“There is that.” Opening the front door, he called out, “Ray!”
“Out back!”
“I was right.” Troy led the way through the living room, the display of every award and trophy the two of them had earned in high school and college giving Trevor the usual warm rush. Their guardian had insisted they bring everything of sentimental value from their parents’ home to his, making room for each item without complaint. Decades’ worth of family photos, both dated and recent, hung on the walls, a tribute to the family they used to have and to the one formed from tragedy. Entering the kitchen, they waved through the screened door.
Tall and on the lean side, Ray Huggins remained in robust shape twenty-three years after he’d scraped them off the streets. Trevor had just turned fifteen, with Troy only a year younger, but the forty-three-year-old detective had never appeared put out over taking them into his bachelor home.
“Grab a beer and join me out here,” Ray called out when he spotted them. “It’s too nice to eat inside.”
“Here.” Trevor tossed a bottled brew from the refrigerator to Troy and then followed him out the slider onto the covered patio. The small yard backed onto the ninth hole. Retiring on a golf course was something Ray had planned for years, and they’d both been happy for him when he’d made the move.
“So,” Ray said as he placed a plate with grilled fish and potatoes in front of each of them at the table. “What’s new with you two?” Grabbing his plate, he settled on a chair and eyed them over a forkful of sea trout he’d caught himself on his last fishing trip to the canal.
Trevor flicked Troy a look, as if to say, ‘what a great opening,’ but he refused to take the bait. “I have several homicides sitting on my desk, waiting for the perps to walk in and confess. In other words, nothing new.” He bit into the juicy fish, shifting his eyes away from Roy’s sharply assessing, green-eyed stare.
Ray grunted. “Murder never takes a holiday, does it? You put any of the bastards away this week?” he asked Trevor.
“Two. Easy cases. I don’t know why their attorneys bothered, considering what we had on them. Sick fucks, both of them.”
“I gotta say, I don’t miss dealing with the scum, but I relished the adrenaline rush of taking them down.” Ray changed the subject to talking about his recent fishing trip with a group of other retired cops, only one of several he got in every year. He had them chuckling along with him until they were halfway through their second beers. Cocking his head, he asked with his usual, point-blank bluntness, “What’s on your minds, boys?” Lifting his brew, he pointed the top toward each of them. “And don’t tell me nothing. I can read you two like a book.”
Troy looked at Trevor with one raised brow, remaining mute. I think I’ll let big brother break the ice on this one, he decided, taking the coward’s way out.
“Thanks a lot, bro,” Trevor mumbled in an aside whisper that earned him a glare from Ray. “Right now, it’s too new to say it’s ‘something,’” he finger-quoted the word, “but we’ve been seeing this woman…” He stopped there, the small smirk lifting Ray’s mouth catching him off guard.
“We’ve?” Ray asked, his mild tone revealing nothing.
“Yes, we’re both… seeing her. And she’s been okay with it, so far,” Troy added.
Ray paused for dramatic effect before he spoke in a slow drawl, “You two do remember I made it my business to learn everything about you years ago, don’t you? What makes you think I stopped when you turned eighteen?”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Troy cast Trevor an uneasy glance but he shrugged, not understanding either what Ray meant.
“I believe your interest in… let’s call it alternative sex began when you were in college. One more thing you have in common with the gang you’ve stayed friends with since that summer camp. Did I ever tell you how proud I am of those relationships? All good men, and worthy of your loyalty and friendship for this long.”
Troy continued to scowl, but Trevor’s half grin mimicked Ray’s. “You don’t have a problem with it?”
Leaning back in his chair, Ray pushed his plate aside and regarded them both with a steady, solemn gaze. “Your parents raised you boys right long before I came along. I trust you to treat a woman with the respect she deserves. Other than that, what the three of you agree upon regarding your relationship is your business. Can I ask why you are telling me about this one girl when you’ve never mentioned anyone before?”
Trevor thought about it, but all he could come up with was, “It feels right this time.” He shrugged with a rueful grin. “That’s all I’ve got. How about you, Troy?”
“He browbeat me into giving this a try,” Troy returned, deadpan.
“Your brother has never succeeded at browbeating you into anything, but not for lack of trying. Look, guys. I say if you think she’s worth risking backlash with your peers at work, then go for it. If not, don’t jeopardize your careers for a fling.” Ray picked up his plate and stood. “Just so you know, any woman you bring into my home will be welcome. Now, come do the dishes before you leave.”
“That went well,” Trevor stated as he rose.
Troy nodded. “Now all we have to do is pursue Paige without risking our jobs.”
* * *
“So, what do you think?” Nervous butterflies danced in Paige’s abdomen as she took a long drink of her double chocolate shake, waiting for Penny’s response to her business plans. She’d eaten the whipped cream off the top on her way over to Damien’s house. Just a few weeks ago, discontent had her pondering moving on from her housecleaning business, finding something new that would get her out of the ennui plaguing her. After adding three more houses, all in wealthy neighborhoods, to her waiting list this past weekend, she’s decided last night to take her sister up on her offer to help her establish a full-fledged business, starting with hiring a few employees. Before that, she’d spent the afternoon at the emergency animal clinic with Teacup, the small poodle pup she was dog-sitting. The poor thing couldn’t stop barfing all over the house, which had sent Paige into a full-blown panic. For such a little dog, the amount of bile that had come up had been alarming and ended up with a four-hour ordeal of IV fluids and medications to settle her stomach.
But Paige’s work issues hadn’t been enough to keep her mind off two certain brothers and the emotions they’d pulled from her on Saturday. After Troy and Trevor had insisted on coming inside and making sure she would be all right alone, she’d spent a restless night wondering where that left her. Then each had called her Sunday, chatted for several minutes and then said goodbye without a hint about where, if anywhere, the three of them would go from here. She’d woken tired and out of sorts this morning and spent the day laboring at two of her largest homes while daydreaming over the mind-boggli
ng euphoria of being fucked by two men she couldn’t seem to get out of her system. By the time she arrived home and turned Teacup back over to her owner, she’d needed her sister in the worst way, and not just for her future business plans.
“I think it’s a great idea, but you already know that.” Penny picked up her own shake while pushing the spreadsheet of her to-do list across the table to Paige. “I agree you should start small, maybe hire a crew of three who can work together and get four houses a day done. Train them as fast as possible to avoid losing anyone on your waiting list. You especially don’t want to risk missing out on contracting with these larger homes. Those you can charge a substantial amount more for—and get it. You’ll still need to do several places a week, at least for a few months until you’re big enough to where you can work office hours out of the house.”
“That’s my goal, for now, anyway.” Paige waved an airy hand and tried to cover her edginess with a light quip. “You know me. I don’t stick with anything long-term.”
“Are you still talking your job record or record with guys?” Leaning back in her chair, she poked Paige under the table with her foot. “Give. What happened this weekend? And be quick; Damien’s due home any time.”
Paige frowned. “I thought he was at work.”
“He is, but school let out for a half day so he’s had all afternoon to get caught up on papers. Now, quit stalling. I want details.”
She still couldn’t picture her sister’s hard-edged Dom as a high school science teacher, but she supposed the man had to work at something. “I fucked them, Penny, one right after the other,” Paige blurted, a shiver going through her just from saying it.
Leaning forward with wide eyes, Penny came close to drooling. “Please tell me you loved it. I’ll never forgive you if you say otherwise.”
The envious awe shining in her eyes thrilled Paige. Whoever thought she would be one kinky scene up on her sister? Unable to lie, she admitted the truth. “Oh, yeah, I loved it. That’s the problem.”