Grin and Beard It(50)

Her mouth hitched up on one side, and she looked at me as though she were proud. “Don’t worry, Jet. One day you’ll find your forever.”

“I’m not worried.” Crouching, I pulled off my gloves, set them on top of my toolbox, but then admitted, “I’m a little worried.”

“Why?” She sounded close to laughter.

“Because,” inspecting my left glove, I saw there was a hole in the seam by the index finger, “I’m not a good judge of character.”

She didn’t respond for a while, but when she did her voice held no amusement. “He was your father, Jet. It’s normal to idolize your father.”

I affixed a carefree smile to my features. “You didn’t idolize yours.”

“No. I didn’t. But nothing about my daddy is charming. Your father, on the other hand, makes you and Beau look like amateur charmers. I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. You read people like a pro.”

“I’m not talking about people. I can read people just fine.” I picked at the hole of the glove, stretching it. “Unless I need something from them, something meaningful, something I don’t want to con or trick them into, something real. I still can’t reach Billy. And I didn’t see this thing with Sienna going south until it was too late. Once I’m involved, it’s like I’m blind.”

A bird chirped. Wind rushed through the trees, loud in the silence that had fallen between us. She knew I was right. Her reluctance to speak ended up speaking volumes. Claire was picking her words like she picked through produce at the farmers’ market.

Finally, she seemed on the precipice of making a comment, but at just that moment my phone rang. Pulling it from my back pocket I studied the screen. Seeing it was Cletus, I gave Claire a small apologetic smile and answered it.

“What’s up?”

“I need your help.”

Cletus never asked for help, so it took me a sec to recover. “Sure thing. What can I do?”

“They called me down to the set; they can’t get the Colt combine harvester to start, and they need it working for a scene they’re filming tonight. I need you to come help me with it.”

I hesitated, both because his request was an odd one—seeing as the twins were co-owners with Cletus in the Winston Brothers Auto Shop and much more mechanically inclined than I—and because going to the set meant I might see Sienna.

“I don’t mind, Cletus. But why don’t you ask Beau or Duane?”

“Duane and Jess are off smooching in the woods, and I can’t take Beau to the set for obvious reasons.”

I pondered that statement and decided he was right. However, being around Sienna without being free to talk to her had me debating whether or not to make an excuse. Sienna Diaz was quickly becoming more fantasy than reality, so keeping my distance, forgetting about her was the smart thing to do.

And yet . . .

“Come on, Jet. If Sienna is there, I’ll hide you under a tarp.”

This statement irked, because Cletus had basically read my mind. He was entirely too good at goading people into getting his way. Even so, I finally agreed, “Fine. Fine. Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No. Finish up with Claire, and meet me there later. Since I have your binding promise, you should know I’m going to need you helping me on set this whole week. I already spoke to Drew about it. He says you should have time, seeing as how the bears are mostly staying out of the cove now.”

“Gee, thanks, Cletus.” I wasn’t surprised he knew I was at Claire’s since she and I had a standing dinner scheduled every Sunday.

For whatever reason, forcing me to see Sienna all week was obviously in Cletus’s plan. He liked to torture his brothers, me in particular. But as duplicitous as Cletus was, I was just as talented at being invisible. Hiding wouldn’t be necessary. I’d make myself known if or when it suited my purpose.

“You’re welcome. Like I said, if Sienna’s about, I’ll throw a tarp over you and pretend you’re one of the busted-out tractors, just the man-sized, scaredy-cat variety. Oh, and ask Claire if she can pack me up some dinner before you leave.”

My gaze flickered to Claire. “I’m not asking her that.”

“Cletus wants some dinner?” Claire guessed, already turning back to the house. “Tell him it’s fine.”

“Don’t encourage him,” I said, only half joking.

Cletus chided from the other end, “Come now, Jethro. You should know by now, I’ve never required encouragement.”





CHAPTER 13


“You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”