Page 61 of Lucky Strike

“Juice,” he calls back, frowning in concentration. “Please.”

“Conlan? There’s juice, soda, water, iced tea…”

I look up from the puzzle Liam and I are working on. We’re a little more than halfway there. “What are you having?”

“Iced tea. Want some? I made peppermint earlier.”

“Anything stronger?” I’m only half-joking.

She comes to the doorway, glass pitcher in hand. “No, sorry. It’s not that kind of party.”

“Not party; relaxation.” I tussle Liam’s dark curls as I stand. He had a haircut right before they left for Mashpee. “Be right back.” I have a wine fridge in the cellar, next to the laundry room. It was a housewarming gift from my mom. Grabbing a bottle of white and one of rosé, I return to the kitchen. “You still like this?”

She glances at the rosé and then at me, a tiny smile pulling at her mouth. “I don’t drink when I’m on the clock.”

“You’re not on the clock anymore,” I remind her. “You’re on vacation.”

“Oh, really?” I feel myself ease at her teasing. I didn’t realize how affected I’ve been by her withheld affection. It’s my fault, I know that. Bria used to be an open book, so if she’s closed now, it’s because she’s following my lead. But I don’t want that anymore. “That’s news to me.”

“Let’s just hang out while I’m here.”

“Sure.” Shrugging a shoulder, she puts the iced tea back into the fridge. “I’ll have a glass of rosé. Thank you.”

Nodding, I procure an opener from the drawer and open both bottles, letting them breathe while I get the glasses. “Dinner smells great, by the way.”

“Thanks. We’ve been eating a lot of fish since we got here.” She flips the fillets in the pan, giving them a squeeze of lemon. “Mitch and Terry brought us to the fish market a couple times, so we’ve been trying out different kinds.”

“I’m surprised you got Liam to eat any of it. He usually hates fish.” I take a sip of the crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc Mom gifted me from the new Nantucket winery.

“Oh, he fussed when I told him we were having it the first day, so we went to a restaurant in town that had fish and chips. That changed his mind pretty quickly.”

“I bet.” Chuckling, I peek into the living room. Liam’s abandoned the puzzle for a set of Magna-Tiles Dinos.

“He’s been helping me pick out which fish we buy to cook at night, too.” She takes a small sip of wine. “Having a sense of agency makes all the difference.”

I nod, fascinated by how quickly she’s unlocked my son. Granted, she’s done this for years and has degrees in psychology and childhood development and stuff. But it’s still impressive to see it applied. “You’re amazing.”

Shaking her head, she sets her glass down and disappears into the pantry, returning a moment later with olive oil and a fancy bottle of vinegar.

“I mean it.”

“Okay, Conlan.”

“You think I’m bullshitting you?”

“I don’t know what I think.” She measures the oil, then the vinegar, into a mason jar. “You went from acting like I had an infectious disease toallowingme to work for you to tolerating me.” Adding a couple of spices, she closes the jar tightly and gives it a vigorous shake. “I guess I should be thankful we’re making progress.”

I lean against the counter, watching her work. She’s not wrong. I have been sending mixed signals since she came back into my life. Being a prickly pear, as my mother would say. But any reservations I had in the beginning are gone. Bria’s an excellent nanny, and she’s earned my trust with her dedication to Liam.

She’s earned my trust with everything.

It’s just, I’m careful about who I associate with. My family and what we do means I can be as much of a liability for women, whether we’re dating or just fucking, as much as they are to me. What happened to Rachel years ago is always in the back of my mind. Ricky was never able to prove that her accident was linked to any gangs or crews in their city, but he wasn’t able to disprove it, either. Her death remains suspicious.

The people we love are always the first ones that are used to hurt us.

“I know I’ve been closed off,” I begin carefully. “But you have to under?—”

“Shelby’s getting sand all over the rug,” Liam announces loudly, joining us in the kitchen.

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