Chapter 10
He was being a dutiful big brother. That was what Cal had told his particular trio of problem sisters. He was going to the community dance tonight to keep an eye on them—they were trouble makers, especially that Claudia one, after all. That was all.
Not like he was going to the community dance because Jules had told him that Augusta Dawn Tyler and her entire crew of devil sisters would be there.
That wasn’t it at all.
Of course it was—it was probably the only real reason he would be caught going to the Masterson community dance tonight.
They weren’t exactly his favorite past-time.
He’d been many, many times before. But that was before his father—then the mayor of Masterson—had done what he had done.
And the entire town had been speculating about him and his siblings for a while there.
He had gotten a bit soured on Masterson for a while.
And…he hadn’t wanted to run into any Talleys or Tylers, if he was being honest. But now…there was one particular Tyler he was definitely searching out.
First, though…there was a particular sister he needed to have a discussion with. Clancy Eliose Grady was up to something. Like a good big brother, he was going to find out what.
He just looked at her. Of all of his siblings, this one looked the most like him.
She was just…skinny. He couldn’t look at her and not remember the little toddler she’d been when he’d been in high school.
His mother had been so sick; Clancy had been the one to miss the most with that phenomenal woman. And it hurt to remember.
For a while there, Cal had been the one practically raising her, while his father was at the hospital with their mother. For years. It wasn’t until he’d moved to college at nineteen, and she’d been in kindergarten, that him being a daily part of her life had stopped.
Now she was living in his house, and damn it, he was going to at least pretend to have rules. “So…when will he be bringing you home?”
“I’m going with Em. Not Barand. I’m not sure Barand and I—well, I’m just not sure.” Clancy smirked at him. The same smirk she shared with Claudia. They were such brats. Cloe was the good one. No denying that.
“And…what time will you be home? Do I need to give you a ride?”
“I think I can handle it. Are you really going to wear that tie? Ties are so formal and stuffy now. Hair looks good though. You are so pretty.”
“So I don’t need to give you a ride?”
“Actually, you do. I told Em I’d meet her there. I did not know you were going. I would ask Claud, but she has a special date today. And couldn’t. Cloe is working. And Cadell—who knows. He’s been extra cranky lately.”
“So I get custody of you. Noted.” He liked having his little sister living in his house. For one thing, it kept her from finding trouble. For another, the house was too empty without people in it. And Cal was lonely. He’d long accepted that. “As a kid, you aren’t half-bad.”
She smirked at that. “I think you need to find a good woman, get married, and have…six kids to start. You can add three more to that later. So how about it? You aren’t getting any younger.”
“Let me guess; you have just the right woman in mind?”
“Better believe it. Go for it.”
“I love how I spend one night practically knocked out on her couch, and now everyone has us paired off romantically forever. I don’t think the world works that way, Clance. I just don’t.”
“Who said anything about Auggie?”
He just waited. His sisters were horrible creatures.
And they were seriously getting ahead of him here. He’d kissed the woman once, and while he was definitely attracted, that didn’t mean he was thinking marriage and forever.
There were six small reasons for that. A guy would have to be serious if he ever got near that woman.
And Cal wasn’t sure yet that was what he wanted.
Was he attracted to her? Absolutely. He’d been burning for her since that night.
But that didn’t mean a man always had to get what he wanted. Not when innocent lives were involved.
“Because of the girls?”
Clancy had apparently been reading his mind again. She was a little creepy when she did stuff like that. “Well, even if I am attracted to that devil woman, we’d both have to be really careful. Because of the girls. So yes…because of the girls.”
“For what it’s worth—if there is any man that I know who would be good at the dad thing, I’m looking at him. Especially a girl-dad. You had plenty of practice with me.”
“Well, you convinced me children weren’t total gremlin creatures. I mean, all I had to base my opinion off of before you were Claudia and Cloe. It’s a wonder I survived.”
“Yeah, I am the good one. We all know that.” Clancy grabbed her coat from the hook next to his. “Well, let’s get going. I don’t want to be late.”
They were five minutes from the community center. He’d get her there in plenty of time.
“I’m glad you’re staying here; did I tell you that? This house…full of ghosts. I think you chase them away just by existing.”
“Always happy to serve.”
“Now—Claudia’s special date. Details, please.”
“Never going to happen.”