10. #2
As we walked around the corner, I found Courtney wearing an apron.
That was an item of clothing I hadn’t realized could be sexy until now.
The sexiness was compromised slightly by the fact that she was holding a huge knife with tears streaming down her cheeks as she cut onions, but she was still hot.
“I got here as soon as I could, babe! No need to cry about it,” I joked.
“He said we could eat on the driveway!”
I furrowed my brow as I looked at Beau and reminded him, “That’s not what I said.”
Beau rolled his eyes and added, “He said if you say it’s okay, Mom.”
“Nope. We’re eating at the table.”
“Boring,” Beau muttered before he made for the back door.
Leo took off behind him, and Alana wandered off toward the stairs.
“I guess I know how to clear a room.”
Courtney laughed before she said, “Once they realize they can’t bullshit you, it takes away some of the shine.”
Since we were alone now, I walked around the small island where she was working and rested my hand on her hip as I molded my body to hers from behind. I propped my chin on her shoulder and asked, “Did you have a good day?”
“I did!” Courtney said before she turned her head just enough to kiss my cheek.
Before she looked back at the cutting board, I put my hand on her jaw and held her face there for a second so I could give her a proper kiss.
When I pulled away, she sighed before she said, “And it just got even better.”
“Got yourself a new ride, I see.”
“Isn’t it pretty?” Courtney asked.
“Probably even prettier with you behind the wheel.”
As I moved over to stand beside her, she sniffed and said, “Aww! That was so sweet it made me cry!”
“That’s all the onions, honey. I try my hardest not to make any woman cry, but especially women I’m fond of.”
“I realized today that you know my friend Leticia.”
I thought about it for a second before I shook my head and said, “I don’t think I know anyone named Leticia. Did I tow her car?”
“Her grandmother, Maria, was . . .”
“Mia! Yes! Leticia is one of her granddaughters, right? She’s Althea’s younger sister.”
“That’s her.”
“Maria lived across the alley from you.”
“She was friends with my grandma. That’s how Leticia and I became friends. When she’d come to stay with her grandmother, we’d play together, and then we became pen pals so we could keep in touch.”
“It’s a small world, Slugger. Who’d have thought that the badass who punched me in the lip was someone I’d met before?”
“I apologized for that.”
“Never apologize for being a strong, independent woman, Courtney.”
“I was apologizing for physical violence, not being strong and independent.”
“It’s good that you realize you are, though.”
“I am, but it’s mostly against my will.”
I laughed before I asked, “Is Dayton home? I was wondering if he’d like to ride over with me to drop the car at Dahlia’s shop.”
“I’m sure he will. He’s upstairs in his room. Dawson traded with a coworker so he could go with you too. If y’all go now, you can have dinner with us when you bring them back.”
“I’m not going to say no to dinner or spending more time with you and your family.”
“I like having you around,” Courtney admitted. She laughed before she said, “Of course, that could all change once we get to know each other a little better.”
“Such faith,” I said sarcastically.
“Even though you’ve been privy to some really tense moments in my life, we’ve still barely scratched the surface. Right now, we’re exploring . . .”
“There’s a lot more of you I’d like to explore,” I interrupted with a grin.
Courtney ignored me and smiled as she continued. “And getting to know each other. You might come to realize that I irritate the hell out of you and decide to cut and run.”
“Not likely.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
Just then, Dawson walked into the kitchen, followed by Dayton and Alana. Within just a few minutes, I was out in the garage with all five kids while Courtney cooked dinner. Once Dawson had moved her new car, I backed in my truck to hook up to the old car in the garage.
It took twice as long as usual because Beau and Leo were doing their best to help me, and Alana asked about every single button and lever, but Dawson finally herded the kids back into the house and then rode with me and his brother to Dahlia’s shop, where she was waiting.
Once I’d made the introductions, she showed the guys to the bay she’d assigned them while I maneuvered the car into the space. I dropped it and then walked over to chat with my friend about what I knew needed to be done to the car and get her thoughts on what else Dawson should consider.
Dayton was standing off to the side, so I walked over to him while Dahlia explained tool rentals and the other amenities she had for her bay rentals.
I didn’t know exactly what to say, considering everything that had happened the other night and how reluctant he’d been to talk to me since then, so I started out simple. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Dayton looked around for a second and asked, “So, you know how to work on cars?”
