Page 65 of Mustang Summer

“He likes you.He said so.”

Josie smiled to herself.He’d told her, too.“Did he mention that my paternal grandparents aren’t the same as Jesse’s and I have no perceived claim to any land?”

“Yes, but you have to understand why your relationship unsettles us.”

Straightforward.“I understand, but I love my brother, flaws and all.I didn’t know what he was doing, but he told me about Brock’s wicked car collection.Or I thought it was a collection; I didn’t realize it was also a side business.”

An honest one, too.Nancy got the coffee going.The smell swamped Josie in the feeling of home.Her mom had drunk coffee and had used the same beat-up coffee maker for years.Bill had tossed it when he’d finally gotten around to packing Mom’s things up after the funeral.

Before Josie knew it, she was rattling on.“I used to work for Bill—my dad—but he cut me off the automotive side.Didn’t want me around all the guys.”Or accessible to Don Milton.“The closest I got after that was changing my own oil in the house garage, and doing the books.I even wanted to get an auto tech degree in college, but my parents insisted on a four-year business degree.”

“It’s not unwise.”

“No,” Josie sighed.“I saw where they were coming from and since they paid for college…” More than they’d done for Jesse.Her mom had tried, but instead Bill was content to leave Jesse saddled with student loans.

“So do you do something you enjoy now?”

Josie shrugged.“I don’t care for bookkeeping or taking care of Alvarez Automotive’s accounts, but there’s worse work.I just wish I could go out and tinker.”

“Why don’t you?”Nancy raised her coffee cup to the window where the barn was across the gravel lot, as if to ask why Josie didn’t run out and dive in.

“Think they’d mind?”

“Greg won’t.He’ll want to see what you know.I don’t know about Brock.He can be…”

“I know he’s different,” Josie blurted and Nancy’s cup froze before it reached her mouth.“I know he’s…”

“Autistic?”Nancy’s arch tone was more wary than offended.

“Right.We talked about it.”

Nancy’s brows went up, her cup still hovering under her chin.“You did?”

“I thought he was…you know.Then there’s some kids that live by me and one of them just got diagnosed, and…anyway, I looked it up and thought a lot of things made sense.He told me about all the therapy.”

“Did he tell you to keep it between you two?”

She nodded.“Do you really think it would matter?”

“Once we find out, it’d be too late.It’s a small town, Josie.Brock can’t do business somewhere else, he’s stuck here.”

“What about his family?”

Nancy set her steaming cup down.“I left that up to him.I’m sure all of his cousins wouldn’t be surprised.The cousins he’s in business with are good guys, but they can be, well,guys.”

Josie thought of Cash.Would he give Brock shit?

She knew the answer immediately.No.The way Cash treated her was because he was so protective of Brock, who didn’t need it.

“Right now,” Nancy continued, “they treat him like an equal, but I think he worries that’ll change if he gives them a diagnosis.”

Ah.He’d be labeled something other than one of the Walker Five.

“I need more coffee.”Nancy rubbed her temples and sat.“Anyway, I was pretty militant about making things look normal, kept his therapy secret.”She chuckled, but there was no humor.“That created more than enough tension by itself.I don’t know.Maybe I should’ve been honest about all those trips to Fargo.”

“It wasn’t their business.”

Nancy barked a laugh.“Right?In this family, you might find that prying into your personal life is a requirement.”She lifted a shoulder.“I’d rather them blame me for yearning for the city life than treat Brock with kid gloves, or worse, avoid him.”

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