Drilled - Jayne Rylon Page 0,27

made it sound.

“Oh no, I mean, our place is back home, not here.” The instinctive denial rushed from Kate. She regretted it when Morgan looked up and frowned. Besides, if it was true, why was she thinking of Joe and Morgan’s pretty house and the plots of land they’d shown Mike where Uncle Tom had said he could build one just like it? One that would be their own.

She looked out the window at the other tiny homes, cute as a picture from a magazine, which ringed a central fire pit and gathering space. The Hot Rides had what the crew had, and then maybe a little bit more. They lived together in addition to working together, something Kate had often dreamed about.

Kyra joined Ms. Brown at the punch bowl. She must have picked up on their chatter as she approached.

“I bet you and Ollie would get along great and could even go picking together. He focuses on automotive parts, of course, but there’s got to be plenty of other treasures for you to find for your antique business if you ride along with him.” She smiled as she thought of one of the men she was going to marry that weekend. “He’s going on a run Thursday. It’s only a few hours away, and I can’t go with him since I still have a million last-minute wedding things to take care of, but I’m sure he’d love it if you rode along instead.”

Morgan looked over and nodded. “You should do that. Just see how it feels.”

Kate bit her lip. “Yeah. I would like that. Thank you. All of you.”

She knuckled the corner of her eye before she could start bawling and ruin the lovely party they’d set up for her. Ms. Brown patted her arm, then gave her some space to mull everything over.

Kate watched as Morgan blended in with the women there, who supported and loved each other and the Powertools by association. The crew had been her rock for so long, but what if their circle could expand to include the rest of their acquaintances too?

And not from two states away, but in real and meaningful everyday relationships?

Would it be worth it if she had to give up half of the crew to make it happen? She simply couldn’t imagine doing that. Devon, Kayla, Dave, James, and Neil were more than just friends to her. They were lovers. They were confidants. And they needed her.

So why the hell was she feeling panicky and a little sick at the thought of getting in the car at the end of the week and saying goodbye to everyone—including her best friend—she loved in Middletown?

What if she and Mike gave up this opportunity and it never came around again?

Kate put her hand on her stomach and asked her unborn child, “What’s best for you? What should we be doing?”

Unfortunately, the baby didn’t know how to talk yet.

10

Mike sat at a picnic table under the pavilion covering the barbeque area at the Hot Rods complex. Joe was across from him, reviewing their blueprints and making notes for the ten millionth time in the past half hour. His journal was already more than half-full of scribbles and underlines and arrows and stars with circles around them.

“Dude, you have it worked out. You’re good, I swear. Look it’s two hours past quitting time on a Friday. You’re going to have to take the weekend off or you’ll offend the bride and her husbands-to-be, you know?” Mike put his hand over the papers, physically blocking his best friend’s line of sight. The rest of the crew should be rolling into town any moment, and when they did, the focus had to be on family. The people they did all of this for.

“I want to make sure the change requests didn’t have any unintended consequences.” Joe grumbled. “I learned how to do this from you, so if I’m a pain in the ass…”

“You’re also freaked out by the accident. I get that.” Mike lifted his hand and held it up in front of him, parallel to his chest. “But you know that wasn’t your fault, right?”

“It’s never happened on a Powertools site where you’re in charge.”

“Luck has as much to do with that as skill or preparation. At least on my part. You guys and Devon are experienced. You know what you’re doing and we’ve worked together for a really long time. It’s hardly the same thing.” Mike rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve had