Page 31 of Hello Trouble

HAYES

I lay on a rolling creeper underneath my brother’s cop car, working on it for my last job of the day since the other lifts were full. Knox waited on a nearby stool, drinking the last of the coffee from the lobby and shooting the shit with me.

We used to hang out a lot more, but now that he had a wife and children, the one-on-one visits happened less and less.

A twinge of loss hit my gut at the thought.

But I was happy for him, too—he was living the life he always wanted.

“When does the sale go through on the land?” I asked him.

He and Larkin were buying a plot outside of town to build a new home.

“Hopefully next Friday,” he replied. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a loan?”

I rolled out from under the cruiser and gave him a side-eye.

“Oh yeah,” he chuckled, blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “You got one to buy this place.”

“And you wrote a character reference,” I said. “Ironically.”

“Hey, I was cleaned up by then,” Knox protested. “And didn’t Dad have to guarantee your loan after all that fuss?”

“He did,” I confirmed. It was one of my life’s greatest stressors, knowing if I failed at running a business, it would cost my dad the ranch—everything we’d ever known, really. I’d never stop being grateful for his support.

After letting out a heavy sigh, Knox said, “Date with Della tomorrow?”

My lips twitched into a grin of their own accord as I rolled back under the car. “Yeah.”

“The third in what? Seven days? Damn.”

The way he said it made my back stiffen a bit. I was glad my face was hidden under the car so he wouldn’t see my expression. But still I said, “Do you have to sound so surprised?”

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just—I don’t want you getting into something you don’t want.”

My eyebrows drew together, and I rolled out from under the car again and sat up, my back against the side of the car. “What are you talking about?”

Knox shifted uncomfortably in his seat, scratching at the back of his neck.

If I wasn’t waiting for his answer, it might have been comical, seeing him all dressed in his cop uniform and squirming.

But as it was, a tight knot was forming in my chest. I didn’t care what everyone in town thought of me, but my family knew me best.

“Spit it out,” I said, wringing the shop towel in my hands.

He sighed heavily. “You’ve always enjoyed your independence. And Della, she’s older by what? Ten years?”

I drew my eyebrows together. “Shit like that doesn’t matter at our age.”

“But it does,” Knox replied. He spun the sleeve around his coffee cup. “Guys can have kids forever, but if that’s something she wants, there’s not a lot of time left for someone who isn’t certain.”

My stomach clenched at the thought, and I looked down at my grease-stained hands.

“I know Della—she’s great. She’s a dreamer. I’m worried that her dreams of romance are affecting your wishes for your life. I want you to have what you want, and you’ve always been vocal about wanting to be alone.”

I gritted my teeth. “Can’t a guy change his mind? Or am I forever stuck as the guy y’all see me as?”

Knox tilted his head, speaking gently. “It’s a big change, you have to admit.”

“It’s a big change. But you know the cost of staying the same?”

He waited for my answer.

“Della.”

Knox nodded solemnly. “I get it. I just don’t want you to feel pressured into doing something you don’t want. Just because all of us are settling down. Or because there’s a time pressure on it for her.”

“Thanks for looking out,” I said finally, and then I put myself back under the car, thankful for something to do with my hands. Knox’s comments and Della’s questions from our date Monday night were weighing heavy on my mind.

I did like my life. I liked it even better with Della in it.

What else was there to decide?