Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
RONAN
I NEED ALCOHOL FOR THIS
The rumble of a motorcycle broke the peace of my quiet spot off the beaten path. The A-line style cabin was a work in progress, but I liked it well enough to figure out if this was where I wanted to plant myself for the future or find something else.
I opened the sliding door to my porch. I’d had time to take my coveted shower and polish off a few more pieces of chicken along with about a gallon of water. I was definitely pre-gaming for my liver to be demolished by Kain’s arrival.
Half of the cider was on ice beside the two oversized Adirondack chairs on my deck. I’d found them at a furniture store on one of my trips into Crescent Cove for my current chicken obsession. The fact that the chair was sturdy enough for a big man like me had been worth the price.
Now I was glad I’d bought a pair.
The back tire of Kain’s bike kicked up dust as he flew down the winding dirt road to my house. I had a feeling it would be a bitch in the winter and the wet. Good thing I’d been researching an ATV with a plow hitch along with those chains Hayes had mentioned for my tires.
The idea of hibernating also didn’t seem so bad if I had Kira here.
I quick stepped it down my stairs and met him in the driveway. “I can’t believe you’re here, man.”
“Brah!” Kain’s tanned face crinkled up into a wide smile.
He released the chin strap of his helmet and tucked his goggles inside.
His green eyes were bloodshot with fatigue and…
something else. Not many would pick up on it, but I knew him far too well.
His long dark hair was wild around his face and fell well past his shoulders now.
He’d shaved the sides and had a few braids like my own.
I was surprised to see my mother’s rune beads in his hair along with a few Hawaiian shell beads.
The more he connected with his ancestors, the closer he was to the edgy Kain of my youth. There was no hint of the businessman he’d become.
He swung his leg off the bike, then hooked his helmet on the handle before lumbering at me full speed.
“Oh, shit.” I cringed as he lifted me off the ground in a bear hug.
“It’s been too long, Boa!”
I rolled my eyes. A true testament to Kain’s love is if he gave you a Hawaiian nickname. He’d given me the name “warrior” a damn long time ago, but it had stuck. I had a feeling Kira would get a kick out of it when she found out.
I hugged him back. “Put me down, you idiot.”
He whaled me on the back with one of his massive paws.
Kain was a few inches taller than me with his motorcycle boots.
The buckles on his jacket jangled as he shrugged it off and tossed it back toward the bike.
“Look at you. I figured you’d be all corporate by now.
You’re still wild like me.” He tugged on one of my curls, then threw an arm around my shoulders.
“You even showered for me, I’m honored. I could use one of those. ”
I coughed. “Yeah, you could.”
“Road baths only do so much. The hot blond I met in Winchester Falls didn’t seem to mind.”
“I just bet she didn’t. I thought you were staying with Shane.”
He shrugged. “I did for a few days, but I got restless. The B&B is always full these days. ?ānela has turned that place into a destination spot. Between her and her mom, I couldn’t handle all the poking at me.”
Shane’s wife, Kendall—also known as angel to Kain—wasn’t exactly a super caretaker sort, which immediately got me wondering what was going on with my friend. I’d get it out of him soon enough.
“Well, it’s just you and me and the woods.”
“A-fucking-men.” He went back to his bike and unstrapped his saddlebags from the back then tossed it over his broad shoulder. “Shower and food and one of those brews. Any order.”
I laughed. “That I can handle.”
He climbed the steps two at a time. “This place is…interesting.”
“I know it isn’t much yet. It’s a rent-to-buy. I haven’t decided if I’m sticking or not.”
“Yeah?” Kain looked around the property.
I was mostly too tired to notice when I came home, but looking around now I winced.
A forest of pine trees, a few other types of deciduous trees, and a handful of pathetic shrubs was the extent of the landscaping.
Pine needles had choked out most of the grass and were currently trying to eat the picnic table decaying on the side of the house.
“Guess I came just in time. It needs a lot of work.”
“Was better than a doublewide—which were most of my other options if I didn’t want to live in an apartment complex.”
Kain clomped across the deck with a grunt. He spotted the cooler and flipped the lid. “Hopefully this will make up for your lack of landscaping and charm.”
I snorted. Kain took houses very seriously. He might own a construction empire, but he was an architect first and the way a house looked was very important to him. I imagined he would have a lot to say about the inside of my place too.
He used one of his chunky silver rings to pop the top on the bottle and flicked it into the unlit fire pit. He took a long swallow, then looked down at the bottle, back to me, and took another long sip. “Not yours.”
