Page 5 of Mine to Love

Holden clears his throat behind me. “We haven’t figured out dinner plans yet.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” I nod in Reese’s direction. “Nice to see you again, Reese.”

“Yeah. You too.” She lifts a shoulder, and her sweatshirt dips lower exposing the top pink of her bra and just a hint of cleavage.

“Stay. I’ll order pizza or something. Come grab a beer with me.”

I go into the kitchen and take the beer my brother offers. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Keep me company. Something’s going on with Reese and she needed to talk with Emerson. You can keep me occupied and out of their way.” Holden twists the cap off his beer bottle and takes a sip. “So, what’s up with the visit?”

“Can’t a guy stop in without getting the third degree?”

“Sure. When he lives down the street. Not so much when he lives fifteen hundred miles away and isn’t one for socializing.”

“I socialize.” I open my beer and chug half of it before setting the bottle on the counter.

“Okay.” Holden laughs and takes out his cell. He taps the screen and looks up at me. “Still like it loaded?”

I’ve been doing more sitting than exercising and have had to cut back on some of the excess fat and calories. If I say as much to Holden, he’ll piss his pants laughing, then will lecture me for working too much.

“Sure.” I’ll figure out way to squeeze in a run in the morning.

Holden finishes ordering and sets his phone down. “You sure all is good?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?”

He pulls on his beer and shrugs. “You’re not the pop-in and hang-out type of brother.”

“In case you don’t remember, the last time I popped in for a surprise visit I busted your naked ass going at it with Emerson in the back of the Impala at your shop.”

He gives me a shit-eating grin. “I remember.”

I fake-gag before finishing my beer. “I’m here on business. Should wrap everything up on Friday. If you’re lucky, I’ll bless you with my presence this weekend.” I’d planned on staying anyway to help Nick finalize the details for Holden’s bachelor party next month.

“Cool. Maybe I’ll let you take Mary for a spin.”

“Mary?”

“The Impala.” Holden gives me a wink.

“I thought she was a customer’s?”

“I couldn’t let her slip away after—”

“Yeah.” I cover my ears. “Got it.” I pull out a stool and take a seat and listen to my brother rattle on about his latest investment, a 1962 Chevelle. Or at least, I pretend to listen. I can’t help it if the feminine chatter from the other room holds my interest more than car talk with my brother.

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