“I do.” I chuckled before I said, “Although, I admit that I prefer to work on older cars rather than try to figure out all the computer stuff on the new ones.”
“How did you learn?”
“My family has a garage in town, and I pretty much grew up there.”
“I saw you riding a motorcycle the other day when I was with my mom.”
I didn’t want to pry, but I thought Courtney would probably want to know when that was, so I asked, “Which day? I ride all the time, so it could have been anywhere.”
“It was a few weeks ago. There were a bunch of people riding together.”
“That makes sense. We get together at least once a week to ride.”
“You belong to a motorcycle gang?”
“It’s a club . . . the Texas Knights.”
“Like on that TV show!”
“It’s not anything like that,” I said with a grin as I shook my head. “My father is the co-president of my MC, and I think that’s where the similarities end.”
“You don’t go around blowing things up and killing people?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You look like you could if you wanted to.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s an insult.”
“I just meant that you sort of look like one of the men from that show.”
“I’ll accept that comparison.” I wanted to keep him engaged, so I asked, “Do you like bikes?”
“I like to look at them, but I’ve never ridden one.”
“What about dirt bikes?”
“Those look really fun.”
“I happen to know some people who may have one we can borrow if you’d like to learn to ride.”
“That would really piss off the neighbors! Courtney might actually go for it.”
“Actually, my friend's grandparents have a track behind their house, so we ride the dirt bikes there.” I could see a flash of hope in Dayton’s eyes, so I hurried to say, “If you’d like to come out there with us sometime, you’re more than welcome.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.” I thought about it for a second and then asked, “Why wouldn’t I?”
“After what happened with Court’s car, and . . .”
“Man, I’m not in the know about all the shit you’ve got going on, but I do know that your sister loves you and just wants what’s best for you. I’m not trying to piss you off or anything, but I can promise you that hanging out with your mom is not what’s best for you at all.”
I was surprised when Dayton didn’t snap at me about his mother but asked, “Are you just being nice to me to get in good with my sister?”
“No, I’m being nice to you because I’m a nice fucking guy.”
Dayton laughed before he said, “You’re right that you don’t know everything that’s going on, but neither does Courtney.”
“Have you tried telling her?”
“She wouldn’t listen. Every time someone mentions our mom, she gets mad and starts losing her shit.”
“There’s a lot of history there that is hard to overcome, I’m sure.”
“My mom thinks everything would be better if we were all together, but Courtney won’t even consider it.”
“It doesn’t really seem like your sister is going to be able to overlook the past.”
“She won’t. She’s stubborn like that.”
“My guess is that you are too.”
“Living with my mom just seems like it would be a lot cooler than living with Courtney and everybody else.”
“I’m gonna tell you something I heard my Grandpa Tink say one time.”
“What?”
“Sometimes, the grass is only greener on the other side because it’s covering a septic tank full of shit.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means you should look at your situation and find the beauty in it rather than focus on the mirage in the distance that’s built on fantasies and lies.
” Dayton frowned, and I added, “I’ve only known y’all for a short time, but I’ve been at your place enough to see that you’re luckier than a lot of kids in the world.
So many would kill to have even half of what you’ve got with your sister. ”
“Like what?”
“A safe, clean house with food on the table and clothes on your back. Think about that the next time you wonder if life would be better with your mom. That house where we found you the other night has nothing on the home Courtney has built for your family.”
I could tell that had given Dayton something to think about and was glad when Dahlia called us over to make plans to start refurbishing the car.
Once we were done, I asked Dahlia, “When’s the next time you guys are going to play at the track?”
“We don’t have any set plans, but you’re welcome anytime.”
“Do you have a bike he can use?” I asked as I nodded toward Dayton. “He’s interested in learning to ride.”
Dayton’s eyes got wide when he realized that the woman in front of me was one of the friends with the dirt bikes I’d mentioned. It was obvious then that the young man was quickly developing quite a crush.
“You know we’ve got plenty!” Dahlia said cheerfully as she looked at the guys. “Let’s make plans when y’all come out to work on the car.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I put my arm over her shoulders and gave her a side hug. “You’re my favorite Forrester, Dahlia.”
“Bullshit. I’m only your favorite because I’m the one in front of you.”