Rough Edge (Tannen Boys 2)

He goes quiet, and I imagine he’s thinking of his time at the track with his friends, and mostly, about walking away from it all.

I stop by the gate, and the three of us get out. Keith and Ed’s greeting is stilted and uncertain until Ed admits, “We missed you, and I wanted to tell you about Rix, but I wanted to respect her wishes and yours too.”

Keith takes a deep breath, his jaw clenched, and I wonder if we’ve come out here for Keith to lay into Ed. The thought had crossed my mind, but Keith seemed pretty resigned to Erica racing. But maybe not?

Finally, he offers Ed a hand. “Never should’ve let it go this long. John would be mad as hell at me.”

Ed takes Keith’s hand, shaking before pulling him into a hug. He pats him on the back hard and then pushes him away like it never happened. “John was one of the good ones. Your girl tell you what she did to my Camaro?”

Keith’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. “You let Rix work on your Camaro?”

Ed laughs. “You have no idea what she can do, do you? She’s amazing, Keith, really something. I let her loose with a blank check and she got me running in the 8s.”

“You’re full of shit!”

“Listen to her growl,” Ed says, already popping the hood.

I have no idea what they’re saying or what they’re talking about, but they point to various things under the hood and I can tell that this more than anything has made Keith a true believer in Erica’s talents. Seeing it up close and personal, knowing exactly what she’s done to creatively pull as much out of the car as possible, is enough to put Keith solidly in Erica’s corner.

I knew he would be . . . eventually. I’m glad it’s not taking that long for him to support her.

After they’ve walked the whole car twice, with me standing by like a bump on a log, Ed says, “Come on, I’ll take you to Rix’s car.”

We get back in the truck and Keith is smiling like a kid in a candy store with instructions to buy anything he wants. “Damn, she’s good. I knew, but I didn’t know like that.”

There’s a new respect in his voice, one I hope Erica gets to hear for herself soon.

I stop the truck by Foxy and Keith blinks. “This is what she’s driving? It’s not the usual, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I used to have one of these.” He already sounds nostalgic, and I wonder how many memories he’s got in his old Mustang.

“You fell in love with Janice in it. I know. Erica told me.” He pries his eyes away to look at me. “She wanted to share this with you in the only way she thought she could.” I look back at the car, seeing Erica’s hard work, passion, and heart. “That’s why she has this model. Her whole life is built around you.”

“And you?” he asks directly.

“I fucking hope so, but who knows with that woman?” I can’t help the bark of laughter that comes out, but he doesn’t seem offended by me smack talking about his daughter. In fact, he laughs too. “She might kick me out tomorrow, but I think that’s part of the challenge.”

Keith wipes his eyes, which have teared up from seeing Foxy and from the laughter. “You’re not quite right, are you?

“You have no idea,” I say honestly. “But I love your daughter and that’s what matters.”

He nods, and I know I just passed another test. I might not know shit about engines, but I know people, and Keith Cole is a good man who wants to keep his family safe and happy.

It’s a good thing I want the same thing.

“Let me see what my girl’s car can do. I’ll meet you back at the shop?” He’s got the door open, one foot on the ground, ready to roll.

“You think you’re gonna beat me there?” I tease, knowing full well that this truck won’t beat Foxy, nor will I drive that fast. I’m not trained for those speeds the way Erica and Keith are.

“I damn well better or I’m gonna be disappointed in Rix.” We both know that’ll never happen.

“First one there has to hang out with all the women.”

He grins back. “Nah, first one there gets the first beer and first pick at that fried chicken your boss was promising when we left. Janice don’t let me have fried foods, says it’s bad for my cholesterol and feeds me grilled salmon. Do you know what I would do for a meal that consists of fried batter, greasy chicken, and potatoes?” He holds his chest dramatically.

“Then you go on and get first dibs. I eat like that every day.”