out a laugh, reaching for Cash’s forearm. He was drawn forward until their fingers intertwined, linking them together.
“I was teasin’. In my head, wherever I am, you’re there too. Sometimes I forget you don’t understand that. If you don’t mind, can you come with me on the nights I’m there? I think my work can be done here at home, but I feel like I need to be supportive,” Dev explained as he began to fingerplay Cash’s hand. “The initial bikes that Keyes is buildin’ from scratch… He’s crazy talented. What he’s doin’ hasn’t been done before. We’re gonna see if it works. How he slung tires for all those years was such a waste of his time.”
“And Alec still doesn’t know that Keyes is building him a motorcycle?” Cash asked.
When Cash initially heard the plan that the first bike made would be a Christmas present to Alec, he didn’t know how Keyes could keep such a secret being married to a curious attorney. They had months to go before the holidays. It still seemed iffy to Cash that Keyes could pull it off.
“Nope,” Dev said proudly for his friend. “I brought up the blueprints by accident, but Keyes swerved and redirected like apro. Since the bike’s bein’ stored in his uncle’s barn, I don’t think Alec has a clue.”
“How’s the new shop coming?”
Keyes and Alec had purchased acres of land many months ago and were in the process of building a massive workshop there.
