AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sitting down with my plate, I glance around the yard at the group we’ve assembled. Unlike less scrupulous contractors looking to make a buck and run, I won’t hire just anyone. The men and women on my team are hard-working, meticulous craftsmen who know their trades. I trust them to do their jobs even if I’m not at the site. Having the freedom to scout for new opportunities while my crew handles the rest is what’s given us a leg up on the competition.
Most importantly, however, is that they’re decent, honest folks. My good friends and found family. Seeing Teagan laughing and eating among them is like hitting a home run on the first try. She deserves to be here, surrounded by people who love and support her the way I’ve been loved and supported all these years.
Teagan stops eating and checks her phone. “My uncle’s here,” she says to me, smiling. “I’m going to go meet him out front.”
My gaze follows her to the edge of the house where she disappears around the corner. The muscles in my neck and back go taut now that she’s no longer in view. I sip my beer, but barely taste it. Cherise nudges my arm.
“Teagan’s a sweetheart,” she says, but her words are no match for my concern in the battle for my attention. “It was sweet of you to take her in.”
“I’m just glad she’s safe.” I stand up as soon as Teagan rounds the corner, shadowed by a guy dressed in torn jeans and a wrinkled tee shirt. I jog over to meet him by the deck, out of earshot of the rest of the group.
“You must be Craig.” I offer my hand. “Jonah Parkes.”
“Hey, Jonah.” He shakes my hand a little too eagerly. He’s at least a head shorter than I am, bald on top with a salt-and-pepper beard. “Great-looking house. Teagan’s told me a lot about you.”
“Nothing worth repeating,” I say firmly. The last thing I need is this guy outing my relationship with Teagan to the rest of the group.
“He knows we’re not telling people,” Teagan says quietly. Craig shoots me a thumbs up.
“No worries,” he says. “I can fake it with the best of ‘em.”
“Good,” I say, relaxing a little. “Food’s ready, so go ahead and help yourself. Can I get you a beer?”
“Yeah, thanks, that’d be great.”
I let Teagan show her uncle where to find the plates and plasticware, while I set his beer down at the table. I’ve placed him next to Austin, across from Teagan. I wait until he’s sitting down to introduce him to everyone.
“I see somebody’s got a Harley out front,” Craig says. “Man, I miss riding. Haven’t been able to get on a bike in years on account of tendonitis.”
Teagan squints at him. “I thought you hated motorcycles.”
“I never said that,” he says.
“When I was little, you called them death traps and said my dad probably crashed his, and that’s why we hadn’t heard from him.”
Craig fills his mouth with potato salad, clearly in no hurry to respond. If anything, he seems annoyed that she’d even question him. “I took up riding so I could feel closer to my brother. I’m guessing you, of all people, probably know what that’s like.”
Teagan shrugs halfheartedly. “I guess...”
“Is your brother no longer with us?” Cherise asks.
“Nah, he’s still kicking,” Craig says. “Me, Teagan, and Jonah are heading out to see him pretty soon. Aren’t we, guys?”
Teagan nods, looking more uncomfortable by the second. I nudge her foot beneath the table. Reminding her that she hasn’t seen her dad in years was a cheap shot, all to settle a silly tiff that wasn’t even an argument. Does he always talk to her like this? If so, he’s about to get a rude awakening—
Austin clears his throat. “So, Craig, what do you do for a living?”
I shoot my VP a look of gratitude. Better he changes the subject. As much as I’d like to give this asshole a lesson in table manners, I doubt that Teagan would appreciate the extra attention.
Forcing myself to play it cool, I clean my plate, nodding along and generally keeping up with the conversation. Mostly, I hang back. Watch. Listen. Craig seems to have an easy enough time getting on with the group. Almost too easy. Like he’s well versed in telling people exactly what they want to hear.
“Are those Austin’s ribs I smell?” The mob erupts in welcome as my old partner on the force, Caleb, saunters into the yard with a bottle of Jack Daniels under his arm. He makes his way toward me, pausing to accept hugs and handshakes, before coming to plant a firm slap on my shoulder. “Good to see you, Jonah.”
“Glad you could make it,” I say. “Is that Jack for us or for you?”
“I might be willing to spare a shot or two.” He chuckles. “Nah, this is all you, brother. I’m off the sauce.”
“Glad to hear it.” Back when we were patrolmen, Cal had a habit of hitting the bottle as soon as we got off the clock. Drowning the demon, he called it. He didn’t go into detail about what that meant, and I didn’t think it my place to pry.
