got a doctorate, but not Noelle’s kind,” Kyle explained. “David’s an associate professor of history. He can barely afford his shitty townhouse. It’s in a crappy neighborhood, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to collapse soon. I love my brother, but I do not get his obsession with dusty old books. Of course I don’t get Noelle’s with all the science stuff.”
“That’s because you’re a Neanderthal and you’re only interested in beer and football,” MaeBe said with a prim wrinkle of her nose.
She walked ahead.
Hutch leaned in and whispered Kyle’s way. “A Neanderthal is…”
Kyle gave him a Neanderthal-like frown that let Hutch know he was probably close to being clubbed. “I know what a Neanderthal is. And I like more things than beer and football.”
Yeah, he liked MaeBe, and that wasn’t going to happen for him. He felt for the guy. MaeBe was a cutie, but Hutch had always viewed her as a little sister. “She likes board games. Obviously she likes computers, but your way in is board games. She hosts a game night. Get invited and you can get to know her.”
“Games? Like Monopoly?”
Hutch groaned. “Nope. It’s way more complex and much cooler. You know our receptionist isn’t dating anyone. Maybe you should ask her out.”
Yasmin was lovely and funny and not anywhere close to as quirky as MaeBe. She was seemingly the better fit for a guy like Kyle.
Kyle settled his duffel over his shoulder. “I’m not interested in dating. I just got home. I need time to settle in. I’m living in my brother’s office.”
“Doesn’t your mom have a big old house here in town?” They weren’t all that far from Top, Sean Taggart’s original restaurant. If he was right, they could walk there for dinner. He wondered if Noelle had been.
“My mom also has a whole new family,” Kyle said with a sigh. “I love my mom. I love Carys and Luke. Hell, I love Sean. But I can’t handle the happy family thing right now. You know what I can do? I can sleep on a cot in my brother’s musty office, work, and go to the gym. David’s researching some book. He barely notices I’m there. My brother lives like a monk. It’s kind of peaceful.”
This was part of his job. No one had gotten close to Kyle. He’d been a closed book for the month he’d been with the company. He didn’t come to guys nights or hang out after work at the bar across the street. He didn’t go to Top when they had special nights.
David Hawthorne wasn’t the only one living like a monk.
Hutch was tired of living like a monk. He hadn’t dated since he’d broken things off with Katy. He’d gotten involved in work, and hookups in coat closets didn’t hold the same appeal they once had.
He looked ahead and MaeBe was standing in the lobby talking to the security guard. It was good to know they had one.
“Is she flirting with that guy?” Kyle was back to frowning.
So Kyle was the jealous type. “Somehow I doubt it.”
There was something about the man MaeBe was talking to that sent alarm bells through Hutch.
MaeBe smiled Hutch’s way. “Hey, guys. This is one of the building’s security guards. He said he didn’t realize anyone was coming to stay with Noelle today. Mr. Taylor, this is Noelle LaVigne’s boyfriend and his brother. She should have sent the building a notification.”
“I was unaware she had someone moving in with her,” the guard said. He was an oddly familiar-looking man. He looked to be in his early thirties, likely close to Hutch in age. He was roughly six foot two and looked like he spent a lot of time in a gym. “We have protocols in this building. I can’t let you up without written consent.”
“Have you checked in the last hour?” Hutch thought fast. “We were supposed to get here this evening when Noelle would have been home to let us in. I couldn’t wait. I took an earlier flight.”
Kyle seemed to pick up on his play. “He is one over-eager dude, if you know what I mean. When he found out we could get here a couple of hours early he hounded me. I barely packed. He’s lucky my girlfriend could pick us up or we would still be sitting at Love Field.”
“We called Noelle on our way over,” MaeBe said, huddling close to Kyle. “She gave Hutch a key this weekend. Do you think she forgot? I can call her