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St. James swallowed and nodded.
“Everything all right here?”
Over St. James’s shoulder, Tad locked eyes with Jack.
St. James moved aside and divided a look between them. “No problem. Just getting acquainted.” His superior smile looked like it might cause him an injury. “I should get back to my son.”
Got it. You have the luckiest sperm on the planet.Tad watched his retreat, rage nuking every cell.
“You need to hit something?” Jack asked.
“Will you hold still or should I get Shane out here?”
Jack sighed. “Perhaps I was a little hasty when I spoke the other day. I don’t like what’s happening here but I understand now that you had Jules’s best interests at heart.”
“Always.”
A flicker of understanding ignited between them that felt like the beginnings of mutual respect. Nice, but Jack’s quasi-acceptance didn’t change a thing between Tad and Jules. Her interests would be best served if he stayed the hell away from her.
The pause stretched from uncomfortable to… well, comfortable, if he was being honest.
“Time to eat,” Jack said, evidently trying to be the bigger person here.
“I’m not hungry,” Tad said, turning away to the street. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be hungry again.
Thirty-Eight
“How come Jack’s not here getting his hands dirty?”
Using the heel of his work boot, Tad pushed the pitch fork into the densely-packed earth to its hilt. Once secured in the ground, he joined Shane on the patio. His friend passed him a cold one and took a long slug from the bottle in his own hand.
“Don’t want to mess up Lord Kilroy’s lily white hands. You know how he feels about anyone contaminating the air he breathes.” When Shane raised a disapproving eyebrow, Tad went on. “Look, I know he’s your brother but he’s not my favorite person right now, so he doesn’t get invited to partake in the fun.”
He gestured to the “fun” with a wave. The yard hadn’t improved much since he’d started tearing it apart three days ago. Rolled up grass sod lay to the side, the herb and vegetable garden was at best “distressed”, and the earth was in various stages of upturn like theCaddyshackgopher had paid a visit. He could have hired people to do it but the work’s weight was about the only thing keeping him from smashing somebody’s face in.
“I’m touched you thought of me when you needed free labor,” Shane mumbled.
“There’s beer and pizza in it for you. Besides, I know you can’t stay long with Cara needing you to keep her satisfied every minute of the day.”
Shane gave a sly smile. “Can I help it if my hot wife can’t keep her hands off me?” He took a long draught and leaned his elbows on his knees. “So the beef between you and Jack. Still Jules, I assume?”
“He’s just trying to protect her,” Tad said, resigned. He lowered himself to the bleach-weathered Adirondack chair and crossed an ankle over his knee.
“Yup, because she really needs protecting. Are you still going with the not-good-enough-for-her play? Or have you moved onto some other crappy excuse? Lean back there and tell me all about it.”
Tad groaned. “You missed your calling, Irish. Wasted making cakes. Absolutely wasted.”
“I would have thought this business with Evan’s father would have focused you. Made you see what you’ve been missing.”
Ignoring him, Tad picked at the label on his beer bottle.
“Or the fact that she started dating. Sure, that woke you up, didn’t it? Made you realize you’re crazy about her?”
The label tore. He used to be able to get it off in one smooth peel.
“The fuck, man.” A combination of awe and disgust thickened Shane’s voice.
Tad dragged his eyes up from the bottle, knowing they would reveal everything he had been hiding for two long and painful years, and no longer caring.
