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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Gray

“We’ve got a car coming in over lunch,” Holden announced from the office doorway. “I’ll need you to hustle on that brake job.”

Bailey slid out from under the late-nineties model of a cranberry Scion XB. “Seriously? I’ve already got a transmission to finish. I can’t keep the owners waiting any longer. This was supposed to be the extra job we fit in.”

Damn. Jose had called in sick again too. That was happening more and more lately.

“I’d do more, but I’ve got two bike jobs coming in,” I said. “Maybe Axel can help.”

“Right, because he loves that,” Bailey said sarcastically.

“Oh, I can help this time,” Axel said as he walked in with Sugar trotting at his heels and a good-looking guy with floppy dark hair, olive-toned skin, and full pouty lips. “By bringing you this guy.”

Bailey’s eyes nearly fell out of his head as he took in the stranger. Not that I blamed him. If I weren’t so fixated on Emory, I might also take a second look. The guy was gorgeous.

“Where did you find this stray?” I joked.

“This is Matteo,” Axel said. “He’s here about a job, and given the conversation I just walked in on, it seems like we should hear him out.”

“Matteo?” Holden said blankly.

“Yes, sir.” Matteo moved forward, reaching for my brother’s hand.

I intercepted, grasping his hand and giving it a firm shake. Though Holden could shake hands—he regularly made himself engage for business—I was pretty sure he preferred to be in charge of when and how that happened.

“Matteo, hello. You’re Allison’s friend, right?” He nodded, and I continued. “I’m Gray. These are my brothers, Holden and Bailey. I take it you met Axel.”

Matteo nodded. “Yeah, I saw him out with the dog. Asked him if I was in the right place.” He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Haven’t been out this way much. Had to walk over, so I didn’t want to make a wrong turn.”

“You walked all the way out here?” I said, stunned.

That had to be at least three miles on foot, and in the summer heat, no less.

He smiled sheepishly. “I really need a job that isn’t working for my dad. He wouldn’t give me a ride because he thinks it’s better if I stick close. We’re not exactly seeing eye to eye right now.”

“Right, I remember now,” Holden said. “Emory mentioned you were having a tough time finding work because you’re an ex-con?”

“Yes, sir.” Matteo ducked his head a little. “I made some mistakes, but I’m trying to rebuild my life. I just need a chance.”

“Hey, we don’t judge,” I said. “You already paid for those mistakes. You’re trying to start over, and that’s all anyone can do.”

Besides, we all knew what it was like to be judged unfairly. When the old man spiraled after our foster mom died, he dragged us down into the mud with him. Not that we were considered good boys before then. We’d always been outsiders, loners who lived on the fringes of town. But his drunken arrests had led to people actively avoiding us.

“I gotta be honest, though,” Holden said. “Things are tight around here. I don’t know that we can pay you as much as you’d get somewhere else. We’re trying to build up the business, so there could be more hours and pay in the future, but right now…”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Matteo said quickly, as if afraid Holden might send him packing. “I’m not the most experienced with auto repair, but I’m decent with my hands and a fast learner. I need an employer to sign off on my hours for parole, and if it’s not you, it’s my father. He pays me nothing, so…”

“Shit, don’t make it too easy on them,” Axel said. “You deserve a fair wage for your work.”

Matteo bit his bottom lip. “Right, yeah. I know. I just really want this to work out. It’s been tough finding anyone who will give me a chance, and I swear, I’ll work really hard.”

I glanced at Holden and raised an eyebrow while Bailey gave a very enthusiastic yes nod behind Matteo’s back.

“Matteo, why don’t you grab yourself a drink out of the minifridge in the corner there and talk to Bailey and Axel for a bit,” Holden said. “They can give you the rundown on what the job entails while Gray and I have a quick word in private.”

I expected Bailey to protest since he did the lion’s share of the mechanic work, but he was too enamored with Matteo to complain. Cartoon heart eyes practically exploded from his face every time he looked at the guy.

“What would you like to know?” he said eagerly. “Ask me anything.”

Axel snorted. “Puppy love is so cute, isn’t it?”

Matteo looked confused, and then his eyes landed on Sugar. “Is she still a puppy? She’s so big.”

“No, but she sure acts like it,” Axel said, covering up his comment about Bailey’s behavior. Behind Matteo’s back, Bailey flipped him the bird.

Well, forget puppy love. I hoped Matteo was ready for all the brotherly love—which often looked a lot like trash talk and rude gestures.

I followed Holden into his office and closed the door. “Well, that’s good timing. If we hire Matteo, we can take on all the extra work we want, right?”

Holden looked pensive. “It’s a calculated risk to take on another expense, but I don’t see how we can keep growing the business otherwise.”

