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“Anyway, my new place is done, and it’s just me there,” Holden said.“But I can pick a night when Mom’s out of town with her new man if that’d make you feel better.”
Holden’s house was on his mom’s land.My great-grandparents on the Barron side had gotten serious oil money and had used it to buy as much land in the county as possible.Once they’d passed, Cameron, the oldest, had let the others buy him out of their shares so he could become a big deal at the refinery that had become the largest employer in the area.He had a lot of power.
Meanwhile, I was twenty-seven but still planning to go to a friend’s house when his parents were out of town to keep from getting into trouble.
“Sure.”Might as well agree.It wasn’t like it was going to happen in the short time I was home before the boys and I moved for good.And refusing might make it seem like I wasn’t open to being congenial with any family not being an asshole to me.It wasn’t like my life was overflowing with friends.“I leave again in a couple of days, but maybe one of these times when I’m home.”
Owen started peppering Holden with questions about his house.When Holden said he ranched, there was no saving the man from the next hundred questions about cows, horses, and heavy equipment.He answered patiently, but he seemed to like talking about his life.This was what it would be like if my kids had aunts or uncles.
Technically, they had one of each.Stetson was older and ignored me with simmering hostility whenever we crossed paths.His younger sister, Isla, had watched me like I was a bug she’d been warned was venomous.Did they even know the kids’ names?
I shouldn’t care.But sometimes I did.
I paid for our meal and Holden’s, too, though he stayed behind, chatting with a couple of old farmers having coffee.I gathered the boys, and outside they each jumped over cracks in the sidewalk on the way to my pickup.“Hey, we’re not loading up yet.Just grab a toy for when I’m talking with Mr.Hart.”
My insurance agent’s office was right next to the diner on Main Street.
Owen opened the back door of my pickup, and they each dove inside to find the toys I’d made them bring for when we were running errands today.I could do a lot online and over the phone, but sometimes, in person was the only way.And the only way I did business anymore was with kids in tow.
The door to the law office next door to the insurance agency opened and Laney breezed out, her eyes flashing and her red lips in a mutinous line.When her gaze landed on me, surprise replaced anger.“Liam.”
“Hey, Laney.”I didn’t bother to ask what was wrong.Laney would tell you what was wrong and what your role in it was.
It was warmer out than the last time I’d seen her, but she was dressed for cooler weather, tucked into a green hoodie with black leggings on her long legs.Her pale hair was up in a ponytail.Except for a worldly gleam in her eyes and the weight of the adult world on her shoulders, she looked like she’d walked out of high school.
She noticed the flurry of activity in my vehicle.I waited for the rant of what had pissed her off, but it never came.“You’re getting carjacked,” she said wryly.
“They’ll take a lot, but they can’t drive off.I have the keys.”
“You leaving town again soon?”
“Tuesday.”
She folded her arms and cocked her hip out.“And you’re back…”
“At the end of the month.”
Her eyes widened.“That’s a long time.”
It got exponentially longer each time I was away.“A little over twenty days.”
“You gonna let me know when you get back so we can meet up?”Again, I couldn’t get a read on her tone.She was almost shy, like she was asking me on a date and was afraid I’d turn her down.But there was a hint of desperation.As if the same thought I’d had when Holden invited me over also ran through her head.Having a friend in town would be welcome.
I was thinking it now.Other than Grandma Gin and Kenny, I didn’t have anyone.Holden was a maybe.Laney and I were still neighbors.Maybe I could get a read on whether she’d be interested in buying my place.
I didn’t like the idea of selling.Kenny had read me accurately about that.But I liked the idea of having other options who didn’t share my last name.“Sure.Yeah.I’ll find a sitter.”
“Great.You’ve got my number.”She sauntered away.Confident.Mysterious.
I’d been thinking about real estate.What if Laney was interested in more than catching up?Shit.Had I just agreed to a date?My omelet sat like a steel ball in my gut.My thoughts stuck on how I was going to tell Kenny.It shouldn’t matter, but when it came to Kenny, everything mattered.
I had twenty days to figure out what the hell I was going to do.
Kennedy
Grandma Gin steppedonto the porch, her arms folded and her face tipped to the sinking sun.I parked in front of the house.The click of buckles sounded moments before the back doors of my car flew open.Eli and Owen raced out, bombarding Grandma Gin with details of our day in Bismarck.
She nodded, but only had to listen for a few moments before the kids raced into the house.She glanced down at me.“Thank you for taking both of them.”
