by Hadley Quinn
Tate cocked his head, not sure he was actually hearing him straight. “You want to spend your own time and money working on my car? I don’t understand.”
“Dude, this is my livelihood. Out of all the fucking cars I’ve restored in my life, I haven’t come across a Shelby like this. It would be an absolute honor. And I’m not doing it all myself. You’re gonna help too,” he smiled at him.
Tate took another moment to gather his thoughts. “Well…”
“Come on, how can you say no?”
“It’s a pride thing,” he answered honestly. “I just don’t know if I can. I mean I’ll help you out with other stuff to pay you back, but it’ll take a while. I don’t have much free time these days.”
Jay pressed his lips together as he looked over the car again. “What about we trade. My paint job for yours?”
“You want more ink?” Tate arched an eyebrow. “Well… I mean…”
“Deal?”
Jay held out his hand waiting for him to shake it, so Tate finally did. “Okay, man. It’s a deal. Your entire body is gonna be covered, then.”
“Nah, I only have a couple things I want done.”
“That’s not exactly a fair trade.”
“Do Kellie, too. Eh, I mean…her ink,” Jay quickly corrected.
Tate smiled but played along. “I think I’ve already been warned.”
“Nah, man, I’m sorry about that. It was a misunderstanding and I just, uh… Yeah, I’m a dick and wanted you to know it.”
“Well, I appreciate a guy that looks out for his sister—I’m the same way—but there’s nothing going on between us.”
“Yeah, I realize that now.”
Tate couldn’t read between the lines, but he sure as hell wanted to. He hadn’t been able to get Kellie out of his head since the day she kissed him in the parking lot, and today had brought about some really strange circumstances that had in some way brought her back into his life.
And it also led to something he’d never expected: he was finally going to get his dad’s car finished.
He glanced at the time and said, “Hey, I really need to get back to the parlor. I’ve got a client in twenty minutes.”
“Yeah, I need to get back to work too,” Jay agreed as Tate closed the garage door and they returned to the Barracuda.
“Well thanks for taking a break in your day to come put me in my place,” Tate remarked.
Jay laughed out loud as he brought the engine to life. “That wasn’t my objective— Okay, yeah, it was. I look after my family. Not gonna apologize for that.”
“I don’t expect you to. And I see a lot of your personality in your sister, too,” he couldn’t help but add.
“Ha, she can act like a bitch when she wants to but she’s fucking amazing.”
“Mmm, I disagree with the bitch part, but she seems pretty feisty. She still drive that Chevelle? I almost shit myself when I saw her car,” Tate chuckled.
“I love that car!” Jay agreed. “Yeah, she’s still got it. I tried trading her a ’69 Camaro so she had something a bit smaller, but she refused.”
“It was probably just the fact someone was suggesting something different to her.”
“Oh, and you say you’ve only met her once?” Jay laughed. “You’ve got her half figured out already.”
Tate was pretty sure there was a lot more to the girl than that, but he was afraid to keep talking about her. Whatever the miscommunication was between Jay and Kellie, somehow it was implied that Tate was involved with her.
He had a very strong desire for that to happen, but knew it was unlikely now that he’d discovered who she was.
When Jay pulled up to Skin Expressions, they traded business cards before Tate returned to work. His mind was all over the place and he hoped he could buckle down to focus for his next two clients.
What a strange day, indeed.
Chapter Four
“I seriously don’t have time for this,” Kellie complained. “Get your ass in the goddamn car. Now.”
No response. Just a set of eyes that stared back at her.
“Get in the fucking car, please? Come on, it’s not like I’m taking you to get neutered or anything. Your balls are already chopped off, right?”
She bent down to check between the dog’s legs but couldn’t tell through all the hair.
“Jesus Christ, I’m standing in the driveway, looking for a dog’s balls. Can my day suck even more? Get in the damn car, Tucker!”
Still, he just stared at her with those big caramel eyes, but he wouldn’t move his hairy ass. Camryn and Teague were up in San Francisco for the week and somehow she’d agreed to dog sit. She couldn’t even get the dog in her car, how was she supposed to take care of it for five days?
She pulled her phone out, and as soon as Jay answered she whined, “I can’t get the fucking dog in my car!”
“What dog?” he asked.
“Tucker. I’m watching him while Teague’s working on that movie up north, remember? I can’t even get him in the damn car!”
“Chill out,” he chuckled. “I’d help you but I’m in the middle of a paint job right now. Melanie’s working with Tyse today in his studio, but you can try either of them. Maybe one of ‘em can take a break.”
Her other line beeped. “I’ll figure it out, no worries. Got another call but I’ll see you later.” She switched calls quickly and said, “I need some help here.”
“What’s wrong?” Max asked. She could hear the genuine concern in his voice and felt bad she was being a drama queen over a stupid animal.
“Nothing serious. I’m just trying to take Teague and Camryn’s dog to my apartment while they’re out of town, but I can’t get him in my car.”
Max laughed out loud on the other end.
“It’s not funny, asshole.”
“You’re at their house?” he asked, still chuckling.
