“For sure,” Brick said.
Stone grinned. “She lives near his grandmother.”
“And you know that how?” Brick asked.
Leo stood there and drank his beer, watching the exchange, content to keep quiet.
“Because I listen with my ears. You should try it sometime.” Stone lined up another shot, but his grin never wavered.
“Hey,” Brick snapped. “I listen.”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Yeah, with your stomach. Beth told me.”
A grin spread across the older Mitchum’s face. “True.”
Leo laughed. His buddies were a bunch of assholes. But they were his assholes. And he was lucky as hell to call them friends.
It was Cord’s turn, because Stone missed the pocket. He studied the balls on the table. “She must be special.”
“Yeah.” Brick lifted his bottle but didn’t drink. “She have a name?”
Vince snorted. “Of course she has a name. Everyone does, you doofus.”
“It’s Kaydee,” Leo finally said. “She lives across the street from my grandmother in one side of a duplex, and her grandfather lives in the other. She did it so she can keep an eye on him, while he still has privacy.”
“That’s very admirable,” Cord said.
“And smart.” Brick stepped up to the table and shot the cue ball into a red ball, but it hit just shy of a pocket.
Leo frowned. He wasn’t sure that was a compliment. “Smart? What do you mean?”
Brick moved away from the table to let Vince shoot. “Shehas her privacy, too.” A big-ass grin spread across the goof’s face. “As I’m sure you’ve no doubt realized.”
He chuckled. “Yep. You’re an idiot.”
“True.” The smiling fool reached for the beer he’d placed on the bar behind Leo. “But I’m also right. Hence that ‘got my world rocked’ grin plastered on your face all week.”
Had he really grinned all week?
“Don’t listen to my idiot brother.” Stone swiped the cue from Brick and met Leo’s gaze. “She sounds great. I’m happy for you.”
Vince straightened from his missed shot. “Me, too. Maybe you can bring her by one of these days. Just let me know if there’s a special dish she enjoys.”
Bring Kaydee to At-Ease…
Normally, Leo would shoot the offer down before it had a chance to grow into an idea that everyone would insist was a good one. But he was too slow. As expected, someone did.
Him.
That simple fact made him wonder what the hell was wrong with him. Why would he even entertain the idea?
As soon as those questions flickered through his mind, the answer to both immediately followed.
Kaydee.
Shewas what was wrong with him, although “wrong” in a good way. He liked Kaydee. He liked being with her, and the way she treated him like he was a good person. She had a way of making him feel…absolved. And God, that was addicting.
“I’m sure Leo will bring her around when he’s ready,” Stone said, sinking another ball. Even on the home front the guy always had his back.
