Chapter 22

Declan handed each brother a bottle and went back to drilling the holes needed for the swings.

"Renee seems nice," Brendan said.

"She is."

"Gavin said he thought something was happening with her," Ronan added.

"Gavin should keep his mouth shut."

"So it's true."

Declan looked at Ronan. "Not sure."

Brendan chuckled. "Not a good sign."

He twisted the eyelet into place. "We're attracted to each other and we spent last weekend together at a wedding, but she wants to stay just friends."

"With benefits?" Brendan asked.

"Nope."

"Shame."

"Tell me about it."

"Why?" Ronan asked.

"Why what?"

"If she fucked you and then called it quits, there has to be a reason."

"She was upfront and said we could have the weekend. I figured I could convince her for more, but she's not sure. She's afraid of fucking things up. Ty's my best friend and we have a lot of shared time." He took a swig of his beer. "Then there's Sadie."

"Kids change things," Brendan said. "Especially for a mom."

"I would never mess with Sadie. I love her."

A truck pulled up out front and Tyler hopped out.

"Don't mention anything to Ty. No need to get him pissed off over nothing."

Brendan narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure it's nothing?"

"It's more for me. Or at least it could be. But she's not ready." He waited until Tyler was at the edge of the house. "About time you showed up, lazy ass. Just in time for lunch, of course."

"I had work." He took Declan's hand and pulled him in for a pat on the back. Looking at the swing set, he said, "Sadie is gonna love this."

"Yeah, she is. She'll have the monkey bars mastered in no time."

"Where do you need me?" Ty asked.

Ronan moved his ladder over to the other side. "Declan and Brendan are working on swings, but you can help me with the slide."

"Sure."

Declan returned to Brendan's side and worked on the swing hardware.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Brendan asked quietly.

"About what?"

"Renee."

"Not sure exactly. I'm gonna figure out a way to show how it's a good idea."

Brendan laughed. "You're a good idea?"

"Fuck you." The comment held no venom. He knew his family saw exactly what Renee did: an irresponsible kid. "Anything on your investigation?"

"Not exactly." Brendan's eyes darkened. "We keep asking people about Alan Cahill, but he was so revered that most people have nothing bad to say. Even the ones who hated him have nothing to say because they never got close enough to learn anything of value. It's just speculation, which is all I've had for years."

"Let me know if I can do anything."

"Brendan's too busy trying to do it all himself. God forbid he ask for help," Ronan called from the top of the slide.

"You're one to talk," Brendan shot back.

"Look, all I'm saying is Danny Cahill hasn't come back to the company, and he hasn't fired me yet. Now's the time to poke around."

"If you poke around, your ass will get fired."

Tyler watched the two of them go back and forth, and then asked, "Poke around for what?"

He looked at his best friend. "Remember what I told you about Alan Cahill? They're still investigating." He pointed at Ronan. "He wants to dig around Cahill's company because it was Alan's before his son took over. But Mr. FBI over here," he pointed at Brendan, "doesn't want Ronan doing anything else."

He looked at his brothers. "And these two don't realize they had to work together to get as far as they have. So much for the older siblings being wiser."

Tyler held the plastic slide in place while Ronan bolted it in, mumbling something about him being a smartass. A little while later, the smell of food from the grill hit them, and Declan's stomach growled.

"Hey, guys," Renee called from the door. "Food's almost ready."

"Thank God," Declan said. "I'm starving."

Ronan climbed down. "Good timing. Nothing will fall over if we take a break."

"Fall over? It's nearly done," Declan said, stepping back to admire their handiwork.

They went inside together and took turns in the bathroom to wash up. Of course, his brothers felt the need to check his work in the bathroom and then moved through the house to see what else he'd done. He'd expected to be on the receiving end of some teasing, but surprisingly, they complimented his work.

"Offer still stands," Ronan said as they sat at the dining room table. "I can bring you on my crew."

