Page 5 of Borrowing My Bestie's Brothers

“Amelia, what are you doing here?”

“My bestie sent up a SOS first thing this morning and I came over as soon as I got the message.” She looked at me then. “So your mum is coming down? Do I need to head her off at the pass? Tell her there’s a special wedding expo across town and let you make your escape?”

“You getting married, Mouse?” Clinton said, raising an eyebrow. “Where’s my invite?”

“You just want to drink for free on my dime,” I said, shooting him a baleful look. “And anyway, I’m not getting hitched. From what I’ve seen of mankind here…” I waved my hand in the air. “That’s enough to turn me off for life. It’s just I’m my mum’s only daughter and she really, really wants to see me get married.”

“Want a pretend bridegroom to walk down the aisle with?” Clinton said, stepping closer and wrapping my arm around his. The others laughed as he marched us forward a couple of steps, right before I yanked my arm free. “I’m available, at a price. I’ll even throw in the wedding night for free.”

“Why do I think you say that to all the girls?” Millie said with a shake of her head, “but…”

Oh no, whatever idea was percolating in her head, I knew I wasn’t going to like it.

“No, Millie,” I said. “Nope, nope, no way.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to suggest!”

The dangerous sparkle in her eye made clear I didn’t want to.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Now…” I looked up again, feeling Brock’s gaze on me. It was almost tangible, like a hand on my shoulder, directing me back to work. “I need to keep going on the XB if I’m going to get this service finished today. We can chat after knockoff time.”

“At Mum’s and Dad’s.” She poked her finger in my direction. “Today’s my day off, so it’s compulsory family fun time. Come and have dinner. I know the boys are annoying as fuck, but Mum cooks a damn fine roast. We can work out what the hell you’re gonna do over roast potatoes and gravy.”

Millie’s mum was an amazing cook and my stomach growled audibly in response. I flushed as I slapped a hand down, trying to silence it.

“Fine,” I said, then glanced back at Brock. Gary was already peeved about me servicing the XB, so I needed to show that I was worthy of that honour. “I’ll meet you at your parents place at what…?”

“Six,” she replied and then her focus shifted to up the stairs. “You too, brother dear. That’s why I’m really here. Mum said she’s been trying to call you?—”

“I’ll be there.”

That’s all he said, Brock famously being a man of few words, before stomping back into his office.

“Looks like Rowdy’s got the shits,” Gary said. Australian nicknames often involved calling someone the thing they were the opposite of. “We better get back to work. Need any help, Jamie? I know those nuts can be tight on the XB…”

“Catch you at six,” Millie said with a cheeky grin, waving as Gary steered me back towards the car to ‘show me’ how things needed to be done.

Hours later and the car was given back to Mr Henderson and even Gary told him I’d done a thorough job. Under his expert tutelage, of course. I didn’t roll my eyes, which I think deserved to be congratulated, instead cleaning my hands in the sink, ready to go home and get changed.

“So I’ll see you at Mum’s and Dad’s?”

I dropped the nail brush with a clatter, looking up to see Brock had appeared. We’d all said that at some point he needed to wear a bell, because the guy moved like a cat.

And was as intense as one.

He stared at me with eyes so pale brown they were almost gold, waiting for an answer, and he wouldn’t look away until he had one, that I knew from experience. I smiled because he wasn’t, those full lips pursing from behind his beard.

“Um, yeah… Just gonna go home and have a shower, put on some clean clothes.” My little chuckle seemed to fall flat, his only shift in expression a slight creasing of his brows. “Gotta scrub up nice for your mum’s lamb roast.”

“You always look nice.”

He said that and walked away, not waiting for a response or anything and that had me letting out a sigh. I have no idea why Brock kept me on after my apprenticeship. Some of the older fellas had taken it upon themselves to talk me through what would happen when I was let go. At the time, there were too many staff for the jobs we were getting. They’d talked to me about which owners were good bosses and which to avoid, but right when I’d braced myself to talk to Brock about it, he’d turned around and offered me a job. If the rest of the guys were surprised, none were more than me. Some of the other mechanics had moved on and Brock had obviously done something about advertising because jobs started flooding in, keeping all of us more than busy, but…

I had to wonder why.

He barely spoke to me, would rarely look my way, and if he did, it was with that weird stare. Other girls sighed when they saw my boss, talking about the kind of office romance they’d initiate when they saw the breadth of his shoulders stretching the seams of his flannel shirts, the tattoos that swirled up his forearms and peeked out the top of his shirt, but me? My fingers might twitch, wanting to open one button, then another, following the trail of tattoos, but I’d have traded that opportunity for some understanding of what was going on in Brock’s head. Did he keep me around out of loyalty to his sister or…?

I knew I wouldn’t get an answer to that, so I dried my hands and then went home, rushing up the stairs to have a long, hot shower, then get dressed in something a whole lot cleaner. I set my work clothes to wash while I was out, then drove over to the McDonald house.

---