Up in Smoke (Hotshots 4)

“I’m good. I’m just...wow. Wow.” The earlier stillness was gone, replaced by a wave of adrenaline that left him sweating and feeling both like he could run a half marathon and he needed a nap.

“I know. It’s big news.” Cameron rolled her chair closer so she could pat his hand. “Now, knowing that, do you want to move on a custody order?”

She was right to get back to business, but the abrupt shift was still enough to make him blink a couple of times. “How necessary is that?”

“Given the circumstances here, I’m going to say very. You want to protect your rights in case the mom comes back and wants to assume sole custody. Neither of you has heard from her?” She glanced at Shane.

“I had a cryptic message from Macy that she’s with her in Canada, but no contact from her directly.” Shane rolled his shoulders like he was trying to shrug off the weight of his sister’s actions. Brandt might not have siblings, but it had to sting, her not replying to Shane’s messages. “For what it’s worth, I’m not a lawyer, but I’m with Cameron here. There’s no telling what Shelby will do. Having something in writing is probably only smart.”

“Yeah,” Brandt agreed even if he didn’t want to. It might be the necessary choice, but he hated the idea of the courts involved at all, hated the thought of them all up in his business.

“Okay, I’ll get started on that paperwork then.” Cameron clicked around on her tablet as the remainder of the meeting was all logistics—getting proof that he’d added the baby to his insurance at work, arranging for other documents that he’d need, and discussing further steps. The details were almost more than Brandt’s overloaded brain could hold.

“You gonna be okay to work?” Shane asked as they left the office, Brandt with Jewel in her seat and Shane with the bags again.

“Of course.” Brandt sped up once they reached the sidewalk, like adding more purpose to his strides could show he had a handle on things.

“That was a lot—”

“I’m fine.” Brandt pulled up short and spun to face Shane. “Honestly, it wasn’t that big a surprise.”

“Yeah. Still though, this is a big deal.” Shane moved his hand like he might be about to pat Brandt, but then returned it to his side.

“No kidding.” Damn. Brandt was being an ass simply to cover how rattled he was. He shifted the baby to his other hand and took a big breath. “Sorry. I’m...”

“Processing. I get it. And I know things are weird between us right now, but I’m not dumping Jewel on you and running.”

“Appreciated.” Then because that sounded a bit short, he dropped his voice. “I...need the help.”

And he did. No way could he do this on his own. Swallowing his pride was tough, but he had to admit he needed Shane. He was damn fortunate that Shane was such a stand-up guy and not rushing to get back on the road.

“I’m gonna do my best.” Shane’s tone was solemn, and Brandt didn’t trust many promises, but he believed Shane that he wasn’t about to bolt. Shane looked away, like he was uncertain about where they went from there, but then he pointed at the window of the little coffee shop they’d stopped in front of. “Hey, what’s that?”

A flier advertising an open mike night Friday hung near the door inviting local acoustic musicians to sign up for a slot.

“I think the coffeehouse does it every so often.” Brandt seldom made it to Painter’s Ridge’s small downtown, but the place had good muffins. “You should go tomorrow, get out. Assuming there’s no callout, I should be back in time and can watch the diva while you go.”

“You sure?” Shane’s eagerness was more than a little cute, like Brandt confronted with a chance for some unexpected airtime. He kept glancing at the flier, like it might evaporate before he got a chance to sing.

“At least one of us should get a Friday night. Go on, go put your name down. I’ll hold the bags.” He held out his free hand. Shane transferred the bags, then hurried into the place. He was back a few minutes later with two steaming cups.

“Okay. I got signed up. Figured I owed them a purchase, so I got you a sweet, black Americano. That close enough to your usual?”

“Yep.” Brandt’s chest was strangely tight as they made their way to the car. He wasn’t used to others thinking of him, that was for sure. Wasn’t sure he liked it. Or rather, he might like it too much. Frowning, he tossed Shane his keys. “Here, you drive, so you can see how to get back to town.”

“Sounds good.” Shane waited while Brandt clicked the car seat into the holder. This working together thing was like the coffee, almost too good, too easy to get used to. But it was nice to be settling back into companionableness after the morning’s initial awkwardness.