"You think I want to work with you? Shit, maybe if we didn't share a last name." In truth, he had given it some thought. He could work for his brother, but he wasn't sure that was the kind of work he wanted to keep doing. He liked working with his hands. He guessed he got that from their dad.

But he didn't think he could work for the family that might've played a role in his death. The doorbell rang, and Declan got up to answer it since Renee was busy in the kitchen. Chloe stood on the porch.

"Hey, good to see you," he said.

"This feels weird. Why did Ronan tell me to come here to eat lunch? I don't know this person."

Declan laughed. "You'll like Renee. And as far as Ronan telling you to come here, his original plan was to go out to lunch with you or have you pick something up. He wants to hang out with you since you're working tonight." He pulled her through the living room. "What can I tell you? The man loves you."

"Yeah, I do." Ronan stood and kissed Chloe.

It was good to see his brother, who normally grunted at people, express actual emotions publicly. There might be hope for him yet. Declan left them to help Renee in the kitchen.

"What can I do?"

She spun in a circle, waving her arms around tons of food. "Take something to the table?"

He stepped closer and touched her arm. "Slow down. This doesn't need to be a production. They don't care."

"But they're doing so much work—for free."

"First, don't let them fool you. It's not really free. They'll call in this favor from me when they need help. It's how our family works. Second, you got them beer, and that would've been enough."

She continued to stare at him.

"Take a breath."

For a change, she listened. When she released it, she seemed calmer.

"I'll grab the platter of meat. You grab the salads." He turned with the plate that held a mountain of chicken and steak. When he reached the doorway, he said, "Hey, Ty. Go grab beers for everyone."

"Since when do you tell me what to do?" he asked, even as he stood to head to the kitchen.

"Don't be an ass to our guests," Renee said behind him.

"Ty is not a guest."

"I was talking to my brother."

Declan made a face at his friend as they passed. They set the food on the table and everyone started complimenting Renee on the food. He shot her a smile as she took a seat next to him.

They all passed food around so everyone could pile up their plates. After a few minutes of silence as they ate, the questions started.

Chloe looked at Renee. "This is delicious."

"Thanks."

"So, what do you do besides make an awesome meal?"

"I'm a forensic accountant."

"Really? Like for the IRS and you go after tax evaders?"

"No. Well, I could, I guess if I wanted to work for the IRS. But before having Sadie, I mostly did divorces."

"Oh. You hunted down all the money the douchey husbands were trying to hide."

Renee chuckled. "More or less."

"Why does it gotta be the husband? Maybe the wife was hiding assets," Ty said.

Both women gave him the same look—one that called him stupid without using the words.

"I don't want to go back to that, though, so I'm looking into other options now that Sadie's in school. How about you?"

"Believe it or not, I have an accounting degree, but I hated every minute of it. I manage a bar."

"Soon to be bar owner," Ronan said.

Chloe's face lit up. "Hopefully. I'm trying hard not to jinx it."

"How about you, Brendan? Declan said you work for the FBI?"

His brother nodded. He'd been following the conversation but had yet to speak. "Forensic accounting, huh?"

Renee nodded.

"So, you're good at looking for fraud, hidden money, payoffs. Schemes like that?"

"I'm a little rusty, but in theory, yes."

"If I got some old political campaign records, could you look for discrepancies?"

"No," Declan said.

"I'm not asking you."

Renee looked between the two of them.

"This has something to do with Dad, so you leave her out of it."

"What? She'd be looking at numbers. Public record. Probably."

"Drop it," Ronan said, and Brendan clamped his jaw in irritation.

Luckily, Chloe came in for the save, and conversation turned to the work he'd done on the house, and Ty was impressed. "I knew sending you here was a good idea."

"You just wanted me off your couch."

Ty laughed. "Well, it was more my roommate, but this worked out."

Renee smiled at Declan. "Yeah, it has." Turning to Ty, she added, "He's already saved me so much. Not just in labor, either. For the first time since moving in, this is starting to feel doable."

"I wish I could say the same," Chloe said.

Ronan grunted, so Declan explained. "Ronan's house has been under construction since he bought it. And now Chloe is living with him."

