The McCallans

by Hadley Quinn

  Jay had not been sitting with them—he’d been in the first row with Kyle and his family—but he hadn’t so much as even looked back at them a single time. Melanie was worried. So worried that she was desperately pondering ideas to help the situation. She knew she couldn’t bring Beck back, but she feared for Jay’s wellbeing more than anything.

  When the funeral continued on to the gravesite and Beck was placed in the ground, Melanie held her sister’s hand. The last funeral they’d been at had been for Camryn’s fiancé, Zach, and it was devastating. Camryn could barely keep it together, and it was no wonder Teague had his arm tightly secured around her today. She was reflective and quiet, but although time had passed to help heal the heartbreak, Melanie knew the memories were always there for her sister.

  She hoped eventually Jay could heal the same way.

  When the crowd gradually dispersed, Melanie was still watching Jay. He was talking with Kyle and then put his hand on his shoulder to give it a pat. Then he walked away, headed for the parking lot, and that’s when Melanie couldn’t hold back any longer. She quickly followed him, calling his name when she got close enough. He was about to get in his car but paused. He didn’t even turn around to look at her and that almost killed her inside. His shoulders literally slumped, like she was the last person on earth he wanted to see.

  “Please don’t leave without talking to me,” she told him.

  “I don’t have anything to say right now,” he answered quietly, still with his back to her.

  She approached the car until she was next to him but he still didn’t look at her. “Jay,” she put her hand on his arm. “Then we don’t have to talk. Are you going home? Can I come with you?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m supposed to go to a family dinner or something with Beck’s family but…”

  “I’ll come with you. You don’t have to be alone.”

  “You don’t need to be around me, Melanie. I’m not good company and I don’t want to deal with your pity.”

  “I do not pity you,” she stated firmly. “I care about you and want to help you through this. You don’t have to do it alone.”

  He was staring over the top of the car, obviously trying to avoid eye contact with her. His jaw was set and his gaze was hard, and even though it saddened her to see him like this, it also made her feel desperate.

  She gripped his arm hard, forcing him to look at her. “Stop shutting me out!”

  “Stop pushing your own agenda on me!” he retorted, pulling his arm from her grasp. “Everyone fucking wants something from me. I can’t give it, okay? Do you understand that? I have nothing to give you!”

  His anger hurt, but Melanie tried not to focus on it. “I want nothing from you, Jay. I’m telling you that I’m here for whatever you need. Just tell me what I can do for you and if it’s within my power, I’ll do it. I’ll do it because I love you. Do you hear me? I swear to you, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  He stared at her for several long seconds. Something in his eyes told her he was affected somehow, but she knew it wasn’t enough. When he said nothing further and opened his car door, Melanie just stepped away. She let him leave. Despite everything that she felt for him, she just had to let him go.

  When she could no longer see his car, she sat on the curb in utter defeat. Her entire family was nearby—Camryn, Teague, Kellie, and Tyse—and she knew they’d witnessed Jay’s refusal. It was Kellie that came over first, and she sat down next to her just as it started to sprinkle rain.

  “He lives inside his own head,” Kellie finally spoke softly. “He’s always been that way. I can’t say he’s a complete hardass, but pretty close. He’s the type you never want to piss off unless he’s fighting a battle on your side.”

  “I didn’t mean to piss him off,” Melanie replied. Good lord, did she have to be reminded?

  “I’m not saying you pissed him off,” Kellie chuckled. “He’s already pissed off. I’m just saying he’s in his own head, trying to sort everything himself. And what he can’t fix, he just can’t understand.”

  “I get it,” Melanie relented. “He’s not going to let me in. I just thought I’d try.”

  “You’re in more than you know, Mel. And even though that makes me a very happy sister, you gotta give him some space. I’ve known him my whole life, obviously, and he still doesn’t open up to me. I love you, but I’m going to be blunt, okay? You may have softened a few parts of him, but he’s not going to change entirely for you. He’s still Jay, and he’s still a tough soul to figure out, and he’s still going to frustrate you repeatedly. There is no one-hundred-percent happy life with him.”

