by Vivian Arend
“Better than you,” Troy taunted. “I’m a gentleman. I know how to put the toilet seat down.”
“Fuck off,” Mike said, far more mildly than Nicole expected. “One question before we go inside, though.”
They stopped, facing him.
He narrowed his eyes. “What the hell did you do with all of the knives?”
Troy’s smile extended into a full-out, evil grin. “I’ll tell you where they are if you tell me when you went looking for them.”
Mike hesitated. “Fine. I was going to add a few…creative touches to your leather jacket this morning, but since I couldn’t find anything sharper than a toothpick…”
What the hell? “My God, Mike. Don’t you dare touch Troy’s shit,” Nicole sputtered. “Or Troy for that matter. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Hey.” Her brother raised his hands. “I didn’t do a thing,” he said innocently.
“Only because I hid all the knives in the first place,” Troy muttered. “My leather? Seriously, dude? That’s dirty. You know how much I love that jacket.”
The two of them glared at each other.
Good grief. Nicole clapped her hands rapidly to get their attention. “Well, then, this has been soooo much fun. Mike, you will behave. Or I’ll tell Mom and Dad who set the fire in the dumpster behind the mill when we were twelve.”
Her brother blanched. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try. Me.” She smiled sweetly before turning and offering her hand to Troy. “Come on, big guy, the party’s about to begin.”
“Put in your earplugs.” He took her hand and let her lead him to the door as Mike hurried ahead of them, a lot quieter than usual.
Blackmail. She didn’t pull it out very often, but with a family like hers, it was a necessary insurance policy at times.
“The twins are here,” her dad announced from the doorway to the living room.
Whether it was from his years working in the open spaces and noise of the mill, or just his personality, her father had only one volume: big and bold, his deep voice ringing off the walls as if he were calling a rodeo event.
“Hey, Nic. Mike…” He spotted Troy, his smile still firmly in position. “And an extra guest. Troy. How’re you doing, son?”
“Great.” Troy juggled the gift in his arms as he tried to free his hand to accept the other man’s handshake. Nicole rushed to his rescue, pulling the present from him. “Good to see you again, Mr. Adams.”
“Brian. You’re more than old enough to call me Brian,” her dad reminded him, volume set to high. “You staying for supper?”
“I was planning—”
“Kevin,” her dad roared over his shoulder. “Set another place at the table.”
“We already set the table for fourteen,” Nic’s mom shouted back.
“We need fifteen, Mother. Mike brought the Thompson boy with him.” Her dad vanished around the corner, continuing to shout instructions.
Oh, hell. Nic glanced at Troy. At her brother.
Mike looked far too pleased as he shrugged. “Hey, I’m not helping. You want him, you claim him.”
As if Troy was a lost little puppy.
“Fine.” She shoved as much annoying sister attitude as she could muster into the single word before turning to her new boyfriend. “Come on, Troy. Time to face the music.”
“The entire percussion section,” Mike intoned dramatically, “with an extra side of kettle drums.”
Nicole took a deep breath then followed her father around the corner into the din.
No one even glanced their way.
Her sisters were bouncing off and on the two couches, depending if they needed to chase down a kid or not. Her mother sat in her usual easy chair while five kids under the age of four crawled, toddled and otherwise stormed the room, constantly in motion. Nicole’s brothers-in-law were rearranging the table, arguing good-naturedly about which side to place the bread plate.
“Mike,” Kevin ordered loudly. “Grab another chair from the den.”
“Nicole. Good to see you.” Dale marched up and wrapped her in a bear hug.
“Happy birthday to my favourite brother-in-law…named Dale,” she announced with a flourish.
“Ha. For a minute I thought I’d managed to rise to the top.” Dale leaned in close, looking her intently in the eyes. “How are you doing, little sis? Life treating you better lately?”
Oh lord, the conversation she’d had with him about Jordan had been agonizing. He’d been so apologetic, she’d felt horrid.
“I’m okay,” she insisted.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Now.” Dale scooped up son number one, who’d been tugging at his leg to get his attention.
“Daddy?”
“Tyson, will you wait one minute while I finish talking to Auntie Nic?”
Tyson leaned his head on Dale’s shoulder, and now Nicole found herself with two sets of identical grey-blue eyes peering intently at her, as if the chaos and noise in the background didn’t exist. Only her and whatever Dale wanted to tell her.
Conversations with her brothers-in-law were intense at the best of times.
“Jordan put in for a transfer within Environmental Resources,” he said seriously. “Decided he’d prefer to work the north division. You won’t see him around town after the summer.”
Shit. A little overboard, although there was a sense of relief too. “Was that because of me?”
Dale shook his head. “But I mentioned my concerns to HR, and it turned out there’d been previous complaints of inappropriate behaviour on his record. His new posting keeps him out of the office.”
“Then I’m glad he’s gone. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Anything for my favourite sister-in-law…named Nic.” He turned that intense focus on his son. “Now, tiger, what can Daddy do for you?”
Nicole patted his shoulder in farewell as Tyson asked a question about sitting next to someone at the table.
Nicole turned to track down where Troy had gone to while she’d been distracted.
