Chapter 2

“God damn it!”The wrench slipped off the bolt and knocked into my knee for what felt like the fifteenth time. I’d been working on old Dr. Don Masters’s 1998 Toyota Camry for weeks now. I really didn’t understand why he kept the thing. It would be cheaper to buy a new car than find the parts to fix the old girl, but Doc was adamant he wouldn’t drive anything else.

“Is that wheel still giving you trouble?” Theo yelled. “Here, let me at it.”

Taking the wrench from me, my brother tried to shoulder me out of the way with his smaller body. Even though we all looked alike, with our dark hair and Mediterranean complexion, Theo was the smallest and scrappiest of my brothers. At only five foot eight and with his lean build, he was a fair bit different from the rest of us, who were all broad and over six feet.

Laughing, I moved aside. “If you think you can get it off, be my guest.” I wiped my hands on a rag, stepping away so he could fail miserably, too.

With a snort of amusement, I headed to the back of the garage workshop. I had a foot in the break room and could see the open door to the office, where I wanted to check what else was on the schedule for the day. Before I could take another step, Sebastian waylaid me.

“Have you seen Lyric this morning?” I asked Seb as he gave me a back slapping hug with his giant body. Where Theo was small, Seb was huge. With his six-foot-six frame and solidly packed muscles, he cut an imposing figure, but really, he was a big lovable teddy bear. His sunny demeanor often softened his larger-than-life presence.

“Morning, bro. No, he’s probably still sleeping off whatever shenanigans he got up to last night.” Seb laughed. “You know our brother by now. You won’t see him till after ten with the night he had.”

“Seriously, partying on a weeknight...again,” I said jokingly, while trying to hide my frustration. Lyric was always up to something even on a good day and rarely made it to work on time. Sometimes I wished he would just take his job and our business seriously. He may not have founded Greek Brothers Autocare, but he was one of the brothers, and everyone in town knew us and our family. The absolute least he could do was show up on time.

Sighing, I made a mental note to talk to him and see if I could knock some sense of responsibility into him.

Moving into the disorganized and cramped office, I sat at the overflowing old wooden desk. Invoices, receipts, and order forms were stacked haphazardly all over its surface. I really needed to straighten up this office and utilize the outdated filing cabinets that sat along the back wall under the only window in the room. I finally located the schedule for the day and checked it over. Noticing we had a relatively light morning, I decided to duck out and grab another coffee and maybe some breakfast. Striding back out to the large garage workshop, I called out to my brothers, “Going for coffee. Who wants a jolt?”

“Every time, dude. You’re so lame.” Snickering, Seb was the first to answer. “That coffee shop has been named Jolt for years. Give it a rest.”

“What can I say, I’m perfecting my lame Dad jokes early.” Smirking, I shrugged. “You still laughed, so I’m calling it a win. What do you want?”

“I’ll take an iced double macchiato,” Seb said. “You should probably cool it on the dad jokes and try going on a date first.”

“You know our town.” I rolled my eyes at the all-too-familiar ribbing. “We know everyone, and the pickings are slim. I wish someone new would come to stay in our little town.”

“You should tag along with Lyric one of these days. The city has plenty to offer,” Seb quipped back, waggling his eyebrows.

Coming over to give me a side hug, Theo cut in, “I know Lyric’s nights out aren’t really your scene. You could always come visit me. There’s an LGBTQ-friendly bar down from my apartment that isn’t too bad.”

Huffing out a breath, I shrugged. “I’ll think about it, okay? But for right now, coffee calls.”

“Okay, okay.” Seb let it drop, for now at least.

“I’ll have a Green Machine, please,” Theo said, referring to the shop’s healthy, vegan smoothie. It smelled horrid and was a puke green color that made my stomach squirm just thinking about it.

“How can you drink that stuff?” Seb grimaced at Theo.

“It keeps me healthy,” he replied with a smirk.

“All right. All right. I’m on it.” I quickly left for the café.

The sun was just peeking over the ridge line as I pulled on my sunglasses and walked around the corner, then down Main Street. Hope’s Ridge was a small town in the middle of nowhere, with a large mountain range—or ridge as us locals called it—on one side and a mix of open fields, farmland, and forests on the other. We were far enough away from the nearest big city that we only had to contend with the occasional city slicker or someone who got turned around on the interstate. We’re a welcoming town and caring community. Always happy to help a neighbor or a newcomer, but very few tended to venture out of town. I avoided the big city as much as possible. There were too many people, and it was far too impersonal for my liking. I loved Hope’s Ridge; it was my family, my home, and it was engrained in me.

Turning the corner, Jolt came into view with its black-and-white awning and red brick facade. The vintage-style chained wooden sign stuck out from the side of the building next to the door. The chains squeaked in the fall breeze as they swung back and forth. It all filled me with so much nostalgia. I remembered coming here throughout my teens.

Lyric’s best friend, Kaydence Beck, would be working the counter, just like his parents before him. The Becks had owned this café for generations, and while they’d kept that old sweet shop vibe, they’d added a modern twist with the pops of color inside, the variety on their menu, and renaming it Jolt, back when Kay’s grandparents took it over. They never skimped on their coffee and baristas, so much so that they insisted on sending their kids to a four-year college for a business degree and a coffee artisan course. Coffee was life to the Becks, and to most of the people in Hope’s Ridge, it really was the only good cup of Joe in town.

Pulling open the door, I listened for the familiar jingling of the bell, then greeted everyone with a smile and a wave as I walked up to the gleaming yellow counter. The bold color always made me smile, along with the glass display case showing all the savory and sweet offerings for the day. As expected, Kaydence was at the counter ready to take my order.

“Morning, Kay,” I said with a smile. “I see you’ve fared much better than that brother of mine this morning.”

Chuckling, a light blush colored his cheeks. “You know Lyric. Not much holds him back.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed. “I just wish he thought things through before acting, or at least, remembered he has work in the morning.” I rolled my eyes.

Kay rubbed the back of his neck, lifting his shoulder-length honey-blond hair. He was a good-looking kid, tall with a surfer vibe, lean muscles, and sun-kissed skin, but his square-framed black glasses gave him an added dash of hipster mystique. He fit Jolt perfectly. He looked up from the order tablet with a hesitant smile, then shook his head like he’d talked himself out of something. “So.... What can I get you?”

I rattled off my order and quickly peered into the display case. There was one breakfast wrap left. I tapped the glass. “I’ll add that to my order along with some muffins for the boys.” It was my lucky day because I was rarely early enough to snag one of the town’s coveted breakfast wraps.

“Sure thing. You want it on the business tab?” Kay asked.

“Please,” I added with a nod as I moved to the side to wait for my order. I turned and gazed out the large picture windows at the front of the café. I noticed the Greyhound bus making its way into town. Those buses rarely came through, especially during the week. Who could possibly be on the bus for it to make the trip? Was it city folk looking for business opportunities or someone new to town? I was intrigued. We never had new people move here; I couldn’t remember the last time it had happened.

Turning back to the counter as Kay called my name, I balanced the drink tray on the muffins and slotted my wrap between the cups. With a nod of thanks at Kay, I used my back to open the door and headed toward the garage.