let go as something whizzed by her head. “I’m never going to survive those boys.”
Noelle leaned over and grabbed the Frisbee. “I’ll handle my brothers for a while if you want to have a glass of wine. That cake has to come out of the oven in about twenty minutes, but I can watch the boys until then.”
“Cake. I’m up for cake,” Lisa said with a grin.
Lila sighed and stepped back. “I’m going to miss you, Noelle. Remember we’re always here for you.”
Her stepmom walked back in the house, and despite the fact that she had some stress at work, she was hopeful for the future.
“That went better than I thought it would,” Lisa said. “I’ll be honest. I figured she would know sooner or later. Lila knows everything. Should Kevin be climbing the shed? God, please be a girl.”
“Kevin! Get down from there.” She picked up her cane and started for the stairs because her brother was trying to kill himself. Her stepmom’s dog Peanut was whining as though he knew disaster was about to happen but couldn’t figure out how to fix the problem.
Jason ran by her, grinning. “Throw it to me, Noelle. Throw it to me.”
“I know Hutch,” Lisa was saying behind her. “He’s actually pretty cute, and I’ve heard he’s good in bed.”
Oh, that did not matter. She tossed him the Frisbee while she started to drag her other brother out of harm’s way.
She kind of hoped Lisa had a girl, too.
And it didn’t matter if Hutch was cute because she wasn’t about to get caught in a trap. No way. No how.
* * * *
Dallas, TX
Greg Hutchins watched as his friends started to shuffle toward the door of Michael Malone’s gorgeous high-rise condo that overlooked Victory Park. It was a far cry from the home Hutch had recently purchased, but in many ways he preferred his three-bedroom ranch in Chapel Downs. He never thought he would live in what was basically the suburbs, but when he’d gotten the chance to buy it from a friend, he’d taken it.
He’d moved in the month before, and the whole place pretty much consisted of a massive TV, a couple of gaming chairs, a folding table in the “dining” room, and his bed. He hadn’t counted on how empty the place would feel.
Which was precisely why he’d been happy to get the invite from Michael to come to his place and watch an afternoon of college football. It had been good to hang with the guys instead of spending the entire weekend on his computer.
But now the game was over, and tonight was a play night at Sanctum. Most of his friends played on Saturday nights. He hadn’t been in a few months. The club had lost something for him.
Like the rest of his life had lost… He wasn’t sure what word he was thinking of. Spark? Adventure? Shine?
All he knew was that lately he’d felt like he was doing nothing more than going through the motions. Go to work. Go home. Eat dinner alone and sit in front of a screen of some kind. Wake up and do it all over again.
He felt a bit empty, and that wasn’t what he’d expected since he knew what real tragedy was. He had most of what he needed in life, so why was there a hole in his soul?
“Are you not coming out tonight?” Theo Taggart asked, his keys in hand. “Case is in town, and he and Mia are letting the girls watch Heath. Although do not mention that to him. He thinks it’s a hangout with his cousins. He doesn’t know Tasha is getting paid. He’s sensitive about the word babysitter. I’m not mentioning it to my eleven-year-old either.”
Case and Theo Taggart were the youngest of the Taggart brothers. Fraternal twins, Case was a few minutes older than his brother. They were both solid guys. Hutch had worked with the brothers for years.
“Tasha’s in charge of everyone?” Tag’s oldest kid was very responsible, but there were a lot of kids in that family, and they were not known for their calmness. Tag alone had four besides Tash.
“Carys is there, too. Kenzie will be solid, and Kala will sit in her room and play on the computer.” Theo frowned. “I hope that’s what she’s doing. I worry she’s setting herself up for world domination or something. She spends way too much time with her Aunt Chelsea. Come with us. It’ll be a blast. Case is only here for a