Johnny looked to the ceiling. “Oh for fuck’s sake.”
She strutted on those freaking heels to the coffeepot, stating, “If we have children and you curse like that in front of them, it’ll be me throwing plates.”
He ignored that since they were having children and he wouldn’t curse like that in front of them (at least not the girls, the boys, when they reached a certain age . . . ) and she already knew that (probably).
Instead, he asked, “Your bag in the bathroom?”
“Yes,” she answered, grabbing a travel mug.
“It packed or you leaving it?”
“It’s packed. But I have to repack it tonight so I need to take it.”
“Stock up tonight, sp?tzchen.”
“Roger that, Ghostrider,” she returned wryly as she splashed cream into the mug.
Yeah.
He wanted to fuck her all the time.
Johnny managed not to tackle her at the coffeepot and he and Ranger went to get her bag.
Then he and Ranger walked her and her purse and her travel mug to her car.
He dumped the bag in her back seat.
That done, he allowed himself some time to make out with her, hot and heavy at her car door.
Then he and Ranger loaded up in his truck and followed her down the lane from the mill.
“I’m staying.”
Suffice it to say Johnny was thrilled his brother was making this statement.
However, the instant he did, that afternoon after he’d found out Izzy’s dad was not just an epic dick, but an asshole of massive proportions, while they stood in the lone bay of the first Gamble Garage (this the only one having one bay, the others had at least two, some of them four), he thought of Toby sitting at Izzy’s outdoor table looking up at Izzy’s bedroom window.
So he did not share he was thrilled.
He felt his brows draw together and he asked, “Why?”
Toby shrugged.
Shit.
“Tobe—”
“I might not be settling in. I don’t know my plans. I just know I’m staying for a while.”
“You got trouble somewhere?” Johnny asked.
“Nope,” Toby answered, and Johnny watched him closely as he did.
When he saw his brother wasn’t lying, he asked, “Feel like consoling a not-so-suddenly single mom after her husband proved how big of a dipshit he is?”
Toby’s face changed, a nuance, a nuance only their dad, Margot and Johnny could catch, and he replied, “Nope.”
Now that was a lie.
“Hands off, brother,” Johnny declared.
It was then Toby got pissed. “I’m not going there,” he clipped. “Christ, what kind of ass do you think I am?”
“I don’t think you’re an ass. I think you’re a player and the way you play has nothing to do with me. Unless it’s Addie.”
“She’s pretty.”
“She’s off limits.”
“I’m just saying she’s pretty.”
“I know she’s pretty. And I’m just saying she’s off limits.”
“I’m not gonna go there, Johnny,” he repeated.
“I know you aren’t.”
“I wanna get to know Izzy better because I’m thinking that’s the right call about now with where you two seem to be. And with where you two seem to be, I’ll also need to be getting to know her sister, and I don’t need you breathing down my neck or treating me like I’m a complete dick who’s gonna make a play on a woman who collapsed in my arms because her man is a total tool.”
“If that’s it then great, awesome, I’m thrilled you’re gonna stick around,” Johnny said truthfully.
“You know, the time I needed an older brother ended about a decade ago,” Toby shared.
“Tobe, you need to get over that because I’m gonna be your older brother until the day I die, and that’s just the way it is.”
“Terrific,” Toby muttered, turning his head to stare at the car Johnny had up on a lift.
“You got plans while you’re in Matlock or are you gonna fish and charm women and drive Margot insane because you seem entirely immune to having a healthy relationship?”
Toby looked back to him. “I wanna work with you here, at the garage.”
Johnny stood solid and stared.
Toby was good with an engine. He wasn’t better than Johnny because Johnny had always been a gearhead like their father and grandfather.
Toby could get stuck in and do great work.
Then Toby could get distracted and take off.
Johnny didn’t care. He was used to it and his brother was an adult. He got his checks from the garages. He did his thing. He didn’t get into trouble anymore (much). It was his life to live and it wasn’t Johnny’s place to get involved in it.
Except giving him stick and keeping him away from Addie.
But he’d love having his brother home, working beside him, like the old days.
Like before Dad died.
“You wanna be here, I want you here,” Johnny told him. “Long as you want, forever or a week, I don’t care. But I don’t have to say that. It’s yours the same as mine.”
“That may be true on paper but it isn’t true in practice, and I’ve been thinking that isn’t right.”
Johnny again stared.
A healthy relationship with a woman was not Toby’s thing.
Responsibility wasn’t either.
“I need to do my part,” Toby stated. “I don’t wanna be managing any mini-marts. But I can change a belt and switch out plugs.”
“Then start when you wanna start,” Johnny replied. “But if you’re here, I manage this bay, brother. You wanna take over your own garage, we gotta work you up to that, and by that I mean, you get one when we lose a man who’s managing one. We got great crews in all the garages. That changes, you slide in. But I’ve laid claim to this one, so it’s mine.”
“I don’t wanna manage anything. I just wanna be rooted for a while.”
“Outside of thinking you’re not pitching in when you don’t gotta pitch in, anything else bring this on?” Johnny asked.
“Grams is dead. Gramps is dead. Dad’s dead. And Margot and Dave aren’t gonna be here forever. I’ve seen a lot. Done a lot. Learned a lot. And the biggest thing I learned was that the only place I feel right is in Matlock.”
“Then it’s really a welcome home,” Johnny said quietly.
“Yeah,” Toby replied.
“I’ll talk to Iz about a good night for you to come over for dinner so you can spend more time with her,” Johnny offered.
Toby grinned. “That’d be great.”
They stared at each other for long beats.
Johnny ended it, saying, “Dad would be glad.”
Toby kept hold on his gaze.
Then he replied, “Yeah.”
“Sure,” Addie said.
It was after dinner at Izzy’s. They were in her living room, a place Johnny wanted to get out of as soon as possible considering spending time with all the white furniture, flower covered pillows and lampshades and the flipping bird cage with a pink roof on her white coffee table was making him concerned he’d actually be able to father a child in the future.
He’d just got shot down for paying the attorney straight up.
So he’d pitched the loan.
And that was Addie’s response.
Johnny looked from her to Izzy, who was staring at her sister like she’d morphed into someone else, and back to Addie.
“Great,” he replied. “Give your attorney’s bills to me. I’ll cover them. We’ll keep track. This is done, we’ll sort out a payment plan.”