  “There isn’t one-hundred-percent happy with anyone, and I’m not looking for easy with Jay. I already know that it won’t be a cinch. Why is everyone so hell bent on reminding me of that? Why can’t you guys have a little more faith in him than that?”

  “Faith in him?” Kellie asked, turning to face her. “I believe in my brother more than anyone. Don’t tell me I don’t have faith in him. But my hope for him is that he achieves what he wants, not what anyone else wants. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but like I said earlier… He’s not going to change entirely for you. I’m not saying I know what he wants besides his own shop—hell, I don’t even know if it is what he still wants—but don’t get upset if that’s on his list ahead of your name.”

  Melanie already knew that, and maybe that’s why this was so tough. She’d tried so hard to let Jay do his own thing and make his own choices, but when they started to get closer, it was difficult not to dream about what she could have with him. Maybe she really was being selfish in the matter and needed to back the hell off. She loved Jay with her entire heart, but maybe that’s why she needed to give him some distance.

  “You’re right,” she answered quietly as she stood. She brushed off her skirt and added, “I never intended to make his life more difficult.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” Kellie stood.

  “Well I certainly don’t need to be lectured on his personality. I already know everything you’ve told me. I’m saying I agree with you because you’re right. He gave me an inch and I wanted a mile. I can’t do that with him, I know that.”

  “Melanie, I don’t want you upset with me. I’m worried about my brother, but I’m trying to make sure you’re okay too and it’s…it’s not working. I can’t fucking solve everyone’s problems—”

  “I’m not asking you to. Look, I appreciate everyone’s concern for me when it comes to Jay. I get it, okay? No one wants to see us on the outs—it would be really awkward for all of you, so I understand the warnings—but I’m a big girl and can deal with this just fine. I’m going to give him space if that’s what he needs, but I’m not doing that by disappearing entirely. At least not right away.”

  “No, don’t think that way,” Kellie sighed.

  “Well if I’m not what he needs or wants in his life, I’m not going to force myself into it. That’s just a fact. But I gotta get going,” she said, changing the subject. She couldn’t bear to talk about this any longer. “There’s a special little poochie I have an appointment to see.”

  “A what?”

  “A dog,” Melanie smiled. “I’ll call you later and fill you in.”

  “Um, okay,” Kellie replied as she gave her a hug goodbye.

  Melanie waved at Camryn, Teague, and Tyse as she headed for her car. She went quickly, just to avoid another conversation like the one with Kellie....

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “As for the matter of Beckett’s Restoration… Beckett Dean Wallace names Jay Lucas McCallan as sole beneficiary…”

  Jay barely heard anything beyond that. He’d been asked to meet with Kyle’s family and an attorney and that was bad enough. But he’d gone there with no clue as to what Beck might have left him in his will and then to hear that he’d been left his entire business…

  Jay’s mind was blown. And not only that, but it was salt in the wo
und. Obviously Beck had drawn that will up long ago, before he and Jay had a falling out, and now it just didn’t seem right. There was no way he could take ownership of the shop after his death. No way.

  He argued with the lawyer for a good thirty minutes after the reading. Jay had the option of signing it over to the Wallace family, but even they said they weren’t interested in it. Beck’s parents weren’t exactly warm and inviting people, and they almost seemed to sit through the reading of the will robotically, but they were both adamant that they wanted nothing to do with Beck’s shop except sell everything in it.

  “You can’t do that,” Kyle spoke up. “No. You’re not touching his fucking shop!” he yelled.

  “Watch your tone,” his dad warned him.

  “You’re not taking his shop,” Kyle growled back at him. Turning to Jay he added, “Don’t, Jay. Please. Beck left it for you. You’re the only one that could make him proud. The only one, Jay. You two were on the same page. Take the shop. Take it and keep his memory alive.”