“Yes. Haven’t exactly left the driveway. Got his big ass out the door easy enough, but he won’t get in my car.”
“I’m not far away. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Really?” she exclaimed with more excitement than she felt necessary. It felt ridiculous to be in this predicament to begin with.
“Yeah, I’m already heading east from Malibu. Figured I’d leave early and take care of a few things before we met up.”
“Oh, I would love you forever if you could help me with this. I’m about to scream my damn head off.”
“Well don’t lose your pretty head just yet. And you’ll love me forever anyway.”
“I know,” she smiled.
“Okay, see you in a few.”
He hung up without waiting for a response. They never did the whole “Bye” “Okay, bye” back and forth garbage. Waste of time.
She tossed her phone on the driver’s seat and looked at the dog again. “Come on, Tucker. Get in the car, please. Do you do this with Camryn and Teague, too?”
His ears perked up as he tilted his head and it made her smile.
“Yeah, I’m sure you miss ‘em. Sorry I’m a lousy excuse for a puppy sitter, but I’d rather you not be left alone all week.”
She popped the trunk and put all of his things in it. By the time she was about to make another attempt at getting the dog in the car, Max’s silver Maserati pulled up to the curb.
“So usually you gotta climb into the back seat and call him,” Max said as he came up the driveway.
He looked extremely handsome in a pair of worn jeans and a fitted t-shirt. Kellie felt a bit of pride wash through her. She had the best looking, smartest, most compassionate family members; too bad they all couldn’t get along with each other.
“What?” she asked him.
“Yeah, you gotta get in the car, like on your hands and knees, and call him to follow you. It works every time.”
Kellie rolled her eyes and sighed. It was a two-door car. This was going to be absolutely thrilling. “Seriously,” she growled. She squeezed into the back seat on all f
ours and moved across it. “Come on, boy,” she called behind her. “Get in the damn car. Tucker? Come on.”
Obviously the dog was not in the car when she turned around, but Max was bent over with his hands on his knees, laughing his ass off.
“Oh shit, I didn’t know you’d be so gullible!”
“You jerk,” she growled at him as she climbed back out of the car. And the most facetious family members, she might add. She took two steps up to him and punched him in the shoulder. “I hate you!”
“Ow. No, you love me,” he continued to laugh, shaking his head. He snapped his fingers twice and said, “Tucker, wanna go bye-bye?”
The dog bolted forward immediately and climbed into the back seat.
Kellie glared at the dog and then Max. “I hate you both.”
“Don’t you know ‘bye-bye’? It’s, like, universal for a dog. What were you doing, cussing at him the whole time?”
“Pretty much,” Kellie shrugged. Then she laughed and shook her head. “Since when are you good with dogs?”
Max stepped up to the car to rub Tucker’s neck, who was sticking his head out the door from the back seat. “Are you kidding? This guy loves me. His owners don’t, but the pooch does. And Chase loves him to pieces, too.”
Kellie noticed that the dog really did seem to like Max and was vying for more attention. Max gave him a few more rubs behind the head and then put the driver’s seat back in place.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked. “You taking him to your apartment and then we can go eat?”
“Yeah, can we still meet at eight, though? Jay wanted me to stop by the auto shop before closing.”
“No, eight is fine because I still have a couple of things to do. I’ll come grab you then, okay?”
He gave her a hug and a kiss on the head before heading for his car. Kellie smiled as she watched him leave, but she hated how conflicted she always felt with her family. Most people’s bucket lists consisted of special things they wanted to do or places they wanted to see…
Not Kellie’s. She just wanted her damn family to drop the finger pointing and get along.
***
When she pulled up to Beckett’s Restoration, it was almost six-thirty. She wasn’t surprised that Jay was still at work because he usually worked later if he knew Melanie wasn’t going to be home. Kellie thought it was cute that her brother planned his extra hours away to be when his fiancée took Cade to Tyse and Sarah’s house while she worked in the music studio.
She loved Jay no matter what, but she was truly happy that he’d made some changes in his life that made him so happy.
“Hey,” she called as she came through the first shop bay from the office. Jay was under the hood of an old Corvette, but he looked up as she approached.
“Hey, Kell,” he answered. “You finally get the hairy beast in your car?”
She slowly nodded. Sadly, there was no way she could tell him why she was able to get the dog in the car. “Yeah, I eventually discovered the secret phrase ‘wanna go bye-bye.’”
Jay made a face at her. “Everyone knows that.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
He gently pulled the hood down to shut it. “I wanted to talk to you about something serious.”
Kellie instantly felt uneasy as worry filled her chest. “What is it? What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” he shook his head. “It’s just… Well, you know how Dad was in town a few months back? To see Tyse?”
She slowly nodded. “Yeah… What about it? Tyse said he mentioned wanting to see us but then he never did. Big surprise.”
“Yeah, I know. But…he’s here, apparently. He said he wants to see us. You and me, and then Tyse, too.”
“What?” Kellie almost shouted. “No, I don’t want to see him.”
“Me neither,” he shrugged. “But…”
“You’re seriously considering this, Jay? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” he scoffed with a laugh. Then he sighed and shook his head. “Look, you know he’s the last person I owe any favors to, but he moved back to the area.”
