18. Chapter 18
Colt froze with his nose pressed into Cat’s furry neck. Beau had already turned back to the stove, busy flipping sandwiches.
“What?”
“You can call me Beau.” That drawl was low and soft as Beau turned to look at him again. “Think I’d like to hear my name again. Least from someone who might understand why I stopped usin’ it.”
Swallowing, Colt gently set Cat back on the floor. He thought about Sutton Tate, about how it had felt to watch, horrified, as his car had lived up to Sutton’s moniker and slammed into Beau’s car so hard it had sent them both into a catastrophic crash. Sledgehammer. Beau’s best friend. His brother.
“Beau.” Colt watched Beau for any wince, any regret.
Beau kept his eyes on Colt for a long moment before his shoulders loosened, and he nodded. “That’s right.”
Mercifully, he went back to stirring the soup before he could see the way Colt’s eyes were welling up again.
***
When they pulled up to the shop together at five the next morning, Camila was already waiting for them.
She was two hours earlier than usual, standing at the front door and tapping her heel.
Beau’s headlights washed over her, and she glanced up.
Her eyes caught on Colt, and he sank down in his seat.
“She called me,” Beau reminded him. “Bawling her eyes out while she told me what you were up to. She was afraid, Colt. Scared out her damn mind. She blames herself for where your head was at, too.”
Colt let out a long breath as they watched Camila hustle up to the truck and stand a few feet away with her arms crossed. Then he pushed the door open and hopped out, and Camila threw her arms around his neck.
“Ow, Mila, damn,” Colt hissed as Beau opened his own door. He heard the sound of a fist connecting with flesh again. “Oh my God! Why are you so mean?”
“Because you're a fucking idiot and I hate you,” Camila snapped, but she snagged him around the neck with both arms and buried her face in his chest. “I'm sorry.”
“You don't need to be.” Eyes closed, Colt kissed the side of her head as Beau passed them. “I'm an idiot, and…and I get even worse this time of year.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Beau unlocked the front door and glanced back in time to catch Camila watching him over Colt’s shoulder. She gave him a watery smile and mouthed ‘thank you.’ Nodding, Beau turned and stepped into the shop.