Page 70 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
“Yes, sir. The town is charming.” Brett reached for the drill and was hit with a memory of helping his father fix the porch railings the summer before Lorelei died. She’d danced around the front yard calling out to them, Look at me! Then she’d do a cartwheel or twirl in circles.
He thought about what Sophie had said last night about how wonderful it must have been to have had a sister for all those years, and for the first time in ages, he didn’t try to push those memories aside. He wanted to honor them as they had honored Lorelei at the fundraiser last year.
When Del climbed down from the ladder, Brett took his place. “I’ll drill the holes.” He screwed the hooks into the beams thinking about calling Mick and wondered if his brother had more memories of Lorelei that Brett might have blocked out.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Poppi said as they attached the chains to the hooks in the chair. “I saw street corners give way to phone booths, and now those are gone and we’ve become impatient and moved on to cell phones. But for the most part, it’s the same close-knit town it’s always been.”
Poppi stepped toward the ladder, and Brett said, “Why don’t you and Del prop up the chair and I’ll climb up and lift it with the chains.”
Poppi stepped onto the ladder. “Pfft. You city folk think age means you can’t work as hard. I’ve got news for you. I’ll be climbing ladders, mucking stalls, and riding my horses until the day they bury me six feet under.”
Brett held his hands up in surrender. “I have no doubt you will. I was just trying to help.”
“Did you see that smile on my granddaughter’s face?” Poppi asked as they lifted the swing into place. “That’s the only thing that matters to me. Sophie is a special girl, and she’s been waiting a long time to find happiness.”
A wave of pride and gratitude washed through Brett. “Then I hope you won’t mind if we stick around for a few more days. If Sophie can get off work, that is. We can get a hotel room, if you’d prefer, but I’d like to spend more time here with Sophie, if that’s all right.”
Del and Poppi shared an approving smile.
“We’d like that very much.” Del patted him on the back. “No hotels necessary.”
“But you might want to lock that bedroom door tonight,” Poppi suggested. “Unless you want my wife barging in again. She loves that girl to pieces. I don’t know if Sophie told you or not, but Nana celebrates love every chance she gets. She just about climbed out of her skin waiting to see you two this morning.”
Brett felt the same way about being with Sophie. Every minute with her was better than the last.
“Thanks for your help, son,” Del said, putting an arm over his shoulder.
A pang of longing for all the years their family had lost, and still stood to lose, hit him like a bullet. “I’m happy to help, anytime.”
“You must be starved after your run. Come around back and we’ll fix you a plate.”
He was starved, all right. For Sophie. But first he needed to call Mick. “Thanks. I’ve just got to make a phone call first, if you don’t mind.”
While Del and Poppi headed for the backyard, Brett pulled his phone from his armband, walked into the front yard, and called Mick.
“Hey,” Mick answered.
“Hi. How’s it going?”
Mick chuckled. “I think I should be asking you that. Carson said you took off after telling him you and Sophie were a couple. Is that true?”
“Yeah, it’s true, bro. I’m at her parents’ house in Virginia. That’s actually why I’m calling.”
“Her parents’ house. You went to the anniversary party?”
“How did you know?” Brett gazed down the street. Tall trees bursting with colorful leaves lined the rural road. The air was crisp and clear for as far as he could see. There was no exhaust, no crowded sidewalks. No anger pushing me toward a two-hour workout.
“She talks about her family a lot,” Mick explained, “which means you two must be serious for her to have taken you to meet them. How the heck did that happen?”
“The night of Tawny’s grand opening we went out for drinks with her friend Grace, and…” He paused, thinking about how long he’d been unable to think about anyone but her. “No, that’s not true. That’s not when it happened.” He glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of Lindsay standing in the side yard, her camera focused on him. He waved, wondering if he’d get a spot on the wall by the stairs. “It was at Carson and Dylan’s wedding. Near the end, after I’d hit on her so many times she rolled her eyes as I approached.”