  Jay’s throat felt tight and he clenched his jaw to fight through the frustration. “I can’t do it,” he answered. “It doesn’t feel right.”

  “It’s the only thing that’s right about this!” Kyle shouted, motioning around the drab room they’d all met in. “That place made him happy and he wanted you to have it if anything happened to him. Well it did! He’s dead! He left you the most important thing in his life and you’re not going to accept it?”

  “How ‘bout you take it,” Jay said, closing his eyes as he rubbed his forehead. He had a major headache and didn’t need this fight right now. He took a deep breath and looked at the lawyer. “Gimme whatever it is I need to sign. Kyle can have the shop—”

  “No,” Kyle shook his head. “That’s your dream, not mine. I loved working there with you guys, and yeah I still want to work there, but I know nothing about how to run a business. You guys always called the shots and I just followed along. I don’t want to own it, Jay, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you run it. Please give it a try. That’s all I’m asking…”

  Jay’s mind couldn’t even function, and he left the lawyer’s office that day not even knowing what the hell he was doing. He was the new owner of Beckett’s Restoration and he had no idea where the fuck to start.

  It took him two days before he actually stepped foot inside the business. Beck had been dead for only a week and it still didn’t even seem real. Jay walked through the reception lobby after unlocking the front door. It was dim without the lights on, but it smelled the same and everything looked the same as when he’d last been there to pick up his stuff.

  He flipped the lights on and walked past the counter. The only thing he could think of to do was head straight for the garage. The office was going to be his biggest nightmare—he hated bookwork and all of that crap—but if the business was supposed to thrive, he needed to open the damn doors for customers first. He trusted that Beck already had his books in order and he’d get to it later.

  Jay spent twelve hours that day, alone in Beck’s shop, just making sure everything was in working order. From the smallest tool to the largest piece of equipment, he inspected every square inch.

  Apparently there had been three cars in the garage, but one owner had pulled his out as soon as the police allowed him to do so, and he took it to another restoration shop. There were two cars presently in the shop—a ’67 El Camino and a ’71 Charger. Jay knew both of the owners of the vehicles and they’d been sympathetic when Kyle had called them about the delay. But both had also agreed that Jay could see to finishing the cars himself.

  So at least he had two projects to work on…

  It was eleven p.m. before he left for home that night, and he came back only six hours later to get to it again. Kyle came in too, and together they spent the day working on the El Camino. Neither one of them mentioned one word about Beck, and even though Jay was relieved, it just felt wrong. Jay thought about him day in and day out, but he just couldn’t bring himself to ask Kyle the question he’d wanted to ask. It was better to just keep his thoughts to himself as he tried to get from one day to the next.

  Jay’s schedule was pretty steady for the next two weeks. He came in at six in the morning, and headed for home at seven p.m. There were two new projects in the garage both weeks, and despite Beck’s absence, his workday was just like it used to be.

  During the first week of July he was in the assembly garage with a ’69 GTO. After four weeks of running the place, it had become his first home. The only shop sounds consisted of classic rock coming from the stereo system until he heard the distinguishable clicking of heels. He glanced up automatically without taking the time to realize why his pulse started to pick up.

  Melanie was watching him, almost cautiously. He hadn’t seen her since the funeral, and since he’d pretty much walked out of her life that day, he hadn’t bothered to apologize. He was glad. The words he’d said to her were the truth. Beck’s death had been a huge wakeup call for him.

  They made eye contact for a few seconds but Jay turned away to busy himself with the car again. She was fucking gorgeous, standing there in a sundress and sexy sandals. Her baby bump was a little bigger than he remembered too, but it was her skin that seemed to be drawing his attention. She’d always had beautiful skin, but today the softness and glow of it seemed to be inviting him for a closer look.

  And touch. Hell, he wanted to touch her so bad…

  “Hey,” he finally said.

