He was still hungry, but it wasn’t for food. “I should get home. I’m going to miss the last train if I don’t get a move on.”
Kyle stared at him. “Come on, man. You can’t run every time.”
Run? He wasn’t running. Except maybe he was. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his mom, and he liked Sean, but he had never felt like he fit the way Kyle did. Kyle and Sean got each other. Their talks were easy, and they seemed to genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
Sean tried. He did. Sean asked about what was happening at the college and how his book was going, but they’d never found the easy repartee he and Kyle had. Or Kyle and Luke. Their youngest half sibling was growing up Taggart, and that meant he was good looking and popular and athletic.
At least he could talk to Carys. Carys called him for advice all the time, and that made him feel like he was a part of the new family his mother had started.
“I’m not running. I stopped by to talk to Carys. Is she still here?”
Kyle shook his head. “She went home with Ian and Charlotte. She’s spending the night with Tash and the twins. Was she okay? It looked like she’d been crying.”
He was glad she was spending time with her cousins. Tasha was the oldest Taggart, and she had a good head on her shoulders. She would listen to Carys and give her sound advice on how to handle the situation. And the twins would bolster her emotionally. Kenzie would cry with her and Kala would help her plan bloody vengeance. All in all, they would be a solid team. “Someone posted shit on social media about her. It’s mean-girl stuff.”
“That sucks,” Kyle said but seemed to dismiss it. “Come on. It’ll mean a lot to Mom if you have dinner with us.”
He was going to have to go. “I thought you already had dinner. Didn’t you go to the private party?”
“I didn’t actually go. I worked the party,” Kyle explained. “Apparently there’s always someone after the billionaire head of an energy company. I had a taste of it though. The quail was delicious, but I would have needed four of them to fill me up. I had to sneak Ian a burger. Did you know he can eat a whole burger in two bites? That’s a big freaking burger.”
If he’d worked the party, maybe he knew something about Tessa. She’d been a guest, and if he knew the way McKay-Taggart worked, someone had run background checks on all the guests. Didn’t a Malone actually work for MT? It had been years and years since he’d spent any time at Sean’s brother’s office. He’d had a couple of summer jobs when he was doing his undergrad, but he hadn’t worked cases or anything. He’d filed a lot of paperwork and organized things for his mom when she’d been the office manager there.
He dropped a thirty dollar tip for Leslie since she’d taken care of them all night and she wouldn’t charge him for anything. Apparently neither he nor Kyle were allowed to pay Top for anything. It was one of the reasons he rarely came. It felt weird to not pay. He wasn’t some trust fund kid. He’d worked his way through school, and he made his own way in the world.
“It was for the Malones, right? The family that owns the oil company.” He could tiptoe his way around this subject. The last thing he needed was his brother giving him shit about a woman.
He followed Kyle as he started for the big office their mom and stepfather shared. His mom had taken over the daily operations of the restaurant empire while Sean oversaw anything creative, including the TV deals he’d made.
Sometimes he wondered if his mom ever thought about Peter Hawthorne anymore.
“Yep,” Kyle replied. “It’s Nina and JT’s anniversary. They usually have it out at the ranch, but she wanted something in town this year. I think they didn’t want Michael to have an excuse to not come. Since he broke things off with his fiancée, he’s kind of been a hermit. I mean as much as a dude with millions of dollars, a high-rise condo, and a job as one of McKay-Taggart’s top investigators can be. It must be weird for them to keep working together.”
Yeah, he knew all about that. He’d only gone out with Darcy Riggs a couple of times, and it was odd to see her around campus. He couldn’t imagine having to work with his ex.
The question was how did he manage to ask Kyle if he knew Tessa without setting off alarm bells in his brother’s head? No one in the world could annoy him the way Kyle could. In a brotherly, give-him-shit way.
Then again, he could always kick his ass out of the town house. His brother was staying at his place, and maybe the idea of homelessness would make him more respectful.
Or he could not say a word. That was the better plan.
Kyle pressed through the door. “Hello, you two. I bring cocktails, and Leslie said we should all relax. She’s got things under control. Please tell me there are short ribs left.”
His mom wore a slim skirt and a tailored shirt that made her look like a captain of industry. She was sitting at a table set for four. Sean had taken off the black jacket he wore in the kitchen and was in slacks and a T-shirt.
They made a striking couple. Anywhere those two went, eyes followed them.
He couldn’t help but remember how many people said his mom had been way out of his father’s league. They still joked about how Pete Hawthorne had managed to land Grace Thornton.
Tessa was gorgeous. She was probably way out of his league.
“I think you’ll find I saved you a couple,” Sean said, gesturing for them to all sit. “Thanks for working tonight. And David, it’s good to see you. It’s been a couple of weeks.”
“I’m getting ready for the big trip.” David leaned over and kissed his mom on the cheek before settling onto his chair. “I know it’s still a ways off, but there’s a lot to manage, and I’m probably only getting one shot at the library.”
“He wants me to watch his cat.” Kyle frowned and shrugged out of his jacket. “Who let him get a cat?”
“He showed up one day and wouldn’t go away.” He hadn’t meant to become some weird cat dad. He’d gone home one night two years before and when he’d opened the door, a thin feline had sped inside. Before he’d known what he was doing, he was opening a can of tuna, and the cat never left. He now scooped kitty litter and often worked with a tabby sitting on his desk watching him. Hamilton was a cautious cat. He eyed everyone who came into the house as a potential enemy. Sometimes he swore that cat was plotting world domination. The good news was after a long period of wariness, Kyle and Hamilton were starting to get along. “And I saw you petting him last night. You know it doesn’t make you less of a man to pet a cat.”
“Fine.” Kyle sank into his seat. “I’ll admit Hamilton’s kind of cool.”
His mom leaned in. “That trip is what I wanted to discuss with you. By the way, thank you for talking to Carys. She’s been so upset.”
“David said she’s dealing with high school crap.” Kyle sighed in obvious appreciation as Sean uncovered the dishes.
Okay. Maybe he was hungry. Short ribs, risotto, and sauteed green beans. He could definitely eat.
“It’s a little more than that. It’s a complicated situation.” His mom passed him the green beans. “But social media always is. I should never have allowed her to have a page. I try to monitor it.”