I barked out a laugh. I had no idea how he knew that. “No, that’s not my blend.”
“Decent though. Yours will be better.”
Friend until the end, that was Kain.
He finished off the bottle and set it by the cooler. “Food and shower is next, bud.”
“You get in the shower, and I’ll reheat the food.”
He hiked his saddle bag more firmly onto his shoulder and ducked through the sliding door. “Fuck, who built this place?”
I followed him in and nudged him along. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I got some rent knocked down because I said I was handy.”
Kain shot a look over his shoulder. “Hope it’s under a grand a month.”
“Squeaked under.”
He muttered something in Hawaiian. “There’s that at least.”
“Top of the stairs, you can use my shower. It’s bigger than the one in the hallway for the other bedrooms.”
“Mahalo.”
The stairs groaned with his weight, but I relaxed when I heard the water running. Something was up with him. The bravado was there as it always was. You couldn’t be a damn billionaire like he was without it, but something seemed heavy around him.
I popped the chicken into my air fryer and made up plates with the cold sides. And because not much changed when it came to Kain’s appetite, I used two plates for him—and hell, for me too. I’d need the help against the alcohol coming my way.
Drinking in my mid-thirties was hella different than my twenties.
Kain came back downstairs a few minutes later wearing only a pair of board shorts and a towel wrapped around his head. I suppose I was lucky he was wearing anything. The guy hated clothes even more than I did. “You need a bigger shower.”
“Most people aren’t 6’5”.”
He only grunted. “Do I smell fried chicken?”
“You do.” I pulled out the tray and transferred the perfectly reheated food. The grease actually made it taste better thanks to the magic of the air fryer.
He clapped his pitcher mitt sized hands together. “Hot damn.” He did a little shuffle dance to me and took two of the plates. “Almost enough for me.”
I laughed and shoved a bottle of water in the pockets of my ancient cargo shorts before I followed him with my own two plates and some silverware.
Kain was already sprawled in one of the Adirondack chairs, his long legs kicked out, feet bare, and food in his mouth.
I dropped a fork on his plate. “I see some things never change.”
His laugh was contagious as he picked up the fork and stabbed at the potato salad. “Pretty good for the middle of nowhere. How the hell did you find this place?”
“Chicken or Turnbull?”
“Both,” he said around a bite of coleslaw.
“You know me, I like looking for the good eats. Chicken is from a nearby small town that looks like it should be on a postcard. As for this?” I dropped in my own chair and dug in.
“Beckett Manning cornered me at a wine festival in the Catskills. I don’t know how he found me.
I wasn’t even on a panel. Wine isn’t really my specialty—more your thing. ”
“Whiskey is more my thing,” he corrected.
“Speaking of, I have a few things for you to try.” I nodded toward the cooler.
“You don’t cool down whiskey, idiot.”
“Not whiskey first of all. But don’t worry there’s a separate compartment.”
Kain reached down and opened the soft sided flap. He went right for the clear bottle. He set his plate on his lap. “No way.”
I grinned. “Yes way.”
“Shit. I haven’t had any shine since…hell, from back home. Gasoline, but it’ll get you fucked up.” His eyes crinkled as he cracked the top on the moonshine. I was surprised he actually checked the bag for a cup before shrugging and taking a swig.
I tipped my head back with a laugh when his eyes bulged. I couldn’t tell if it was disgust or lust.
He swallowed and smiled hugely. “That’s dangerous.”
“I know. Tastes like mile high apple pie in liquid form.”
“Yes, that’s it!” He read the label with a shake of his head. “Where was it?” He took another swig before blowing out a breath. “That hole in Pismo Beach?”
I pointed at him. “Yes. I didn’t know what it was, but that’s it. Bet the apple pie from the bakery here will be even better. I’ve never seen so many damn apples in one place.”
He took another long swallow and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before setting it beside his chair. “When you gonna show me the orchard?”
“We can take a walk around after I check in at the taproom tomorrow. We’re interviewing chefs and I can’t leave everything to my—well, the manager.” I wasn’t sure how to bring up Kira, but I knew once I did Kain would give me nothing but shit. “Besides, I want you to see what I’ve been up to.”
“I’m intrigued. Mad scientist Boa.” He switched to another cider from the bag, draining it between bites of chicken.
“You should see the barn. It’s nearly analog, for fuck’s sake, but I love it.”
“Nothing wrong with low tech.”