Page 2 of A Case of You
“Yes, sir,” they chimed in unison.
LowercaseS, natch.
Grace might as well be their daughter, as much time as she spent at their house. Now with the secret out that the girls were actually dating, and they’d taken the punishment both Brandon and Grace’s parents had dealt to them to address the lying and sneaking around, he’d eased back some on a few restrictions. They still weren’t allowed to sleep in the same room anymore until they both turned seventeen, but he was trying not to be an overbearing father.
They were teenagers who were dating, and while he might wish he didn’t remember what he’d been like at that age, he also knew his daughter was growing independent and needed to have some space.
Tonight, even though it was a school night, Grace was spending the night at their house because she was riding with Emma tomorrow to swim practice and then school. Grace was now one of the swim team managers, helping keep track of practice times and learning about the sport from the coaches. She physically couldn’t keep up with the team to actually swim with them, didn’t have the strength or stamina to be a competitive swimmer, although the coaches said she was showing great promise as a coach.
Being born a preemie, she was tiny, only five two, and wore thick glasses to correct her horrible vision. She also couldn’t tolerate the sun with her pale skin, so large, floppy hats, long-sleeved fishing guide shirts, and umbrellas were part of her team uniform to protect her vampire-white flesh.
She was also a genius, wielding razor sharp snark when wit was called for.
No, first love frequently didn’t survive the trials of becoming adults, but Brandon had a strong suspicion Grace and Emma might make it over the long-haul. Especially since long marriages tended to run in Grace’s family.
On the dresser, Brandon’s cell phone rang. Emma leaned over, snagged it, and handed it to him without looking at the screen first.
After having lost her own electronic privacy for four weeks as part of her punishment, she now valued it far more than ever.
It was Tracey, his ex-wife…and Emma’s mom.
He answered. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I hate to ask this, but I need a favor.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m stuck on I-75. AAA said it’ll be over an hour before the wrecker gets here, and I’m kind of freaked out. It’s dark and raining and freezing-ass cold, and I really don’t want to wait by myself. I already had one creepy-looking guy stop and ask if I wanted a ride. I’m south of Bee Ridge, on the northbound side, off on the right shoulder. It just stopped running. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. I gassed up earlier today, so I know it’s not that.”
“Shoot. Okay, hon. We’ve got Nate here doing a treatment on Jeff. Let me get dressed and do a car shuffle in the driveway and I’ll come get you. Stay in the car, keep the doors locked, and make sure the flashers are on.” They were less than thirty minutes away from where her car had broken down.
“Thanks, Bran. I really appreciate this. I owe you big time.”
“It’s okay. Keep your phone handy.” He ended the call.
“What’s wrong?” Jeff mumbled. “I can go.”
“Uh,no, you cannot,” Brandon said.
“I’m a mechanic.”
“You’re apatient. Your butt stays right there while Nate does a full treatment on you. That’s an order.”
Jeff let out an aggravated sigh but stopped arguing.
“Is Mom okay?” Emma asked.
“Car broke down. You and Grace stay here and help Stuart wrangle Jeff.” If anyone could help Stuart with that besides Brandon, it was the girls.
He climbed off the bed, retrieved his checkbook from the dresser, and wrote a blank check made out to Nate. He gave it to Stuart, leaning in to whisper in his ear so the girls couldn’t hear.
“You let Jeff up off that bed before Nate says he’s done, and I’ll caneyourass.”
Stuart chuckled. “No worries, Bran.” He gave him a playful salute.
He grabbed jeans and closed himself in the master bath to change out of the shorts he’d donned upon returning home. At least that was a drastic improvement in their lives—Tracey had filed for divorce from her jackass of a husband, Pat, moved out, and was repairing her relationship with Emma. Meaning Tracey now had an amicable relationship with Brandon.
Finally.
