Page 95 of Stripping Bare
21
Jonah’s dad,rarely seen in town, was waiting outside the Murchison building when Jonah and Tessa arrived. The last thing Jonah had the patience for right now was introductions and explanations, but if Tessa’s curious expression was any indication, he wouldn’t be able to avoidit.
At least his dad’s mountain man appearance was relatively tame tonight. His hair was smoothed back and secured at his neck, and his beard looked as if it had been recentlytrimmed.
“You all right?” he asked Jonahgruffly.
“How’d you know to find mehere?”
“I was listening to the police scanner earlier. Called Maggie and she said Reid let her know your whereabouts so her people could keep an eye onthings.”
Jonah grunted. The beauty and the hell of living in a small town again. People cared. They cared so much that sometimes it was hard to keep things hidden. “We should probably get off the street.” Because who the hell knew where that son of a bitch wastonight?
Once inside, he said to Tessa, “Tessa Martin, this is my dad, Eddy Steele. Dad, this is Tessa, a…friend ofmine.”
Her smile was genuine and completely nonjudgmental when she reached out to shake his dad’s hand. “So nice to meet you, Mr.Steele.”
“Same here.” He made eye contact with Tessa, then his attention shifted back to Jonah. “Son, can I have aword?”
There was no way he’d let Tessa go upstairs alone, and she must’ve seen his hesitation because she said, “I’ll step over here while you twotalk.”
When she sat down on the staircase leading to the second floor, Jonah’s dad said, “That was some nasty business today. You sure everyone isokay?”
His patience running low, Jonah said, “You could check on them all yourself, youknow.”
“Don’t think I don’t keep eyes on things,boy.”
“Britt taught us that real men protect and take care of the people in theirlives.”
His dad’s flinch was visible. He obviously understood everything Jonah was saying with that one statement. That Eddy Steele wasn’t a real man because he left his family. Britt had been the true father figure to Jonah and the others. “You got that high IQ. You think you know everything, but youdon’t.”
“Then why the hell don’t you explain why you withdrew from your family?” Jonah shook his head. Why was he opening this old can of worms tonight? He had plenty weighing on his mind already without adding in his dad’s lifestylechoices.
“Because a man shouldn’t shit where heeats.”
Rage boiled up in Jonah’s chest. For the most part, he’d simply written off his dad, not nearly as hurt or angry as his older brothers were, but now, he wanted to deck the old man. “What the fuck is that supposed tomean?”
His dad patted the left side of his chest. “When a man feels too much here”—he tapped his temple—“and can’t control his darkness here, he needs to be man enough to get the hell out of situations where he might hurt the very people he claims to love.” He shot a quick glance toward Tessa. “Looks like you’d do well to rememberthat.”
In an attempt to center herself,Tessa smoothed fresh sheets on their borrowed bed while Jonah took a shower in the second-floor apartment overlooking Main Street. Once she’d tucked in corners that would’ve made an army commander happy, she unpacked the La Belle Style bags that Brynne had dropped offearlier.
In one, she found items that couldn’t be a part of the boutique’s inventory. Men’s jeans, a leather belt, tennis shoes, soft sleep shorts, underwear, and half a dozen T-shirts. Brynne obviously understood Jonah’s sense offashion.
Tessa shook out one of the shirts to check out the screen printing on the front. It was some type of math graph and said, “Holy Shift! Look at the asymptote on that mother function.” Tessa wouldn’t have believed anything could make her smile tonight, but Brynne deserved an award for thisone.
Tessa put away Jonah’s new clothes, then dug into the bag she assumed was for her. The first item brought hot tears to her eyes. It was the gorgeous dragonfly sweater Brynne had described to her. On it, she’d placed anote.
Please accept this as a gift from me. Tessa, honey, it was made for you. Wear it and think about how richly colorful your life could be here in SteeleRidge.
This family certainly didn’t play fair, didthey?
Tessa wasn’t completely sure how Jonah felt about her, but his family seemed like they were herfans.
She was smiling and holding the sweater to her chest when Jonah limped out of the bathroom across the hallway. He wore a thick gray towel around his waist, which left his burn-marked chest bare. When they arrived at the apartment, Tessa had wanted to toss that damn sensor shirt into a dumpster, but Jonah insisted on bringing itinside.
If she had her way, she’d use a pair of wire cutters on it and snip it into tinypieces.
“What’s that?” He nodded toward the sweater in herhand.