  It took a few seconds but she answered, “Hey,” as well.

  After another lengthy pause she walked slowly across the shop until she stood next to the car. “You made some changes in here,” she noted.

  He looked up and watched her glance around. “Yeah, a few.”

  “Do you have a car in the paint bay?” she pointed to the door to the second garage of the building.

  “Yeah. ’71 Barracuda.”

  She ventured to the window that divided the assembly garage from the paint bay and looked through it. “Nice. It’s ready for detailing?”

  “Yep,” he nodded. “First thing tomorrow.”

  While her back was to him, he forgot about the necessary distraction of the car he was working on and watched her instead. Good God, those legs. What he wouldn’t do to have them wrapped around him right now…

  “Jay?”

  His eyes shifted upward to her face. She had turned around and was staring at him. “Huh?”

  She paused, but it was obvious she was trying to hide a smile. “I asked if you’ve let Kyle start painting yet.”

  He cleared his throat and shook his head. “No, not yet.”

  “So you’ve been doing all the finish work yourself?”

  “Well…he assists. I just haven’t given him the trigger yet. And we still have Dave come in for any of the more intricate artwork.” Jay wasn’t sure why he said “we,” but Dave was Beck’s friend that he’d hired in once in a while for customers that wanted something really fancy. “Why do you ask?”

  She barely shrugged a shoulder. “Just trying to get an idea of what your day consists of. How are things going here?”

  She came across the shop again and stopped in front of him. Even through all the automotive smells he could make out the scent of her skin.

  Vanilla.

  “Things are going fine,” he replied. “Uh, not how it should feel being in here, but business-wise I think I’m getting my feet under me.”

  “That’s good.”

  “How’d you know I hadn’t let Kyle paint?” he asked, awareness catching up to him.

  “When you worked here before, you and Beck never let him,” she answered. “I was just wondering if that changed.”

  Jay was barely understanding her explanation because he was back to taking in everything about her. A month ago he didn’t have so many different things weighing on his mind. Well he thought he did at the time, but nothing compared to the weight on his shoulders right now. The pressure of staying
sane was just the start of it. He couldn’t let Melanie work herself back into his life. He just couldn’t deal with both.

  “I don’t know what things will change for this place,” he answered. “I try not to think about it too much.”

  That was a total lie. He thought about it night and day, just to keep his mind off of Beck and Melanie.

  “Look, I’m kind of busy right now,” he added coolly. “I need to get shit done for tomorrow.”

  He didn’t dare look at her face after being such a dick. Melanie had tough skin but he knew without a doubt he had the power to affect her—in both good and bad ways. He just didn’t know what to say to get her to back off. It was for her own wellbeing, but she was stubborn as hell and he wondered how long he’d have to fight her. No doubt she thought she’d given him enough space before he miraculously went back to the way things were before. No, there was no such thing as space now. She needed to just back out of his life completely because she was so much better than he could give her…

  “We need to talk about the money you put in my bank account,” she finally said. “You had no right to do that. I told you I wanted nothing from the sale of that car.”

  “Well I don’t really care if you wanted it or not,” Jay faced her. “I told you from the start that’s how it was going to work. You got a gift from someone and you shared it with me. It’s only right to split the profit.”

  “That was a lot of money, Jay. Don’t tell me that was only half the profit.”

  Jay took a steady breath to measure his response. “Actually it pretty much was.”

  “Pretty much?”

  “Melanie, that car sold for a shit ton of money. Go online and research its value yourself. Yeah I might have put a few grand extra on your cut, but just consider it a finder’s fee. End of story, hon. I’m happy with it so just be happy too. Hopefully it’s a good start for you financially.”

  “I couldn’t care less about money, Jay. That’s not what makes me happy.”

  He had no reply for that. And the way she was looking at him literally killed something inside his chest. She couldn’t possibly want to be in his life still, could she? Did she not realize how it was going to affect hers?