Page 24
Story: One Boiling Summer
I snorted. “Sorry. Basement monster noise is a total mood killer for me.”
“Noted. No HVAC interruptions next time.” He gave me a teasing, smoldering grin as he walked into the kitchen to make that call.
“Next time?” I whispered under my breath. Would there be a next time? The town was buying our charade. We were winning by pretending. But for how long? And what if this was all becoming far too real?
11
SIBLINGS AND SLY SMILES
HUDSON
About fifteen minutesafter the call, Dawson parked his work truck in front of Lacey’s house. Only he didn’t come alone. Lawson and Grayson jumped out, too, like a ragtag repair crew who came with their own soundtrack. Lawson carried the toolbox, Dawson barked orders, and Grayson awkwardly juggled two boxes labeled “fuses?” and “might-need-this.”
Lacey leaned in the doorway behind me, hiding a smile. “What a fine crew if I ever did see one.”
I jerked my chin toward Dawson. “You’d be amazed how often this duct-tape genius saves the firehouse.”
“Hey, I heard that,” Dawson grunted, passing me on the porch with a grin.
“You were meant to, asswipe.”
“Thanks for showing up so fast,” Lacey remarked giving each of them a hug as they went inside. When she got to Dawson, he handed me two boxes of pizza, and then he wrapped her up in his arms for a bear hug. He gave me a wink over her shoulder, and I wanted to growl at him for daring to touch her.
“When we got the call, we were just picking up pizza. Mama’s at her quilting circle, so I thought we’d all come over and makea night of it,” Dawson returned to his truck and brought out a cooler. “Got the beers, too.”
“Thanks,” I clipped at him when he passed by. Lacey had followed the others inside. “Hey. Whatever it costs to fix this just let me know. I’ll take care of it.”
He cocked a brow with a knowing look. “Taking care ofher,you mean.”
“Whatever. Just figure out how to get the damn thing running again,” I grumbled. Glad he was here, not so happy about the interruption in my small world I was trying to build with Lacey.
“So testy. But I worked hard all day. Do you mind if I at least eat first? Then I’ll see what I can do to fix your girlfriend’s AC.” He winked and guffawed into the house like he enjoyed this and knew exactly how to get to me.
We gathered around the old oak kitchen table, a spread of greasy boxes and bottles of beer laid out like a potluck. The whole house smelled like pepperoni, paint fumes, and pine cleaner.
The guys were getting rowdy, taking to share some of my most embarrassing moments with Lacey.
“Remember the time Hudson broke the dock at the lake ‘cause he tried to impress that Jennings girl with a fancy dive?” Lawson asked around a mouthful of crust.
“Correction,” I said, pointing my last slice at him. “You were the one who dared me.”
Grayson chuckled. “You earned the title of Belly-Flop King instead, tripping on into the lake after the last board came loose. Poor dock never recovered.”
Lacey giggled. “I remember that. I was home from college and Carson and I were roasting hot dogs on the shore. I think I recall you turned bright red, and not just from the sunburn.”
“Oh, he was red all right,” Dawson said, flicking his eyes toward me with a grin. “How’d that work out for you and the Jennings girl anyway?”
“Even better question is how are things between you two?” Lawson picked up where his twin left off, pointing between me and Lacey.
“Lots of rumors about how quickly the two of you have hit it off,” Grayson added, his bashful dimples making a fine show for her.
“Knock it off,” I warned them all, giving a sheepish peek at Lacey.
She chewed her bite slowly, but I caught the soft smile she tried to hide. I didn’t miss the warmth I felt watching her here with my brothers, laughing like she’d always been part of our family. In many ways, she had.
“I’m just sayin’. Do we need to make room for Lacey out at the camp? Bring in another bed… or a bed big enough for two?” Dawson pressed with a shit-eating grin.
“I bought a camper off of a buddy a few years ago. So every summer, we set up a camp on the lake shore, complete with tents and fire pit,” I explained for her sake.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42