"My bedroom and bathroom are done."

Chloe patted his hand. "And Declan did a great job on the kitchen. The living room is just about finished, too. I love everything, but I'm not used to living in construction, you know?"

Renee's forehead crinkled. "I hadn't thought about that. For me, it's an inconvenience, but I can still live my life. Although, when we get around to the kitchen, I might change my attitude."

"I think you're all nuts. No way would I want to buy something to have to work when I get home from work," Ty said.

"What about you, Brendan?" Renee asked. "Are you an own-a-house person or a rent-forever person?"

Brendan took a drink of his beer. "I'm living in a condo now, so it's kind of halfway. I own, but it doesn't need work. One day, when I'm ready for a family, I'd like a house. I want to live in a neighborhood like where we grew up."

"That's why I'm here. I really wanted Sadie to have a place that was ours, you know?"

"Yeah. Kids need a backyard and to be able to run around through the neighborhood."

Declan was a little uncomfortable with the way Brendan and Renee were getting along. It was like they clicked, and a spike of jealousy speared him.

"Speaking of kids, we should probably head out and finish in the yard."

Ronan stood with his plate.

Renee held out her hands. "Please, leave it all. I'll clean up."

"You sure?" Ronan asked.

"I'll help," Chloe volunteered.

Ronan shrugged, gave Chloe a kiss, and said, "See me before you leave."

"Of course."

They all made their way to the door. Declan had the urge to kiss Renee the way Ronan had kissed Chloe, and it irked him not to be able to. As he walked by, he said, "Thanks for lunch. It was really good."

"You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything out there."

He held her gaze for a moment, willing her to want what he wanted, and then he followed his brothers outside.

Once the guys were gone, Renee said to Chloe, "You don't have to stay to clean up. I can handle it."

"I don't mind. You fed me. It's only fair that I help clean up."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." She loaded her arms with dishes and walked to the kitchen. Chloe held almost twice as much.

When Renee's eyes widened, Chloe said, "I spent a lot of years waitressing."

"That explains it." She began wrapping the leftovers into smaller packages so the Doyles could take them home. Once that was done, she filled the sink to wash dishes. It gave her reason to stand at the window and watch the progress outside.

"They are a sight, aren't they?" Chloe asked by her side.

"Hmm?"

"The Doyle boys. They are nice to look at."

"Oh. I was watching?—"

Chloe held up a hand. "It's all right. You don't need to explain to me. I grew up across the street from them. As long as you're not ogling Ronan, we're all good."

Renee smiled. "I have no idea how I'm going to pay them back for this."

"You won't have to. That's not what this is." Chloe turned to look at her. "Regardless of whatever is going on between you and Declan," she gave Renee a knowing look, "he talked to Ronan about doing this for Sadie. They all have a soft spot when it comes to kids. Well, maybe not Brendan, but Declan is twice as soft. I heard him talking to Ronan about your daughter. He really loves her."

"She loves him, too." As hard as it was for her to accept, she might have to let this be a gift. She nodded and focused on washing dishes.

"I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive for volunteering to clean."

Renee set a rinsed dish on the rack. "What's that?"

"As I mentioned, I'm trying to buy The Black Rose, the bar I manage. I've worked there for years, and the owners are friends with my parents. My parents are backing me to get a business loan, but as I'm digging into the books, something is off, but I can't figure out what. Is there any chance you might be willing to look it over?"

"Sure. What are you thinking?"

"I really don't know. The Byrnes are old, but still very on their game. It's not an obvious error in accounting. There are some things I can't quite add up. And let me be clear, I could be totally wrong. I'd just like a fresh set of eyes on it if possible."

"Sure. Send me the files, and I'll take a look."

"I have some I can email, but the Byrnes have been old school for a long time."

"Oh, God. Not another ledger person." Renee didn't even try to keep the whine from her voice.

"If you don't want to?—"

"No. I mean, yes, I'll look. I'm longing for the days I can stick with my computer. I've got a couple of bookkeeping clients who send me a physical book and it's just...ugh."

