When I'm Gone(12)

“Hey, Mase!” Nate Finlay said, as he stood up on his chair and waved at me. The kid looked more and more like his father every time I saw him.

“Hey, little man.” I walked over to give him a fist bump.

“B’whoa it up. Like dis,” Nate said. Then he made a sound with his mouth like something was, in fact, blowing up, and opened his fist.

“That’s an Uncle Grant thing,” Blaire said, laughing.

I made sure to blow it up and took the seat across from Nate and Rush.

Rush was grinning like Nate was the most entertaining thing in the world. “Sit in the seat. No standing. Remember,” he corrected him. Nate plopped down, and Rush ruffled his hair, then looked at me. “Enjoying your visit?” he asked.

“Yeah. It’s good to see Harlow doing so well. And happy.”

Rush nodded in agreement. “Grant, too. He’s always smiling these days.”

“Glad I don’t live here. You guys look happy and all, but you’re falling like dominos. You, Woods, Grant, and now Tripp.” I leaned back and grinned. “It’s in the water here, so I can’t stick around too long. Not ready for that yet.”

Rush chuckled and looked over at Blaire, who was cooing at Lila Kate. Blaire was a beauty. No doubt about it. When Rush had decided to settle down, he picked a winner. But still, that wasn’t something I wanted. Not yet, at least. I was only twenty-five. Family life couldn’t be all fucking roses, the way this bunch made it appear.

“You just haven’t met her yet,” Rush said, as he looked at Blaire. “When you do, it doesn’t matter what you think now. She’ll be all you want in life.”

I was sure he felt that way, but I worked on a ranch with horses all day. Not much time for women or interactions with females. I was too busy making a living and building on my own land. Sure, I had needs. I was a man. But I had a friend who handled those needs, no strings attached. It worked for us. Cordelia had lived at the next ranch over for most of my life. She and I understood each other.

“Oh, Rush, she’s perfect. I think I want a girl. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait,” Blaire said, as she kissed Lila Kate’s nose.

“Baby, when you’re ready for another, I’ll make it my number one goal in life to make that happen,” he said, with a wink at his wife.

Blaire’s cheeks turned pink, and she tried to frown at him but failed.

“Well, looky who they gave me today. I figured it must be VIPs, since I was given the job,” a male voice said. I turned to see him smiling at Blaire. He bent over Lila Kate. “Hey, sweetness. You don’t have your stingy daddy here today. I might get a turn holding you,” he said.

“Hey, Jimmy,” Nate called out, and waved. Then he held out his little hand in a fist.

Jimmy knew the drill and blew it up with him. “You want a vanilla Coke, bro?” he asked Nate, who nodded. “What can I get for the rest of you?” Jimmy asked. He walked back to Blaire, took her drink order, and made his way around the table.

When he turned to leave, Harlow called out, “Jimmy, you’re friends with Reese, right?”

I snapped my attention to my sister to see what she was about to say. She’d asked me about Reese casually, and I knew she had been digging for the reason behind my helping Reese. But I had ended that. Or so I thought.

Jimmy grinned brightly. “She’s my neighbor and my new Game of Thrones watching buddy.”

“Isn’t that the person you mentioned to me about cleaning the house?” Blaire asked.

“Yep. That’s the one,” he replied.

Harlow looked at Blaire. “She’s wonderful. You’ll be really pleased with her.” Then my sister looked back at Jimmy. “I was wondering about her hand. Is she doing OK?”

Jimmy’s smile fell. “She’s doing good. She did go to work today, though. I could’ve beat her sexy ass. But she’s a stubborn one. I don’t think she has any family at all. Hell, I don’t think she has friends. She told me I was her first girlfriend a couple of weeks ago. But then we were sharing a bottle of chardonnay, so it could’ve been the wine talking. Regardless, she’s a good girl. A sweet thing. I can’t figure out why she’s single. God knows, every hot man in our building has made a pass at her. Even the married ones.” He shook his head in disgust.

“That’s so sad,” Blaire said, looking crestfallen. “Being alone isn’t easy. I’m glad she has you.”

Jimmy winked at Blaire before turning and walking out of the room.

There was a heavy feeling in my chest. I tried to shrug it off and focus on the conversation around me. But the thought of Reese being alone with no family bothered me. No one but Jimmy was checking up on her. How was that possible? The woman could stop traffic without trying. Hell, she had married men hitting on her.