Chapter 25
Holden
Banshee played in the snow that had fallen overnight, turning everything a crisp white that blanketed over our dead grass, rutted dirt drive, and worn porch railings.
Her joy was infectious, and I couldn’t help but smile big before leaning over to kiss Shiloh’s cold lips. “Wish I could stay, but I have to get back to the shop. Not all of us get snow days.”
I’d already pushed my lunch hour well beyond its bounds, but it was difficult to choose spreadsheets that refused to cooperate over my boyfriend’s smiles. A smile I could kiss now. Would wonders never cease? I was finally getting somewhere. Like my brothers, I had a boyfriend, and I could kiss him.
Shiloh chuckled, eyes sparkling. “Banshee and I are gonna play in the snow all day.”
Banshee jumped around, looking like a bunny, her white coat disappearing into the landscape. Thankfully, her pink, happy tongue made her easy to spot.
I snorted. “Careful what you wish for. You might never get her inside.”
An old Buick LeBaron pulled into the auto shop parking lot. From this distance, I couldn’t see who was driving, but I didn’t need to see. I knew.
“Hey, Jose is here!”
“Jose?” Shiloh asked.
“Oh, he used to work at the shop. He’s kind of a surrogate grandfather to me.”
His eyes brightened. “Can I meet him?”
I’d never gotten that moment where you introduced your boyfriend to your family. Not when I’d brought Shiloh home to my brothers as nothing more than a friend.
My stomach fluttered with nerves. “Sure. Come on over to the shop with me.”
We trudged through the snow, Banshee following along, then racing ahead, then circling us while giving sharp, happy barks.
The bay doors were closed today to keep in the heat, so we had to use the regular door. We stepped inside, stomping snow off our shoes, and bypassed the small customer lobby area to enter the work bay.
Banshee stayed outside, but I wasn’t worried about her running off. She was content to play nearby.
The scent of motor oil hit me right away, the smell of home. Jose’s wide smile and snowy hair were bright in the dingy garage. A little boy of about six clung to his hand, his grandson, Enrique.
All work had screeched to a halt when Jose arrived, as to be expected. I cast a look at everyone standing around. “Why are you all standing around? The boss leaves, and the mechanics play?”
I was joking, for once. Jose was like family, and we all loved to catch up when he visited.
“It’s my fault,” Jose said. “They were hard at it when I got here.”
“Well, of course it is,” I said, unable to suppress the smile overtaking me. “You’re trouble.”
He chuckled. “Compared to Axel? I don’t think so.”
“Axel is boring now,” Bailey said. “He’s dating the sheriff.”
“I heard that.” Jose looked past me to Shiloh. “He’s not the only one with a new young man, huh? I retire, and suddenly, I miss everything.”
“Hi,” Shiloh said, stepping forward and extending his hand.
“This is Shiloh,” I said. “He’s my new young man.”
Jose clasped Shiloh’s hand. “Nice to meet you, son. Do you hug?”
Shiloh didn’t miss a beat. “I love hugs.”
Jose swept him into an embrace, patting his back and whispering something I couldn’t hear into his ear. Shiloh nodded and smiled, so I trusted it wasn’t anything too bad.
“So, Holden tells me you’re like a grandfather to him?” Shiloh said as he stepped back.
Jose harrumphed. “More like a second father. Maybe an older brother?”
Shiloh laughed. “Ah, yes, much more likely.”
“And you’re his carino, hmm? Make sure he treats you right. I raised him to be a gentleman.”
“Oh, so that’s where he gets it, huh?” Shiloh teased. “I guess I owe you a thank-you, then. You did good with this one.”
“I’m just doing my best to appreciate my guy,” I said.
I might not be able to give Shiloh everything his former boyfriends had, but I could sure as hell treat him ten times better.
“Don’t encourage them,” Bailey said. “They’re already so sappy it’s tough to live with.”
“Oh, you’re suffering, huh?” Jose laughed and wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulders, giving him a playful shake. “You better just get used to it because your brother deserves to be happy. He’s waited a long time for this.”
“I know,” Bailey said with a grin. “It’s my job to be a brat.”
“Oh, is it?” Gray asked. “I didn’t know that came with a paycheck now. Bailey works so hard at it, he’s probably due for a bonus.”
I snorted. “Probably.”
“Oh, sign me up,” Shiloh joked. “I’d make a fantastic brat.”
Too true. Bratty behavior came naturally to him when he was feeling saucy. I’d seen it a little less since we started working on my haphephobia. I really wanted him to feel comfortable enough to tease and flirt the way he did before we began tiptoeing around my boundaries to add physical intimacy.
