Grind (Powertools The Original Crew Returns #3)- Jayne Rylon Page 0,3

town, where Devon, Neil, and James lived. Kayla leaned on Dave, her head resting on his shoulder as she let her friends’ brainstorming and laughter swirl around her. She couldn’t have repeated a single thing they said, but it felt nice for at least one thing to be normal.

And when they pulled into their driveway, Kayla considered lying down on the bench seat of the van rather than wasting effort on walking into the house. Exhaustion made her bones feel four times as heavy as usual.

“Come on.” Dave took her hand and eased her to the doorway before lifting her into his arms. He didn’t do that often given that she was the tallest and heaviest of the Powertools women—hell, she probably weighed more than James—and his balance wasn’t always terrific.

“Thanks, but I can walk.” She squirmed until he put her down, stealing a quick kiss almost as a reflex. He looped his arm around her waist and supported her until they’d made it inside and she’d kicked off her dirty sneakers.

She oozed onto Devon’s couch and wondered if she could camp out there until the insurance company opened the next morning. She was going to need every bit of energy she could muster to sort through this mess.

“I’m going to cook us something,” James said as he headed for the kitchen. “Anyone have a preference?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Kayla waved him off. It would be a miracle if she could swallow around the lump in her throat.

“Oh, I’m plenty concerned.” James blew her a kiss. “I’m going to make grilled cheese and tomato soup.”

“I’m not sick.” She couldn’t help but smile a bit at his kindness. They all knew it was her favorite when she was under the weather.

“Nope, you’re sad and that’s even harder to watch. So you’re going to eat my damn sandwich and act like you like it.”

Kayla laughed. “Okay, fine.”

It didn’t take him long to whip up a tray for them all to share, but the whole time he was working on it, Neil, Devon, and Dave did their best this-is-fine-everything’s-fine imitation to keep her mind off of the disaster. For the most part, it worked. And it only made her more grateful that she had such close friends, and lovers, to lean on when she needed them most.

When they’d finished eating—her stomach feeling decidedly less churny after being sated with warm, yummy cheese, bread, and soup—Neil collected their plates. He put a palm on her shoulder as he reached over her to collect her dishes.

“Damn, you’ve got knots in those arms bigger than Dave’s muscles. Good thing I know an excellent masseuse and she’s taught me a thing or two.” He grinned down at her. “Let me finish cleaning up and I’ll work on them if you want.”

Kayla closed her eyes and nodded. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you guys. This is probably the worst day of my life, but I’ll get through it because of you.”

“I remember the first time we were all together,” Dave told her. “During that massive blizzard. Things seemed grim then too. Not like this, but scary nonetheless.”

“You did a hell of a job distracting me that weekend.” Kayla laughed softly as she looked from her husband to two of his closest friends. Neil and James had conspired to bring them together, although she hadn’t know it at the time. And yes, all these years later, she was so glad they had. They’d seen what Dave and Kayla had been ignoring for too long and gave them the nudge it had taken to come together. Permanently.

“My guys are willing to take your mind off things any time you need,” Devon promised her, then elbowed Neil in the ribs, only sort of joking. “Aren’t you, stud muffin?”

Kayla snorted at that. These were her people. They knew exactly what she needed and how to give it to her. Even when she couldn’t have told them what that entailed. They understood, because they knew her and loved her.

Entrusting herself fully to their care, she lifted her arms to Dave and let him drag her into his lap and his embrace. “Feel free to do your best. But don’t blame me if it doesn’t work. I’m so fucked up.”

“You’re not.” Devon got out of her chair and circled around the table to stand next to Dave. She hugged him and Kayla too. “What you’re feeling is normal. It’s grief. Let us do what we can to help you