Damn.
He’d been pinned to a wall by her dad as Brian recited in detail the—oft-repeated—play-by-play of the championship game where the local Rocky high-school football team had unexpectedly won the provincial championship.
That had been over eight years ago, and Nicole could recite the conversation because it never changed.
“…and it flew. Picture perfect, that pass. Ahh, I can see it now, spiraling through the sky, like a rocket shooting into outer space.”
Troy’s smile was fixed in place. “Lucky throw,” he insisted, like Nicole had heard him say more times than she could count.
“And my Mike—right there, in the clear. That ball just floated into his arms like the angels themselves scooped it up and dropped it along with manna from heaven. Touchdown.” Brian threw his arms in the air and roared.
Nicole jerked out of her father’s way, narrowly avoiding his swinging arms. She offered Troy a sympathetic smile. He blinked hard then returned his attention to Brian.
If she knew all the words to this conversation, Troy had to be sick of hearing them.
“Dad, how about letting Troy grab a drink—?”
“Got him one already,” Kevin announced, stopping beside Troy and holding out longnecks.
Damn it. It seemed impossible that the entire world was so oblivious to the fact Troy didn’t drink. Ever. But he’d told her before not to make a fuss about it, so once again her dad grabbed one beer and passed the other to Troy who folded his arms, the bottle hanging loosely from his fingers as he leaned harder into the wall. His expression was familiar as well—easygoing. Happy. As if everything in his world was perfect.
He caught her eye and gave just the slightest incline of his head, stilling the words she’d been about to say regarding her family offering him alcohol.
She bit her lip and wondered how he put up with it. Why.
Kevin rolled the conversation forward, shaking his head in disb
elief. “Still can’t believe you turned down a football scholarship to the U of C.”
Troy cleared his throat. “Not everyone knows what they want to do at seventeen.”
Her brother-in-law looked… Well, he wasn’t rude enough to look disgusted, but it was clear he didn’t understand or approve of Troy not heading immediately after high school to university.
Nicole had never understood it either. She hadn’t left town until a few years after she’d graduated when working and living twenty four/seven with the family business had become too much to bear. Plus, she’d waited and saved up enough to do what she wanted without their help.
Her family was old-fashioned about some things. Her sisters had worked at the family feed mill until they got married and had kids. As the lone male, Mike would someday take over the business, so he hadn’t needed to head to university either. It was stupid and sexist and…what they all knew was going to happen.
Her going away had sent the family into a tailspin the entire time she’d been gone.
But Troy? Fourth son in a family of five meant there seemed to be no logical reason for him not to have jumped on the opportunity.
She would have jumped. Hard and fast. Like he said—he obviously hadn’t been ready to do something serious with his life.
“Brian. Stop harassing that boy and let him breathe.” Darlene Adams stepped in, one of her granddaughters in her arms. “Also, you need to go carve the roast. Kevin, someone needs changing.”
“Isn’t that what grandmas are for?” Kevin suggested.
“Nice try, bucko.”
She passed little Dara to her dad, and bodies swirled around one another as if they were dancing, headed in different directions as voices ebbed and flowed in the background.
The front doorbell rang, and Troy took advantage of the moment to put his beer on a side table and reach for her, tugging them backward down the hallway.
“Well, this has been fun so far.” He stopped beside the broom closet, his smirk picking up as he tilted his head toward it. “Want to check it out?”
“No.” She attempted to stifle her giggles. “Oh God, don’t do that to me right now.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’d like to be,” he murmured. “Just a few minutes, sweetheart…”
“Hey, Nicole,” Kevin called after them. “Come here. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
She turned with a smile, figuring he was teasing and had one of her nephews lying in wait. Instead, she looked up at a solid six-foot-four of handsome stranger with deep-blue eyes.
He stood beside her brother-in-law, smiling easily as he extended a hand in greeting. “Chase Pine. You must be Nicole.”
“That’s me. Nice to meet you.” Nicole gestured Troy forward. “Troy Thompson.”
“Mike’s roommate,” Kevin explained as he stepped between her and Troy, draping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her and Chase toward the living room. “So, Nic. Chase is the new man on my crew at the fire hall. Just started this week, but he came from Camrose. Did his training at that college you went to.”
“Lakeland?” She faced Chase, pulling to a stop in the open space in front of the door. “I don’t remember seeing you.”
“Graduated three years ago,” he offered.
“Ah, that’s why. I started the fall after you left.”
“Great school, though. Did you enjoy it?”
“It was perfect. Small enough I didn’t get lost, big enough to not be Rocky…”
He laughed. “Small towns. Each one unique, yet somehow exactly the same.”
Nicole glanced past him as they talked about their time at college. Kevin had left them, probably to deal with his daughter. Troy…
Troy had settled on the couch next to Mike, but his eyes were fixed intently on her. He wore an expression that was halfway between a smirk and exasperation. She knew exactly why it was there.
She nodded at something Chase said, then held up a hand. “Excuse me a minute.”
“No problem. I’ll save your spot,” he teased. Flirtatious, even, and Nicole turned her back and sighed.
She made her way across the house to where Kevin had vanished with Dara, slipping into the room as he was finishing his task.
“Hey. What’s with bringing Chase to a family event?” she asked.
Kevin glanced up, bringing Dara to her feet on the bed.
“Great guy, don’t you think? I figured he’d enjoy a home-cooked meal and some friendly company. Just being welcoming.”
Of course he was. Ninety-nine percent truth, plus the one percent that he’d failed to mention.
“You just happened to invite Chase to a family dinner. And he just happens to be single. And went to the same college as me.”
“Funny how coincidences happen.” Kevin lifted Dara up and kissed her softly. “All ready for dinner, sweetie.”
“I don’t need to be set up,” Nicole warned. “I’m very capable of finding a guy on my own.”
“Of course you are,” Kevin said as if shocked. “Only if I find him for you, then I’ll have already vetted him. Makes life simpler.”
“You do not get to vet my boyfriends,” Nicole said sharply as she followed him back into the family area.
Kevin pivoted, pressing a finger over his lips to warn her to keep quiet—ha!—just as the dinner bell rang.
A growl of frustration threatened to escape, but she knew her family. They meant well, but they’d run roughshod over her for her own good if given the chance. Always had, always would. She loved them for it and simultaneously wanted to shake the lot of them.
“Everyone. To the table,” Darlene commanded with a clap of her hands. “Mike, you’re over there. Troy, you take that one beside him. Cyndi, you and the…”
Nicole slipped ahead of her brother and dropped into his chair.
“Oh, Nicole. You’re over here, please.”
Her mom indicated the space next to Chase. Nicole should have taken bets on the seating arrangement.
“No, I’m over here. I don’t get to sit beside my buddy Tyson that often,” she said with a smile just for her nephew who was already tucked into his booster seat.
It was a reasonable request, not to mention her mom couldn’t rearrange the entire table without making it obvious she was trying to seat Chase next to Nicole.
“You’re playing with fire,” Troy murmured in her ear before leaning past her to offer four-year-old Tyson a fist bump.
No. The point was she didn’t want to play with fire, not after agreeing to go out with Troy. Didn’t matter how nice Chase was according to Kevin. But this was Troy’s opportunity to show his stuff, and if he was going to give up at the first sign of a little honest competition…
“You backing out on your ‘I want to date you’ spiel, Thompson?” she whispered.
Troy glanced across the table at Chase. His jaw tightened, and he twisted back to her, all the fire she’d ever need in his eyes. “Like hell I am.”
A shiver zipped along her skin, and a small bubble of warmth burst inside. She told herself it was because she was glad he was showing some backbone.
It also might have been that his hand landed on her thigh under the table at that exact second.
“Hey, Chase.”
Nicole ripped her gaze from Troy’s and snapped her attention to her brother, who’d ended up seated next to their new guest.
“You should see if Nic has time to show you around Traders tomorrow night,” Mike offered with an evil glint across the table at Troy.
“Traders?” Chase turned his smile on her again. “Local entertainment?”
“Great place,” Troy butted in before Nicole could answer. “Drinks and pub food, games, dancing—you’ll like it.” He stretched his arm along the back of her chair, playing with her hair as he aimed his best devil-may-care grin across the table. “Nic and I will be there by nine. If you want, we could introduce you around.”
Chapter Ten
Troy had been the center
of attention before, many times.
The response he got from the collected Adams family to his not-so-casual comment was way more intense. That penetrating concentration they were known for was impressively scary when aimed all in one direction.
Especially in utter silence.
That bit was unexpected. He didn’t think they were capable of anything less than a dull roar.
Still, fourteen faces with widened eyes and slack jaws were a tough act to follow with anything. Until—
“Lovely idea, Troy. So kind of you to offer. Now…” Nic’s mom stood decisively and clapped her hands again. “Who’s ready for dinner? We have all Dale’s favourites, since it’s his special day.”
He’d expected that. Darlene Adams was the soul of discretion and smoothed the waters because they weren’t alone. Only the look she gave Nic made it clear there would be further conversation, and soon.
Chase? He clued in fast enough, cracking a ready smile as he glanced between Troy and Nic.
“Can’t tomorrow night, but I’ll take you up on that sometime.” And then damn if he didn’t do his best to help ease the situation, turning his focus down the table to invite others to rejoin the conversation. “Speaking of food—how about a list of the top places in town to grab a bite, for the poor stranger who hates to cook.”
“Just keep getting invites out to dinner,” Mike suggested.
“Great idea. That takes care of once a month.”
The family banter went back to moderately normal—loud and cheerful—but the entire time there was this edge. Eyes kept darting toward him and Nic, confusion uppermost in her family’s expressions.
Not as if they thought he was an ax murderer or anything, just…concern and disbelief.
“Remind me to kick you in the ass when we get out of here,” Nic murmured as she leaned past him to grab a basket of bread.
“I look forward to it,” he returned, joining in one conversation after the other for brief moments as everyone resumed their habit of speaking at nearly the same time on a million different topics.
Somehow they got to the end of the meal without anyone straight-up coming out and asking Nic what the heck she was doing, and then there was just the gift opening and birthday cake to get through before he could steal her away.