"I get it. I can't imagine having to log everything in a book. I've been doing the daily stuff online, but I've only been doing it for about a year."

"Before you leave, I'll give you my email and you can drop the rest off whenever. If I'm not here, Declan usually is."

"Thanks."

They finished washing and drying the dishes, and then Chloe had to head to work. From the kitchen, she watched Chloe say goodbye to Ronan, and Renee was struck by how much she missed that simple act. Having someone to kiss goodbye or hello. When her kitchen was back to rights, she went outside to help clean up—at least that's what she assumed Ronan meant when he said "scrap up."

But when she got to the yard where they were building, there wasn't much laying around. "What do you need me to do?"

Tyler walked by carrying a few chunks of wood. "I think they're done. I'm going to grab us beers."

She stepped closer to the playset. "This is amazing. Thank you."

Ronan nodded and walked past her carrying a ladder.

"Hey, you told me to clean up."

"Your brother got it all," he called over his shoulder.

Declan stood next to her.

"Does your brother not like me or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't talk to me. He mostly grunts."

Declan laughed. "That's Ronan. He's not much of a talker."

Brendan stood by the swings, tugging at the chains. "But Declan more than makes up for Ronan being quiet. It's like he took all the talking genes."

"Fuck you," Declan called. Then he reached for Renee's hand. "Come on. Take it for a spin."

He led her to the swing and she sat down.

"Wait a minute," she said. "Am I your guinea pig to see if this'll hold? If I swing too high, am I going to go crashing to the ground?"

"That better not be the fucking case," Ronan said, returning from his truck. "I taught him better than that."

"It's done right." He grabbed the back of the swing and then pushed her high enough to duck under her and come out in front.

A small squeak escaped because she hadn't expected him to do that. But once she was going, she didn't want to stop. The fall air was crisp and cool and the breeze swung her ponytail around. She extended her legs on the way up and pumped them to keep going.

"So it passes?" Declan asked.

"More than. Sadie is gonna love it." She let go of the swing and jumped from a decent height like she had as a kid. However, she misjudged the distance and crashed directly into Declan.

He wrapped his arms around her and took the impact of her body, but her momentum took them both to the ground.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. Are you all right?" She pushed up and looked down at him.

He laughed loudly. "If you wanted to be on top, you just had to say so."

She swatted at him, got up, and held out a hand to help him up.

"Dude. Are you fucking my sister?" Tyler asked, as he stood a few feet away holding bottles of beer.

"Uh..." he looked at Renee, clearly at a loss.

"Who I sleep with is none of your business."

"It is if he's my best friend."

"We did. And now we're not. So don't worry about it." Declan didn't look happy about her announcement, but she wasn't going to lie or be embarrassed. She snatched a beer from Tyler's hand and took a drink. Everyone around her fell silent.

Brendan came up behind Declan and cupped a hand on his shoulder. "Better watch out for her. She's tough." To Renee, he nodded. "It was nice to meet you, but I have to head out."

Ronan took a beer from Tyler, who still hadn't recovered from Renee's announcement.

"Ronan, is there anything else I can help you pack up?"

"No, I got it."

"I have leftovers from lunch packed up for you guys. Shoot. I didn't give Brendan his."

"I'll take his share," Ronan said.

"Will you get it to him?"

"Nope. His loss."

She smiled and shook her head. "I'll be right back."

While she was in the kitchen getting the food, she saw Ty and Declan in a serious conversation. She hadn't thought about what to say to Tyler. That wasn't true. She hadn't planned on telling him at all because it wasn't any of his business. But there was something about the way he accused Declan, as if he'd done something wrong.

They were both consenting adults and her love life was none of her brother's business.

Fuck. Love life? No. Sex life. That was currently being locked back down.

She stared out the window at the guys and the playset they'd built for her daughter. Her heart thumped like it didn't have enough room to beat.

She definitely had to step back and control whatever the hell this was.