Hell, it wasn’t often he saw Devon of all people walking on eggshells around Kayla. But none of them wanted to risk wounding her more than she’d already been lately. Or setting her off. She wasn’t herself. And he didn’t know how to do more than put a Band-Aid on the problem, taking her mind off things for the duration of a favorite TV show, or a quickie in the shower, or long enough to feed her a warm meal. Was this how impotent she’d felt after his accident?
His stomach lurched, making him glad he hadn’t yet partaken of the bacon and eggs James was whipping up for them. Kayla had stood by him—hell, for him—when he couldn’t do it himself, and now Dave had to do the same for her.
Would she see their suggestion as an abandonment or as a way to help her snap out of this funk that was so unlike her to fall into, which was what he intended it to be?
Kayla stared at the four of them and their very carefully composed faces as they prepared to duck for cover if necessary. Then she surprised them by bursting out laughing. “Are you that afraid of me? Jeez. I must need a vacation. Get me some coffee and breakfast and let’s hit the road. You’re right: we might as well be productive. And…being together, with the whole crew, will be good for me too. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain in your asses.”
“Yas!” James fist-pumped even as Neil was taking his phone from his back pocket to text the good news to the rest of the crew in their ongoing group chat. “I mean, you haven’t been any trouble, but it sucks not being able to do more from here. I think it’ll be good to get out of here and really think things through without constantly having to face the aftermath of the fire.”
They couldn’t so much as drive down the street without seeing people who’d been displaced bunking up with friends, signs for still-missing pets, and advertisements for cleanup crews staked into the corners at intersections. It was impossible to escape the far-reaching ramifications unless they hunkered down inside. And hiding out was starting to make Dave stir-crazy.
The rest of their little gang, too.
“You better make double.” Neil got the eggs out of the refrigerator for his husband. “I have a feeling we’re going to need our energy when we get there. And I’m not talking about working the Hot Rods construction site either.”
“We did leave in kind of a hurry, and things have been so tense since then. I bet you’re right. Someone is going to crack pretty quick, probably me, and need to blow off steam together.” Kayla sighed. “Sorry about that. About everything.”
“It’s not your fault.” Devon crossed to her and wormed between Dave and Kayla. “I know this is the last thing you ever would have wanted. I’m sorry we can’t snap our fingers and make things right as fast as they were destroyed.”
“I guess that’s just not how life works. Progress is slow and steady, but tragedy can wipe away years of hard work and doing the right thing in an instant.” Kayla’s smile faded a bit. “We should make the best of the situation, though. Isn’t that what we’ve always done?”
“Yup.” Dave rubbed the scars on his thigh, then held his hand out to Kayla. “We’re going to get through this. It might take a while and it won’t always be easy, but we can do it. Being with the rest of the crew will only make the time go faster. We were going to be missing them so hard this summer and now we have a chance to go be with them. We should take it while we can.”
“I’m grateful that I have you.” Kayla hugged Devon, then leaned in to kiss Dave. “All of you. All right. Let’s go.”
6
Dave tried not to check on Kayla for the four-thousandth time during their drive, and failed. He glanced over, or attempted to, but it was like she could feel his stare. Every time, she turned her head to meet his gaze.
“I swear, I’m fine.” She squeezed his hand where their fingers were entwined.
“It’s okay if you’re not,” he told her again.
“No one’s expecting you to have it together right now,” James added from the front passenger’s seat. “If you can’t tell us when you’re struggling, who are you going to admit it to?”
“Okay, fair enough.” Kayla sighed. “I’m a hot mess. But I feel better heading out here. You were right. It’s better to go somewhere we can actually do something and be around the rest of the crew. Counting the seconds waiting for something to happen back home was driving me nuts.”
“Me too.” Devon peeked into the rearview mirror, taking her eyes off the road only long enough to flash them a grin.
“Morgan said she and Devra made us an awesome picnic lunch. Joe and Mike gave their imposter crew the afternoon off so we can goof around.” Neil did a fist pump from the other side of Kayla.
Dave snorted. “Don’t let the guys working on the Hot Rods expansion hear you call them the imposter crew.”
“Yeah, we need to get used to the fact that we’re not going to be Mike and Joe’s crew members anymore. We’ve been replaced by younger, studlier people.” James turned and stared out the window, not as amused as the rest of them.
Dave narrowed his eyes, hoping that wasn’t going to be an issue. He glanced over at Neil, who shrugged, but even he wasn’t as jovial as usual.
Life was messy lately, that was for sure.
Kayla seemed to sense the tension, too. She patted Neil’s knee and leaned her head on his shoulder. They rode in relative quiet the rest of the trip, the radio keeping them company as the miles rolled past.
But as soon as they pulled into the parking lot of the Hot Rods garage, everyone perked up. It would be impossible not to be excited when friends began streaming from the open bays, Tom and Ms. Brown’s cabin behind it, and the construction site where Mike and Joe were overseeing the expansion of the mechanics’ home base.
Dave squeezed himself out of the van, hopping a bit as his bad leg protested being cramped up for hours. Kayla slid beside him and wrapped her arm around his waist instinctively. He did the same to her, both of them stronger when they had each other to lean on.
Bryce was the first one to reach them, his dog Buster McHightops close behind. He was one of the few people who made Dave feel normal-sized instead of some overgrown hulk. Especially when he crouched down, wincing at the zing in his thigh in order to ruffle Buster’s ears. They’d once been as black as his owner’s hair but now were streaked through with gray. He could relate. “Hey, old man, how are you?”
“Don’t be insulting my husband like that,” teased Kaelyn, Bryce’s wife, as she joined them.
“Oof. Thanks a lot.” Bryce was laughing, though, when he turned and grabbed her around her middle, swinging her in circles and tickling her until she cracked up.
Behind Bryce and Kaelyn, a mini-Bryce emerged with a wriggly puppy in his arms. Buster was doing his best to live forever, but it was clear the family was having him train his legacy. “Hi, Mr. Dave! Have you met my puppy yet? Professor Puddinpop is brothers with Nathan’s puppy. Isn’t that cool?”
Dave’s heart gave a happy lurch at the mention of Joe’s son, who carried his DNA. He and Kayla had decided they loved spoiling their friends’ kids and sending them home more than having their own, but he wouldn’t lie—knowing he’d passed on a bit of himself to someone else had always given him a bit of a warm glow. Especially since he’d been able to help Joe and Morgan achieve their dream of being parents.