I nodded. “Jose isn’t keeping up like he used to either.”

“Yeah, he’s ready to retire. He just comes in because he loves us like family.”

“Sounds like an easy decision, then.”

He nodded. “Once Bailey goes to college, we’d need to hire someone to fill his shoes, anyway. It would be easier if Matteo started learning from him now.”

“Bailey’s going to college in the fall?” I said in surprise.

My little brother hadn’t once said anything to indicate he’d be leaving soon.

Holden snorted. “No, I wish. He took a gap year. But he’s going the next year if I have to hog-tie him and hand-deliver him on the first day of classes.”

I smirked. “That sounds real healthy.”

“Come on, Gray. You know he’s the best of us. He deserves to make something more of his life. This business is the best option you, me, and Axel will ever get, you know? But he’s different.”

I nodded slowly. “You could have been different too, if I hadn’t screwed it all up. You dropped out of college because of me.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Holden said. “It was the old man who ran you off.”

“I could have fought to stay,” I said in a low voice. “I regret that I didn’t at least talk to you first.”

“I appreciate that, but…” Holden dropped into his office chair with a sigh and ran his hands through his hair. “I never told you this, but I was struggling with school, anyway.”

“You were?”

“So many people, and they didn’t understand boundaries. Even a walk across campus gave me anxiety. People bumping into me, girls reaching out to touch my arm, guys pushing and shoving and horsing around. It was tough to avoid touch.”

“I didn’t think about that,” I said.

“In high school, we were such loners it wasn’t an issue. Then I got to college, where no one knew me. And at first, it was great, you know? Being seen as normal. Average, even. Everyone was friendly. Maybe a little too friendly.” Holden blew out a breath. “I had too much fucking baggage to make it work. That’s the sad truth. But Bailey is good, you know? He’s smart, and he’s good with people. Kid got straight A’s his senior year. I wanted to kick his ass when he told me he’d missed the application deadline. I blame myself. He saw how hard I was working to bring back the business, and he wanted to be there for me. But I just want him to be free to live his life the way we never were.”

“Then this is our chance,” I said. “We bring on Matteo, and we can take all the business that comes our way and turn it around faster. Then when the time comes, Bailey won’t have any reason to worry about leaving.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed at his jaw. “It’s worth a shot. Go get him. I’ll start the paperwork.”

I opened the door, catching sight of Matteo bent over an open hood and Bailey staring at his ass. Axel was crouched down, rubbing Sugar’s ears while he smirked at our little brother.

“Matteo,” I called.

He turned, and Bailey jerked his head up so fast he was lucky he didn’t break something. Lucky for him, Matteo was a straight guy who wasn’t expecting to bust anyone ogling him at the auto repair shop. We probably should make sure he was cool working with gay dudes, though.

“Holden wants to see you in his office.” I took a few steps from the doorway, putting out a hand to stop Matteo before he went in. “You’ve got the job if you want it.”

A huge smile broke out. “Thanks, man, that’s?—”

“A couple of caveats, though,” I cut in. “I work here too, and I’m gay.”

“Okay…”

“Homophobes aren’t welcome at Forrester.”

“Got it. I got no problem with that. To each their own and all that.”

“Good.” I lowered my voice. “Secondly, I’m telling you this in confidence, so don’t make it weird, but you don’t touch Holden unless he initiates it.”

He blinked at me. “Uh, okay. Not really in the habit of touching other dudes.”

“I mean any kind of touch, even a handshake or a pat on the back. Casual things you may not normally think about.”

“ Oh .”

“We’re a bunch of former foster kids with fucked-up trauma. You’ll learn as you go, but that one is nonnegotiable.”

“I spent time in prison,” he said quietly. “I saw plenty of trauma there too. I’ll respect any boundaries given to me.”

“Great. Go in there and get yourself a job, then. We need all the help we can get.”

He nodded. “I really appreciate this chance. Emory said you were all good guys, but you wouldn’t believe how many people shut down when they learn I’m an ex-con. They don’t want me associated with their business. They don’t want to trust me. I swear, though, this chance means everything to me. I won’t let any of you down.”

I stepped aside so he could enter Holden’s office. I wasn’t worried about Matteo, regardless of his ex-con status. If anything, it made me more certain he’d value this job.

The person I was worried about? The one who might let down my brothers?

That would always be me.

Holden needed me to help him expand this business and make it truly healthy again. Bailey needed free rein to live a life the rest of us never got a shot at. And Axel? He needed the freedom to be out in the junkyard, not picking up our slack at the shop.

I wanted so badly to give them everything they deserved. I had a lot to make up for after checking out of their lives for so long.

But could I deliver—or would I only let them down all over again?