Manfax (Winter Brothers #2) - Jacob Chance Page 0,52
one to give in on this. If she wants me, it will have to be on my terms—anything less won’t do.
“Hey, Mom.” I lean over and kiss her cheek. I glance around the kitchen. “Where’s Dad? You lured me over for Sunday dinner by saying he’s making meatballs.”
She laughs. “Don’t worry. He’s already got them slow cooking. If you want to see him, he’s in the garage with Larsen.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll go see what they’re up to.” Stepping out the side door connected to the garage, I find them both bent over, peering inside the hood of a shiny, black Corvette.
I release a long whistle and both their heads turn my way. “Hey, Dad.”
“Son.” He nods.
“This your new car, bro?”
“Yeah. Dad and I just picked her up.”
I smile. “Dad, I thought maybe you talked Mom into a new ride.”
My father laughs. “That’ll be the day. Your mother already called this a death trap.”
I peer under the hood. The 490 horsepower V-8 engine is clean enough to eat off of. “Damn, she’s a beast.”
“She sure is,” Larsen agrees pridefully.
“Business must be good, then,” I comment.
“I’ve got no complaints,” Lars replies. What he won’t say are details about his work. And he never does. We know he works with computers in some manner, and that’s about all he’ll say.
Rex and I like to speculate about what he really does. My theory is that he’s a hacker for the FBI. And Rex thinks he’s some bigwig for a tech company.
My guess is shit. With his latest purchase, he’s blown my theory straight out of the water. Government employees don’t generally get paid well. They certainly don’t make the kind of money that allows you to purchase a brand new Corvette.
No one in our family ever presses Larsen for information. He’s always been more private than Rex or me. He takes after our oldest brother, Jack. They’re both like vaults when it comes to personal stuff. Except Jack does love to talk about his college-aged son and daughter, Marshall and Maddie. They’re great kids, and he’s ridiculously proud of them. But anything to do with his job or personal life is off-limits.
“So, do I get to take this beauty for a drive?” I throw the question out, already anticipating his refusal.
Larsen grins like I’m crazy. “You can go for a ride with me.”
“Dude, I’m a better driver than you are,” I justify my request.
“So you say, but your driving record says differently,” he mentions.
“That’s only because I’ve had my license longer than you.”
“Give up, I’m not changing my mind. Do you want to take a ride or not?” Larsen asks.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll be inside. You guys are staying for dinner, right?” Dad questions.
I rub my stomach. “Dumb question, Dad. Of course I’m staying for dinner.”
“Me too,” Lars calls out as he settles into the driver’s seat.
I jump into the passenger seat and close the door as he turns the key in the ignition. He backs us out of the driveway, and I yell, “Show me what this baby can do.”
Larsen zips along the back roads until we can merge onto the highway where he drops the hammer and we really open it up.
I let out an excited shout of encouragement. “Let’s drive to the cabin.”
“Dude, Mom will be pissed if we don’t go back for dinner.”
“Bro, you’re thirty-two years old and you’re still scared of your mommy?”
“Fuck you. Mom’s scary when she’s angry. Have you ever noticed how crazy her eyes look?”
I chuckle. “Mom’s all bark. She turns on the guilt like it’s her full-time job. You have to ignore her when she acts like that.”
“Her guilt works on me. She makes me squirm like a five-year-old waiting to be punished.”
“You’re the baby of the family. You’ve had it easier than the rest of us.”
“No way. Mom and Dad got stricter with me because of all the shit you and Rex pulled.”
I don’t bother denying my hell-raising behavior. Those were the days.
“Hey, what do you think of Rex and Dani getting married?” Lars asks.
“It’s great, don’t you think?”
He nods, both eyes locked on the long highway in front of us. “She’s been great for him. What happened between you and her friend Roxanne?”
“Nothing really.” My answer is purposely vague.
“Come on. You were sniffing after her like a bloodhound at the cabin. Don’t tell me you got turned down.”
“We went on a date last night.”
“And?” he pushes.
“And it was fun.”
“How much fun are we talking?” he questions, wanting details.
“None of your business.”
“Wait. Do you actually like