Page 69 of When The Noise Stops

"Because they're going to keep asking."

Sully looked between us.

"So y'all together now?"

"No," I said too quickly.

Grizz's arm settled around my waist.

I stole a rib off his plate.

"Because we're grown," I said.

"We fuck. That's the explanation. The end. Eat your food."

Tiny made a noise.

"I knew. I knew y'all would end up fucking," Ronny yelled through the speakerphone. Tiny always had her involved.

I laughed.

Grizz picked up the phone.

"Goodbye, Ronny."

He hung up on her.

Under the table, his hand closed on my thigh, high enough that I felt the cabana all over again.

Chapter 29

Knox

The Palm Harbor shop had a name on the glass by the third week. Mercer Auto. Tiny cried at the grand opening. Lila acted like what she'd afforded me was normal.

I opened the bays at seven. The boys followed in a car now more often than on bikes because forty-five minutes on a Harley in US 19 traffic would have been stupid. That's when they weren't following Lila around like the Little Rascals.

Life went back to looking like a life.

Except it wasn't the same one.

Lila and I went right back to where we were, just like she'd said.

Apparently, where we were included fucking three or four nights a week.

Sometimes my place. Mostly hers.

Sometimes we didn't fuck at all.

She'd show up with dinner and stay. I'd wake up with her leg over mine and her bonnet somewhere at the foot of the bed. Other mornings, I'd wake up alone and find coffee on the counter with a muffin wrapped in foil.

Wednesday night, Lila was already in my bed when I got home from the shop. Hair up. Glasses on. Laptop. She didn't look up when I sat down to unlace my boots.

"You eat?" she asked.

"Tiny bought gas station taquitos."

"That's not food, Grizz."