Page 65 of Second First Kiss

I’m done burning off steam for a while.

K

He wanted to take the damn keys over and demand that she keep using his car, but then she could add controlling to the never-ending list of reasons why she didn’t think they were a good fit.

He didn’t want her to think she owed him one for the car, so he just dropped it off in her driveway and put the keys in her mail slot before he came to the bar. He hadn’t heard from her, but she was also working from home today.

“No comment.”

Eli chuckled and Nolan shot him a look that would have had most men wetting themselves. Not Eli, he just kept chuckling.

“So, I know you didn’t want to meet to talk about my shit day. What’s up?”

Eli’s face broke out into a hesitant smile. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded letter, then handed it over.

Nolan opened it and his brows folded in on themselves. “St. Ignatius? I didn’t know you were Catholic.”

“I’m not.” Eli snatched it back and shoved it into his pocket. “But it’s a private prep school. All girls, academic forward, has one of the best soccer programs in the state.”

“Why do I think that it was the ‘all girls’ that caught your attention?”

“Have you seen what kids wear these days? And Sierra Vista High isn’t what it used to be. With this whole drug thing and kids carrying guns.” He shook his head. “Not for my kid.”

Nolan clapped him on his good shoulder. “Congrats, man. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Well, don’t congratulate me yet, I still have to figure out how to pay for it. Which is why I wanted to meet.” Eli took a big breath. “I hate to play the friend card, but I’m willing to do anything to get Hannah into this school.”

He hated to see his friend in a jam over something like money. Nolan wasn’t rich by any sense of the word, but his family’s lodge had really turned the corner these past few months and he and his siblings were looking at a pretty nice setup when all was said and done. Plus, Nolan pulled in a paycheck from the government as well as the lodge.

“I can take some money out of my 401K and spot you,” Nolan offered.

Eli looked offended. “I don’t want your money, man. I was talking about more hours at the lodge. Do you have anything for me?”

No, he didn’t. In fact, he was giving Eli hours that the bar didn’t even have which meant he was already exceeding the security budget. Lucas was going to have a fit.

Nolan must have lost his poker face or maybe it was that Eli knew him so well, but he waved a hand. “Forget I asked. You’re already doing so much for me and mine.”

“No, I’m sure we can work something out.”

“I heard that you were having some security issues so you’re beefing up the security around here.”

A prickle started at the base of his spine. “Where did you hear that?”

“I overheard Jax talking to Milly about it. She was worried after the night Kat’s car was vandalized and Jax was reassuring her that you had it handled. Let me help. I know I’ve never run logistics for private security, but I’ve been running task forces since you were in diapers. The same skills apply.”

Nolan chuckled. Eli wasn’t that much older, but he’d give the guy leeway to make his point.

The problem was that Nolan was just as good, if not better, at those same skills. He already had a solid plan for the project, and he was going to oversee it himself. Then again, he’d been scrambling to find the time to actually get the security vendors out there to install all of the devices and cameras the lodge needed.

“I can move you from working security at the bar to helping me fix this mess.”

Eli stuck out his hand. “This is great, man. I can’t thank you enough.”

Before Nolan shook, he wanted to make it clear what he was offering. “You’re going to be doing a lot of grunt work. Calling different vendors and companies, giving me options on equipment, putting together a proposal with choices that I can take to the board.”

“It will be the best damn proposal you’ve ever seen.” They shook. “Now I just have to have Hannah teach me how to use PowerPoint.”

Jesus, what had he gotten himself into?

---