Chapter 5
Casey Joe
Why the hell I had to open my damn mouth and ask Bryce a question requiring him to stay a while, I’d never know, but that’s what my damn stupid ass did.
I mean, the guy was ridiculously easy to talk to…
almost like how I spilled my guts when my therapist got me in her office…
and I hadn’t minded filling him in on my history.
The thing about getting to know people in a small town was it was often better to jump in and make sure your version of the story got told before the rest of the damn town had a chance to put their spin on it.
So, I’d given him the run-down on all the shit with Missy and Billy—the Riggs family drama in a nutshell.
Honestly, it felt good to hear him say he hadn’t heard a lot of bad about me around town.
Somehow, the Riggs family name had always seemed to fly just under the radar.
Yeah, we had our share of shit show drama, but we balanced it out with being good, honest, hardworking people.
And that meant something to me. Integrity went hand-in-hand with the Riggs name—no thanks to all the outside shit—and I was proud my boys had our name to hold on to.
Bryce shifted in his seat and took his turn staring into the tree line like I’d been doing when I told my story.
Interesting.
Maybe he had some shit in his past too.
And fuck, didn’t we all?
“I grew up just a couple towns over. Great family. My sister’s a nurse at the hospital up the road.
She’s got a good life. Great husband, great kids, even has a grandbaby.
My parents still live in the town where I grew up.
My aunt lives with them too. I stayed with them when I moved back this way.
” Bryce chuckled and let out a sigh. “It was a good reminder of why it’s sometimes better to live close to family but not live with them. ”
“Fuckin’-A, man.” I tipped my empty water bottle his way. “I’ll fuckin’ drink to that. Been livin’ with Hudson and Lance since my house burned, and I’m about to take a damn icepick to my ears if I have to hear them fornicatin’ like damn Energizer bunnies one more damn time.”
Bryce snorted, and I couldn’t help staring at his lips as they broke into a grin that filled his entire face.
“Damn, man, that’s rough. I’m down for some good sex, but I also need my sleep.
It being family just makes it all that much worse.
” He cocked his head. “Lance and Hudson been together long?”
I grunted. “Long enough.” Popping another sucker in my mouth, I leaned back in my chair.
“Lance left town several years ago. I hated it. I knew why he did it, but that didn’t make it any easier to lose my best friend.
But he figured some shit out about himself while he was gone, or some fuckin’ shit like that, and when he came back him and Hudson ended up talkin’ on that damn ClickC*ck hookup app for a while.
When they realized they knew each other, one thing led to another, and voila, my ex best friend was bonin’ my son. ”
Bryce’s eyes grew comically wide. “Wow. That’s a lot to take in.” He cocked his head. “Wait, what’s the difference in their ages?”
Groaning, I choked out, “Don’t make me do the math.”
“You just had a birthday, right?”
“Yeah, turned fuckin’ fifty-four. Lance will be the same soon.”
“And Hudson looks to be in his thirties?” Bryce asked.
“Thirty-three,” I mumbled. “Fuck. You sneaky bastard, you were supposed to be tellin’ me about what brought you here, not makin’ me think about my best friend being some sort of silver fox daddy yankin’ my baby boy from the cradle.”
“That’s a bit dramatic,” Bryce said with a wink.
My insides weren’t sure whether to get prickly or do a flip-flop.
So, I shrugged. “Then Henry went and got himself a younger guy. There’s about ten years difference between him and Jack.”
“Six here,” Bryce said. When his cheeks flared pink, he muttered, “I mean, I’m forty-eight. Just six years difference.” He gestured between us, his cheeks turning a brighter pink. “So, anyway, after I graduated high school,” he barreled on with his story.
For a split second, I wondered at the age comment, but I quickly got caught back up in what Bryce was saying.
“I wanted out of that tiny town. While my sister had always wanted to stay there and raise a family, all I’d ever wanted was to hightail it out of there.” Bryce shrugged. “So, I headed out west for college. Been out there ever since.”
Wrinkling my nose, I prodded, “So, why come back here? Parents sick?”
Bryce shook his head. “No, coming back here has been a long time coming. I loved California, but the last several years, I’ve had to admit to myself I didn’t like who I’d become out there. I got caught up in some shit that wasn’t good for me—”
“Don’t be bringin’ fuckin’ drugs to town,” I bit out. “Fuckin’ last thing we need here is some drug runner.”
“Man, shut up. I didn’t bring fucking drugs to Haven Grove.” Bryce rolled his eyes. “You going to let me tell my story?”
I nodded and waved him on, not hating the little flare in my stomach snapping to life when Bryce gave back as good as he got.
“So, I had a great job, great place, great car, but shitty friends—more like acquaintances—a really unhealthy relationship with social media, and a conscience that kept reminding me of where I came from and the type of person I’d always wanted to be.