“What?!”
“Hang on, hear me out.”
“No. No way. There’s nothing you could possibly say to me that’s going to make a difference. I mean I have more issues with Mom than I do with Dad, but still, what could make me want to see him?”
“He admitted himself into rehab?” Jay asked with his eyebrows raised. “He’s been there for a few weeks now. I’m not going to see him until he completes the program—which won’t be for a long time because he’s in long-term treatment—but he’ll be sticking around after he does, staying at the mansion.”
Kellie narrowed her eyes in thought. Her father had been to rehab a few different times and it never worked for him. Sure, he’d stay clean for a few weeks, but that was about it. Then he’d go back to drinking and snorting and not give a fuck about anything else.
“Doesn’t matter one bit to me,” she finally replied. “We’ve been through this before, too many times. And usually you’re more skeptical and pissed off than I am, so what’s the deal?”
Jay sighed and looked past her at the back wall, seeming torn. She’d never seen her brother look so troubled over something that concerned their father.
“I don’t know,” he finally said as he faced her again. “I just…feel like life is too short to pick and choose who we help, you know?”
Kellie felt her heart thaw a tiny bit. After losing his best friend Beck unexpectedly, Jay probably was more considerate about things like that. And even though their father had done more damage than good in their lives, her brother most likely had a point.
“I think Tyse has rubbed off on you more than you’ll admit,” she teased, trying to keep the moment light.
With a smile, he nodded his head. “I’ll admit that, actually. He kinda does have a way of making people see what’s important instead of unnecessary things that just clutter our lives. I don’t want to dwell on people and things that are insignificant. I have too many good things in my life that I’m grateful for. I don’t need the other shit. But if amends can be made…it’d be nice to finally move on. It was Dad’s decision to do long-term that made me consider it more carefully. He’s never gone that route, so it makes me wonder if he’s truly serious this time.”
She barely nodded, but forgiving her father wasn’t exactly what was on her mind at the moment. She was thinking about Max, and if Jay was feeling slightly merciful toward their father, maybe he’d stop being so narrow-minded about his cousin. Kellie felt it was one of those situations where nobody was completely in the wrong, but everyone held on to a little too much pride and resentment to realize that. Sure, there were a lot of circumstances and variables that could be weighed and measured from over the years—and who knew where the true blame could be directed—but in the end, she just wished they could all start over.
Something across the shop caught her attention, and Kellie took a few steps toward the other bay and peered through the window. “Oh good God, where’d you get that beauty?” she asked, admiring the Shelby that was half stripped of paint in the paint bay.
Jay stepped beside her with a big ass grin on his face. “You like it?”
“Holy fuck, I totally love it! Where’d you find it? You’ve been searching for that project for a couple years now!”
“Mmm, kind of a twist of fate, I guess,” he raised an eyebrow at her.
She cast him an amused glance. “What does that mean?”
“Wanna go in and see it?” he asked, motioning to the door that divided the two shop bays.
He didn’t wait for an answer and opened it for her, so she entered without reservation. The car was exactly what Jay had always talked about, and she was so happy to see him check a project off his bucket list, no matter what it was.
A body came out of the back room where all of the paint supplies and equipment were kept, and it took Kellie’s brain a few seconds to catch up wit
h her eyes.
Tate stopped in his tracks and stared right back at her. Then he arched that damn eyebrow and gave her a smug smile.
“Well hello, Kellie.”
He walked across the garage with an air hose he’d apparently grabbed from the storage room, but Kellie was just now realizing it as she watched him unhook the old one from the sander and replace it with the new one.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she finally blurted out.
She realized she’d been staring at his ass as he bent over—which she was very appreciative of—but his back was to her so she didn’t attempt to be subtle in the least bit.
“Nice to see you, too,” he smiled as he faced her again.
Her eyes traveled back up to his face, but she almost regretted it. Those eyes of his… God, they could be her undoing if she let ‘em.
“No, really, what are you doing here?” she asked, this time with a little less bite to her tone.
She glanced at the door for her brother, but it was shut and he was nowhere to be seen. He’d most likely gone back to work and left her here on purpose. Whatever the hell was going on, she knew Jay was responsible for it. That fucker somehow tracked Tate down, and now here he was in his restoration shop to give her a lesson in humility.
“Well,” Tate began as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s just say your brother introduced himself to me last week for some odd reason,” he emphasized with a smirk. “And now we’re besties. You know, BFFs or whatever the hell you chicks say.”
“Butt fuck friends?” she couldn’t help but counter with.
Instead of offending him, it only made him smile. “Sure, if you say so.”
He turned around to pull the sander around the car but Kellie smiled to herself. His personality was far different from the first time she met him, and even though he sounded like a cocky prick right now, she preferred it much more than the dour, brooding lost soul type that he seemed to be the time before. And God, could he be any sexier right now? Black wife beater, ripped jeans, hat on backwards…
He surprised her with his next question as he set the sander down and came across the garage. “So are you gonna let me take you out sometime? You know, since you and the boyfriend you alluded to before are apparently just friends?”
