hadn’t quite come to terms with what he felt about seeing her. He wasn’t even sure what he felt besides the obvious. He hadn’t slept with a woman in a very long time, and he’d never slept with anyone as often as he had with Thea.
They’d been teens, sure, so their encounters hadn’t been the stuff of legend. Or the stuff of two adults who brought more to the table than hormones and curiosity and rebellious natures. At least he guessed Thea had brought some of those things.
He’d been a teenager and horny. He’d only brought one.
It was obvious Tennessee was trying not to laugh. “Dude. I had no idea. Dolly made the appointment after the original contractor bailed halfway through the job.”
That wasn’t much of an explanation. “And she didn’t tell you who the appointment was with?”
Tennessee shook his head, Dakota noticing for the first time a patch of gray at his brother’s temple. “I knew we wouldn’t be working up the specs, that the client had already paid for those and the outfitting of the kitchen, and that we’d only be dealing with the storefront. And I remember the Clark part of her name. Just not the Thea. Maybe I never knew it to remember.”
“Parenthood’s making you old before your time,” Dakota said, thinking if Tennessee was old, he himself was ancient. Then again his bones told him that when he crawled out of bed every day. “Unless that’s just what comes with being married. Like that gut you’re growing over there.”
Tennessee sucked it in as he looked down at his lap and frowned. “The only thing I’m growing around here is the business.”
“Yeah? How so?” Dakota asked, and Tennessee’s head came up.
He lost the frown on the way, a smile to rival the one he’d worn at his daughter’s birth in its place. “That bid I put in on the art house theater downtown? Looks like the job’s ours.”
Not ours , Dakota wanted to say. Yours . “Nice. Very nice. Congratulations.”
“And to you, brother. It’s going to be a hell of a game changer. Something that size? With that much prestige?” Tennessee shook his head, the emotion in the words nearly causing him to stumble over them. He brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.
If Dakota had been a better person, a better brother, he would’ve shared in Tennessee’s joy. It wasn’t the first time he’d had such a thought since returning, but he hadn’t had the thoughts at all until he’d come back. Seems he’d done a better job than he’d realized of shutting down.
It was what he’d had to do. The only way he’d known to survive.
“You ever find out who bought the place?” Dakota asked once his brother had regained his composure.
“Nope. Just dealing with the new owner’s people. Which is fine. Sometimes it’s even easier,” he added, which had Dakota’s mind going to Thea. Like their history wasn’t going to cause him enough grief as it was.
“I like the plans,” Tennessee was saying. “The retro stage. The vintage curtain setup. The seats are probably going to be the biggest headache, but we’ll work it out.”
“It’s a hell of a job.” In more ways than one. “You got the crew to take it on?”
Tennessee nodded. Then shrugged. “I’ll give Manny a call. Even if he doesn’t have anyone to send, he might know of someone looking for work.”
Someone meaning an ex-con. Because that’s what Manny Balleza did. Sent parolees to work for Keller Construction. It was an arrangement Tennessee had made with the other man while Manny was still Dakota’s parole officer, though Manny had pulled the right strings with his people to put Dakota to work away from the scene of his crime. It made things a lot easier, his not having to run into anyone who knew who he was, knew what he’d done.
Tennessee had wanted Dakota to join the business after his release, to turn it into a family gig, to add the word Brothers between the Keller and Construction that adorned the sides of the
They’d been teens, sure, so their encounters hadn’t been the stuff of legend. Or the stuff of two adults who brought more to the table than hormones and curiosity and rebellious natures. At least he guessed Thea had brought some of those things.
He’d been a teenager and horny. He’d only brought one.
It was obvious Tennessee was trying not to laugh. “Dude. I had no idea. Dolly made the appointment after the original contractor bailed halfway through the job.”
That wasn’t much of an explanation. “And she didn’t tell you who the appointment was with?”
Tennessee shook his head, Dakota noticing for the first time a patch of gray at his brother’s temple. “I knew we wouldn’t be working up the specs, that the client had already paid for those and the outfitting of the kitchen, and that we’d only be dealing with the storefront. And I remember the Clark part of her name. Just not the Thea. Maybe I never knew it to remember.”
“Parenthood’s making you old before your time,” Dakota said, thinking if Tennessee was old, he himself was ancient. Then again his bones told him that when he crawled out of bed every day. “Unless that’s just what comes with being married. Like that gut you’re growing over there.”
Tennessee sucked it in as he looked down at his lap and frowned. “The only thing I’m growing around here is the business.”
“Yeah? How so?” Dakota asked, and Tennessee’s head came up.
He lost the frown on the way, a smile to rival the one he’d worn at his daughter’s birth in its place. “That bid I put in on the art house theater downtown? Looks like the job’s ours.”
Not ours , Dakota wanted to say. Yours . “Nice. Very nice. Congratulations.”
“And to you, brother. It’s going to be a hell of a game changer. Something that size? With that much prestige?” Tennessee shook his head, the emotion in the words nearly causing him to stumble over them. He brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.
If Dakota had been a better person, a better brother, he would’ve shared in Tennessee’s joy. It wasn’t the first time he’d had such a thought since returning, but he hadn’t had the thoughts at all until he’d come back. Seems he’d done a better job than he’d realized of shutting down.
It was what he’d had to do. The only way he’d known to survive.
“You ever find out who bought the place?” Dakota asked once his brother had regained his composure.
“Nope. Just dealing with the new owner’s people. Which is fine. Sometimes it’s even easier,” he added, which had Dakota’s mind going to Thea. Like their history wasn’t going to cause him enough grief as it was.
“I like the plans,” Tennessee was saying. “The retro stage. The vintage curtain setup. The seats are probably going to be the biggest headache, but we’ll work it out.”
“It’s a hell of a job.” In more ways than one. “You got the crew to take it on?”
Tennessee nodded. Then shrugged. “I’ll give Manny a call. Even if he doesn’t have anyone to send, he might know of someone looking for work.”
Someone meaning an ex-con. Because that’s what Manny Balleza did. Sent parolees to work for Keller Construction. It was an arrangement Tennessee had made with the other man while Manny was still Dakota’s parole officer, though Manny had pulled the right strings with his people to put Dakota to work away from the scene of his crime. It made things a lot easier, his not having to run into anyone who knew who he was, knew what he’d done.
Tennessee had wanted Dakota to join the business after his release, to turn it into a family gig, to add the word Brothers between the Keller and Construction that adorned the sides of the
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