After a few minutes, Shiloh excused himself to check on Banshee and let us all catch up. Bailey had taken charge of Enrique, holding him up to peer into the engine of a car, while Flynn pointed at parts and explained what they did.
Jose and Gray followed me into my office, and we all took a seat.
“So, it looks like things are going great around here,” Jose said. “It’s enough to make a man feel unneeded.”
“It’s been tight,” Gray said. “But we’re getting by.”
I nodded. “I was just banging my head against the wall this morning because we’ve got expenses eating into the bottom line.”
“That hydraulic lift replacement didn’t help,” Gray said.
“That and our suppliers keep raising prices. I can pass some of that on to customers, but too much, and I’ll lose their business.”
“It’s a balancing act,” Jose agreed.
“How did you and Dad make it look so easy when we were younger?” I asked.
There was a time, before Mom’s death, when the auto shop ran like a smoothly oiled machine. Dad used to whistle while he worked on cars. He loved teaching us about mechanics. I remembered how proud he was of Gray when he took to it and how disappointed he was that it didn’t come naturally to me.
It hurt to remember those days because I cared so damn much what he thought of me.
The Forresters were the only parents I’d known after mine, and I’d damn near worshipped them for their simple choice not to hit me.
It didn’t entirely take away the fear that they eventually would, though.
And after our mom died and the old man spiraled into drinking, he did hit Axel once.
I was away at college at the time, but when I heard about it later, I confronted the old man and told him I’d never live with abuse in my family again. If he ever lifted a hand to any of my brothers, I’d call the sheriff and get him tossed into jail.
He never hit any of us again, but things were never the same. The trust was gone.
“I don’t know that running the shop was ever easy,” Jose said, “but the county contract sure helped.”
“You serviced the county vehicles? I don’t remember that.”
“Oh yeah,” Gray said. “I remember a patrol car being serviced in the shop a few times.”
He spent more time in the garage than I did back then. When I didn’t excel at mechanics, I’d focused on academics and college plans. Never expected to end up running the business.
“That county contract kept us in the black pretty much all on its own,” Jose said. “But then your dad got worse with his drinking, and he couldn’t meet deadlines. We lost that job before any of you worked here regularly.”
“I just assumed Woodie’s had always had that contract. Damn, that would really be helpful.”
“We could do with some regular bread and butter,” Gray agreed.
“Well, times have changed,” Jose said. “You boys aren’t your dad.
Might be something you could have a shot at again, especially with Axel dating that sheriff.
It’s not his call, but he’d likely have some influence.
” He chuckled and shook his head. “I still can’t believe he took up with an authority figure like that. “
“You’re not the only one he surprised. Dalton is good for him, though. Did you know Axel got a grant to start up an official fostering program for those pets?”
“He didn’t tell me that. I’m gonna have to go over to the junkyard and give him a piece of my mind about staying in touch. Maybe he can hook Enrique up with a cute little kitten while we’re at it.”
“He can hook Enrique up with a dozen kittens,” Gray said with a laugh.
“Enrique’s mom would kill me for that. We best stick to one. Even that is pushing it with her.”
The rest of the day went by quickly. I put out a couple of calls about the county contracts and found out the renewal date would be in the fall. That gave us time to put together a competitive bid. If we got the job, it’d be steady work, but we’d have to be ready for it.
When I got back to the house, Bailey was taking his turn at the stove. “I need ten minutes for dinner.”
“No garbage plates,” I ordered.
“But they’re good!”
“To your white trash palate, maybe! Emory and Shiloh deserve better.”
Bailey rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll need at least twenty minutes, then.”
“Take your time.” I continued down the hall. Shiloh was probably working on a lesson plan or grading at his computer. For a part-time sub, he stayed pretty busy, but I could see how much he loved it.
As I got closer, I heard a voice talking. It wasn’t Shiloh. This voice was deeper and a little hoarse, like the guy smoked too much.
The bedroom door was open. I glanced in, halfway expecting to see another person there. But the voice was coming from the laptop.
Shiloh sat in front of the computer, eyes riveted on the screen, where a handsome man—if a little shaggy—was speaking to him.
Did he not shut down the cam site? Was this a client?
“…thought you’d forgotten all about me, but you still care,” the guy was saying. “That means a lot to me.” He rubbed at his scruff, smiling sheepishly. “Shit, babe, I know I’ve made mistakes. I never should have let you go.”
Wait. Wait. I took in the guy’s appearance again, this time clocking the orange shoulders just visible at the bottom of the screen. A prison uniform.