” Bryce lost himself for a moment, his eyes looking beyond the trees.
“Didn’t you want to be successful and living your dream?” Not gonna lie, it sounded great, and I was possibly slightly jealous.
Bryce nodded. “I did. That’s all I wanted. But I hadn’t counted on what I’d have to sacrifice. Could have just kept going the way I was, but I’d lost myself in all of it.”
“Got some drama with an ex boyfriend? A long string of exes—do the love ’em and leave ’em thing and had to get out of town?” For some reason, Bryce’s mention he was gay had rocked me yet also not taken me by surprise.
Like, it was a punch to the gut, but it felt so good.
And that was something I was in no place to analyze.
Bryce snorted. “Not at all. I dated, but not much. Hookups here and there, but I never really connected with anyone. They’d be ready to move on, and I wouldn’t be the least bit upset. Or they’d want more, and I’d be completely uninterested.”
The intrigue this man sparked in me grew with each passing moment, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with that.
“So, you saw the gym and decided to move back here and fix it up?” I asked.
“No. Moved back here not really knowing what the hell I was going to do with the second half of my life—but knowing I couldn’t keep going like I was out in L.A.—and saw a story on the news about the gym. Went to see it—seriously, was just going to take a look—and ended up with the key in hand.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Glutton for punishment. That place needs a lot of work.”
“Fuck, don’t I know it.” Bryce groaned and ran a hand over his face. “And I’m not a fixer-upper. Probably be best if I hired someone, but I’ve not been able to admit defeat just yet.”
Before my brain could catch up with my words, I said, “I’ve done plenty of renovation work over the years, I could help.”
Bryce’s eyes snapped to mine. “No shit? Like, for real? You really have experience with it? I’ve got the money to buy what I need, and I could pay you for sure, but I just don’t have the know-how to pull it all together.”
I shrugged. “Sure, no problem. I’m pretty good with my hands.”
Again, word vomit before my damn inactive brain even gave a second thought to what was pouring from the damn hole in my face.
Bryce’s eyes traveled to my hands and back to my eyes, trying and failing to hide a smile. “Good to know.”
He winked.
Fuckin’ winked.
In desperation to change the subject, I nodded toward my house. “So, someone set fire to my house not too long ago thinking they could hurt Jack. Ended up not working since none of us were at the house at the time, but that doesn’t change the fact my house isn’t livable right now.”
“I’ve got room at my place,” Bryce said, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed like he couldn’t believe what he’d just offered.
I cocked my head. “Where you stayin’?”
“Over the gym. It’s a two-bedroom apartment. Nothing huge, nothing fancy, but you’re welcome to the second room while you wait on your house to be done.”
I wanted so damn bad to refuse his offer.
Wanted to scoff and tell him to shove it.
Didn’t want to need a new place so badly.
But I did.
Damn, I did.
“I’m not usually one for taking charity—”
“Fuck off,” Bryce shot back with a grin. “It’s not charity. I’ll pay you less for helping me out if you take the room.”
Leaning forward, I rested my head in my hands and thought about how many nights I’d lain awake recently, unable to sleep because of all the fuckin’ noise Lance and Hudson were making.
“Fuck,” I growled. “I really don’t want to take you up on it, but you have no idea how bad it messes with your head to have to listen to your best friend and son goin’ at it every damn night.”
Bryce laughed. “I can’t even imagine. So, plan on moving in as soon as you can.
And we can take a walk through the gym and figure out a plan for getting some shit done.
I think I can be a pretty good help if you can just tell me what to do.
” He cocked his head. “You have any interest in being one of my first employees when we open?”
I scoffed. “Do I look like some kind of personal trainer?”
He bit his lip, those pretty hazel eyes traveling up and down my body making my skin tingle. “I was thinking more along the lines of a manager. Working with memberships, making sure the other hires are scheduled right, maybe helping me get clients to sign up.”
I cleared my throat. “You barely know me. What if I’m a shit person and shittier employee?”
Bryce shrugged. “Then I’ll fire you. If we find out we don’t work well together on the renovation, we can part ways when we’re done. But we’ve gotten along fine sitting here, so I don’t think it’s a problem. Plus, the town has pretty much already vouched for you.”
It was weird how his words touched something deep inside my chest. There were days over the years when I’d longed for the chance to take my boys and escape this little town.
Maybe if I could have provided them with bigger and better, we would have been happier, healthier, and…
hell, I didn’t know what else. But moments like this made me realize my life was right where it was supposed to be.
Henry, Hudson, and I belonged in Haven Grove.
“I have a certification in Graphics and Design, and I’ve helped Jack with marketing his cake business,” I offered, not liking the vulnerability in my words.
“No shit?” Bryce beamed. “That’s perfect. I think we’ll make a great team. Now, what’s this about cake?”