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“Did you hear this guy take the Lord’s name in vain?” Blake asked, jerking a thumb in Trenton’s direction.
Malcolm rolled his eyes. “You’ve said worse.” His finger nudged his phone, his mind obviously somewhere else.
“Did something come up?” Trenton asked.
“Maybe,” Malcolm said, reaching for his rag again. “Celia is stopping by.”
Blake let out a whistle. “Wow, Celia? You haven’t brought her up in a while. How is your cousin?”
“Did her trip here go all right?” Trenton asked.
Blake glanced his way. “Wait, she’s in town?”
Malcolm sighed. “Do you ever listen to anyone else talk? I told you, she’s moving back. Got here today, actually.”
“Nice of her to want to say hi then,” Blake said.
Trenton watched Malcolm’s lips press together as he continued wiping at an invisible spot on the bar.
“Is she as gorgeous as I remember?” Blake asked.
Trenton smacked the back of his head.
“Ow!” Blake reached behind him to rub the spot.
Malcolm leaned toward him. “You’re lucky he got to you first. Celia’s off limits. You know that.”
Blake held up his hands. “Shit, Mal. It’s been like ten years, and she’s your cousin. I thought you’d be over your crush by now.”
“Don’t make it sound that way,” Trenton said. “Malcolm doesn’t have a crush on her. He treated her like another sister. And it’s been fourteen years,” Trenton corrected. He couldn’t remember much about the girl. Long, reddish-brown hair and big, dark eyes were all that came to mind. “She moved in with Malcolm’s family while my mom was in the hospital.” The old worry rose in his heart, despite everything turning out all right.
“How is your mom?” Blake asked, a deliberate attempt to change the subject.
Trenton let him. “Good. She and Dad just left on another cruise. They love their trips.”
Malcolm’s smile was a genuine one. “That’s nice. They worked hard. It’s about time they enjoy themselves.”
“Does that mean you’re keeping an eye on your sisters?” Blake asked.
“They’re off limits, too,” Malcolm reminded him.
“I was just asking! I’m not always thinking about hooking up.”
Malcolm raised an eyebrow.
Trenton tried to be the peacemaker. “Julia and Maria are already back at the dorms, so they should be fine. And the other two have kids of their own now.”
Blake blinked at him. “I didn’t remember that.”
“They’re twenty-seven and twenty-eight. It’s not uncommon.” Trenton had always been relieved they’d been a couple of years younger than Blake. He’d been a player, even as a teenager.
Back then, Trenton had been keeping his family together during the hardest time they’d ever had. His mom had gone to the hospital and mercifully recovered, but as the oldest child, it had felt right to step up. Looking out for his younger sisters while his father took care of his mother had never been a burden.
He’d always pictured himself with a lot of children of his own. Of course, that was no longer an option now that he was a widower. Trenton drained his glass, the liquid feeling like a lump in his throat on the way down.
Chapter 5
Celialookedupatthe neon sign above The Last Shot Tavern. It looked like what it was, an old two-story renovated house rezoned as commercial on the outskirts of the downtown area. The bus she’d hitched a ride on had taken her nearly all the way, though she’d had to hoof it the last mile.
