Page 37 of One Touch

“The new neighborhood is different, but it’s for the best. I get forgetful sometimes.” I looked up at him and wondered how cognizant he was of his condition and prognosis.

“It’s really nice here, Dad.” I leaned into him as he pulled me in and walked with me tucked under his arm.

“Tootie came by and told me about the updates to the house. Heard you’re keeping that cocky builder in line.”

My face flushed, thinking about Beckett and how out of line I had been only days before. “I just want it to be perfect for her. There are a lot of good memories in that house.”

Dad’s gaze grew fuzzy, and I wondered if he was temporarily lost to memories of the past. I wondered if he thought of our mother and how her illness had cut their loving marriage so short. Tears burned beneath my eyelids.

“You’re a good one, Kate. I don’t care what your brothers say about you,” he teased.

I cleared my throat. “I started documenting the work on the house. Would you like to see it?”

I pulled my phone from my purse and flipped to theHome AgainInstagram page, slowly scrolling through the photos. I stopped to point out the new flooring, how much bigger the new windows in the living room made the space feel, and how quickly the workers had torn apart the crumbling front porch.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Your brother has been tight-lipped about the work they’re doing on the house. I think he thinks I’m sentimental about it.”

Duke was tight-lipped about most things, but he did always try to protect our father. To make sure that he had more good days than bad. As if that were in any of our control.

“Only thing special about that house were the people who lived in it. Your mama, you four kids. Hell, even Tootie, who picked up the pieces when I couldn’t.” Dad looked at me. “House is just a house.”

My father’s profound words clung to my ribs. To him it may have just been a house, but to me it was so much more.

My heart ached for that house. It was a monolith whose soul had been ripped from the inside.

If anyone could fix us, it had to be me, and an arrogant, know-it-all builder would not stand in my way.

THIRTEEN

BECKETT

My little brothersat across from me in a perfectly tailored Tom Ford suit. His blond hair was cut short on the sides, and the longer top had been styled away from his face.

His cold blue eyes stared at me as he leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together. “Surprised to hear from you, big brother. I thought you were holed up in that shitty tourist town.”

“We used to love that town when we were kids.”

“Sure, twenty years ago when our parents forced us to see how the other half lives.”

I shook my head. “Yeah. It was real eye opening in a multimillion-dollar vacation home. I enjoy the coast, and I’m friends with Duke.”

My brother adjusted the cuff of his shirt, and boredom glazed over his eyes. “The Sullivans and all their small-town charm.” He wiped his hand across his clean-shaven jaw. “Have you seen Kate around? I should give her a call ...”

My back stiffened, but I schooled my features into a calm expression. “I don’t get it, man. What happened between the two of you?”

Declan sipped his water and glanced around the restaurant. He shrugged. “It was on again, off again.”

My brows pinched together. “Did she know that?”

Declan’s face twisted like I was not getting his point. “It was casual. You know how it is with tourist-town girls ... she was always around. An easy lay.” Declan sucked in his lower lip and grinned. “You remember Isabella.”

“Man, I was seventeen when we met Isabella and her sister in Venice.”

Declan shook his head. “Those kinds of girls don’t change. When Kate got the scholarship in Montana, it was the best thing that could have happened to me.” He leaned forward. “When she started dropping words likecommitmentandring shopping ...” He shuddered. “Yeesh.”

From across the dimly lit table, he studied me. “Why are you asking me about Kate? Is her brother giving you shit? Look, I swear, I didn’t know she was going to show up in Chicago.”

I ignored his questions, pressing him for more information as I tried to comprehend what he was telling me. “But you two were serious. You brought her to Christmas.”

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