Ugh.
They turned into the Hot Rides driveway, rolling past the flaming motorcycle sign Sally had painted for the shop. Whether or not they had the best relationship, Kayla was proud of her brother and how he’d built something from nothing. Sort of like she had at Bare Natural. And twice as much because he’d done it while overcoming something as difficult as alcoholism and starting a family with Amber and their new son Noah at the same time. She wasn’t sure she was half as strong as him now that she was being tested too. Maybe it was time she told him so.
He might be her big brother, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t man up.
Kayla wiped her palms on her ripped jeans, then climbed from the car as Morgan did the same. Over the roof, her friend asked, “Do you want me to go with you?”
“Nah, I’m good. Devra is waiting for you to test out those new recipes.” Kayla grinned. “Make sure you bring me samples so I can give my very valuable opinion on them.”
“You just want snacks.” Morgan laughed.
“Damn straight. Thanks.” Kayla waved. She angled toward the garage while Morgan headed down the path toward Devra, Trevon, and Quinn’s tiny home in the cluster of houses where the Hot Rides mechanic family lived when they weren’t working together.
What would it be like if the Powertools had an arrangement like that? For years, they’d had their own spaces, but the unofficial gathering place had been her and Dave’s home, in the seclusion of the woods, where they wouldn’t be bothered by nosy neighbors and their judgmental looks. With Mike and Joe spending most of their time in Middletown for the foreseeable future and her and Dave staying at Devon, James, and Neil’s place, things were in upheaval.
Whatever they did next, they should maybe take a lesson from the Hot Rides and Hot Rods gangs. No reason they couldn’t make some improvements instead of putting things back exactly as they had been before. She would mention it to Devon, Neil, and James later. Maybe there was a home for sale in their neighborhood, or perhaps the trio would consider moving out to Bare Natural.
Kayla looked around as she strolled through the open garage bay. There were motorcycles in various stages of repair, from parts scattered on a workbench to a mostly complete frame on Wren’s welding station to polished beauties that looked like they were in for routine maintenance.
In one corner, Ransom and Levi huddled over a restoration piece with Sevan, Joy’s little sister. She wore grease-smeared jean cut-offs with a wrench tucked in her back pocket and looked happier than Kayla had ever seen her before. She’d come on full time at the shop, and Gavyn had raved about her increasing their productivity. Plus, to be honest, some of their customers seemed to really enjoy Wren and Sevan working on their bikes. They were like one of those sexy motorcycle calendars come to life, with the bonus of being as capable as they were beautiful.
Ransom and Levi hung out at the shop sometimes, but Kayla knew they were also working for Wren’s husband Jordan and would sometimes disappear for a while, assigned to whatever secret op the guy had been tagged in by various government agencies or private clients who needed extra security. No one asked very many questions about that, so she followed suit, respecting what they did even if she didn’t know the details.
“Hey, Kayla!” Sevan set her socket on the drop cloth protecting the garage floor as soon as she caught sight of her entering. She rushed over and extended her arms. “I’m so sorry to hear about the fire.”
Sevan stopped short, though, glancing down at her soiled clothes. Kayla wasn’t about to let a bit of dirt stop her from accepting a much-needed hug. These days she could use all of them she could get.
She leaned into the other woman’s embrace, glad she had when Sevan seemed relieved. The young woman hadn’t had it easy either. Maybe it was important, and novel, for her to be accepted too. Kayla figured you never could go wrong with a hug. Behind Sevan, Ransom and Levi were shooting them a mix of relieved and worried glances.
“It’s okay, guys. I’m not going to burst into tears. Not at the moment anyway.” Kayla embraced the two big guys as enthusiastically as she had their girlfriend. She took their semi-awkwardness as a personal challenge. Ransom had done hard time and Levi, well…he could use some thawing too. She made it her mission to hand out cuddles like candy at Halloween from then on. “You’re safe.”
“Good to know.” Ransom looked so relieved she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Is there something we can do for you?” Sevan wondered. “Anything at all?”
“Nah, I’m good. The Powertools are helping out. Mike and Joe are here working on the Hot Rods expansion, obviously, and they’re in talks with one of the guys Kason introduced them to at Ollie, Van, and Kyra’s wedding about a major build in town. That’s taking a lot of the financial pressure off their business so Dave, James, Neil, and Devon can help me restore Bare Natural. Or at least that’s the plan, once the red tape eventually gets cleared up.” She rubbed her throbbing temple as the pile of bullshit she needed to wade through flashed into her mind. “Anyway, I stopped by to talk to my brother, if he’s not too busy.”
She peeked around, through the glass door that led into the office but didn’t see him inside.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” Levi grimaced. “He went to a meeting at a private client’s house. Another one of Kason’s buddies, a couple hours away. Didn’t he tell you?”
Kayla frowned. Of course they’d assume she and Gavyn spoke more than they did. It was kind of embarrassing to admit they knew her own brother far better than she felt like she did these days. “No, I should have texted. We came up kind of spur of the moment yesterday after we found out there’s going to be a wait for the insurance to come through, so I just stopped over. I should have checked.”
Awkward.
Sevan glanced over at Ransom and Levi. Whatever kind of stare she shot them, they seemed to understand. They backed off and made like they were busy fussing over the component Sevan had probably already fixed perfectly.
Their girl took Kayla’s elbow in her firm grip and steered her toward the outside. They leaned together against the external wall of the garage, Kayla looking over at the handsome house Gavyn shared with his wife, Amber, and their baby son, Noah.
“You know, we have more in common than you might think.” Sevan cleared her throat. “My sister, Joy, was the legitimate daughter in our family. I was the dirty little secret. I know what it’s like to be the black sheep. Not that I think you are, but I can see you feel some kind of way about your brother and your place here.”
Kayla didn’t bother to deny it. Sevan was pretty cool. If she ended up spending more time in Middletown now that Mike, Kate, Joe, and Morgan seemed to be getting pretty cozy there, Kayla wouldn’t mind hanging out with her on the regular. Despite her small stature, she was badass without being cold.
Devon would really appreciate that too. Maybe they should go out some time.
“I appreciate you saying that and I’m sorry your family had their heads up their asses when it came to you.”
“I’m just glad your brother and the rest of the Hot Rides gang have adopted me into their community.” Sevan smiled softly then, making Kayla a tiny bit envious. “Give him a chance and he’ll make sure you feel as welcome as I know you are.” Sevan touched her forearm lightly. “I hadn’t met Gavyn yet when he was really struggling, but I know the man he is now and I think you’ll love this new version of him like we do.”