Page 5 of One Touch

BECKETT

I had countedon Kate being pissed when I showed up at her aunt’s house, but what I hadn’t expected was for her to throw me out on my ass after a quick walkthrough of the house. That show of backbone was altogether surprising.

Even her aunt seemed momentarily stunned.

Tootie Sullivan had tried to smooth things over, but I’d assured her there was no need. In the few moments before Kate insisted that she could handle the reno, I’d gotten an eyeful of what needed to be done to the home.

A lot of fucking work.

After talking with Duke, we planned to keep as much history in the home as we could, but it was going to take a full crew and a hell of a lot of time to get it done.

I didn’t need his pissy little sister being a thorn in my side the entire time.

It had been the better part of a year since I’d seen Kate at my family’s Christmas. A few months ago, my little brother had mentioned in passing that they’d broken up, and the way he talked about it, it seemed like maybe it was a mutual parting.

But there was fire in her eyes. She was going for blood in a way that had heartbreak written all over it.

“Can I get you another Coke?” The server smiled down at me.

“Sure. Duke?” I snagged my best friend’s attention, but he shook his head. The server smiled and wandered away.

From the small outdoor patio of Outtatowner’s local café, we were enjoying lunch in the late-summer sun, as we often did when I paid him a visit every few months. Tourists from all around were walking down the sidewalk, some toward the beach and others popping in and out of the little shops that lined the main thoroughfare through Outtatowner, Michigan.

My family had been vacationing in the quirky coastal Western Michigan town for as long as I could remember—a reprieve from city life. It was how I’d ended up becoming unlikely friends with Duke in the first place.

“What?” he asked when I stared at him.

“Remember when you broke my nose?”

He shook his head and stifled a grin. “You deserved it.”

I laughed and shook my head. “You took a cheap shot.”

Duke pointed a french fry in my direction. “You wouldn’t stop flirting with my girlfriend.”

I smiled. He wasn’t wrong. Duke was a townie and broke my nose after I flirted with his girlfriend one too many times at a beach bonfire. Their relationship hadn’t lasted longer than that summer, but our friendship had. Despite my rigorous work schedule in Chicago, I made it a point to disconnect and make the two-hour drive. My easy friendship with Duke had helped me escape the demands of my life.

I touched my fingers to my nose. “It’s still a little crooked.”

Duke grinned. “That’ll remind you to keep your hands to yourself.”

Friendship with Duke was simple. The most real relationship I had in my life, and he was more like a brother than my own.

“I appreciate you coming out. I know it’s been busy for you.”

“Yeah. Busy is good, though.” I tossed my napkin down and took in the small town. Nothing ever felt busy in Outtatowner. Just the slow, easy pace of people enjoying their beach vacations.

“It is, but I’m sure you could use some time off.”

I smirked at my friend. If anyone called me a workaholic, he was a close second. We both deeply understood the benefits of burying yourself in work to avoid the hassle of dealing with other people.

“What the hell is she doing ... ?” Duke’s voice trailed off, and I followed his gaze across the street.

I spotted his little sister. She had a cap pulled low over her eyes, and her long brown hair flowed out of the back in a ponytail. She was trying to go unnoticed, but it was her all right. There was no mistaking those long, muscular legs and the way they flared out to the most perfect ass I’d seen in a very long time.

Not that I ever noticed that.

Kate was ducking into the hardware store, looking around as though she was afraid to get caught. Rightly so. The hardware store on the corner was owned by the Kings, and it wasn’t above a Sullivan to drive out of their way to the next town over to avoid giving a King their business. The fact that Katie was willingly going inside was not only uncommon, but it was downright curious.

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