Zach (Hell's Handlers MC 1)

“Look,” he said, “Oh, hold on a moment.” The sound of a murmured greeting was followed by an audible smooch that brought a wide grin to Toni’s face and made her forget a few of her worries.

“Ooo, Mark and Andrew sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Toni sang.

Both men’s laughter could be heard through the phone. “You’re such a little shit, Toni,” Mark said.

“Tell your hunky husband hello for me.”

“He is hunky, isn’t he?”

Toni laughed. “Damn straight. You picked a sexy one there.” Andrew was definitely classifiable as a hunk. But then so was Mark. And therein lay the reason her borderline bigoted parents had nothing to do with her favorite uncle. They just couldn’t accept the fact that he was gay. It rocked their perfect little, ultra-conservative, close-minded world.

Mark hadn’t come out to the family until Toni was twelve. Right around the time her relationship with her parents began to crumble. It was part of the reason. One of many parts, but their reaction had affected the way she viewed her parents. Her mother especially. The idea of them writing someone, family, out of their lives boggled her mind. Little did she know, only a few short years later, she’d be the ostracized one.

“Andrew says hi back. Now shut up and listen to me. I want you to consider something for me.” Mark paused.

“Okay, counselor” she said, mostly because she felt he was waiting for confirmation she was listening.

“You have six weeks until school starts again. How about, instead of hiring a temp manager to keep the diner running until it’s sold, you do it yourself?”

“What? Me? Why would—”

“I said listen. I did not say speak.” He used his sternest attorney voice, which was pretty much ineffective on her.

“So sorry. My ears are wide open.” Her tone said she was anything but remorseful.

“Always a smartass. Anyway, run the place for six weeks while you look for a buyer. Either you’ll be itching to dump it on someone else by that time, or you’ll fall in love and keep it for yourself.”

“You make it sound so simple.” She ran a hand through her hair and stared out the front window into the parking lot. Her rented navy Ford Focus was pulling into the empty lot, driven by Christopher.

“It is simple.”

“Uhh, hello? Job? Boyfriend?” A boyfriend who’d traveled with her and helped her through this entire week of funerals, sorting through her parents’ belongings, will readings. A boyfriend who was striding from the car to the restaurant in an immaculately pressed suit. She’d left early in the morning, catching a ride with the diner’s chef, Ernesto. Chris had still been in bed when she left. Ernesto had been kind enough to spend his morning showing her the ropes. Payroll, inventory, ordering. All sorts of fun, business owner tasks.

Why was Chris wearing a suit? It had to be eighty-five degrees. She was in cutoffs and a tank top. A far cry from the preppy skirts and button-ups he usually saw her in.

“A job you’re frustrated with and a man that’s a dud,” Uncle Mark said. “Come on, girl, you’re in a rut and you know it.”

He may have had a small point, about the job anyway. She’d become a guidance counselor to help kids like herself. Rebellious kids one bad decision away from wrecking their futures. Kids she could relate to because she’d made so many of those poor choices in her own teenage years. Lucky for her, Uncle Mark had stepped in and dragged her out of a life that would have chewed her up, spit her out, and left her for dead on the side of the road. And that wasn’t an exaggeration.

Once she’d gotten her act together, she completed her GED, went to college, and set out to help those just like her. But it wasn’t working out that way. After a few weeks at her first school, she realized her ability to do much of anything impactful was hobbled by privacy laws, state regulations, and those damn standardized tests. Most of her days were spent helping kids and teachers prepare for those exams and helping seniors plan for college. Worthwhile, yes, but she’d wanted to focus on the kids slipping through the cracks, and that just wasn’t happening.

As Christopher’s long legs ate up the distance between the car and the door, she said, “Stop ragging on Chris. He works for your law firm, for crying out loud. I met him because of you. Doesn’t that mean you like him, at least a little bit?”

“I like him fine as an attorney. As an employee of my law firm. But he’s just not for you.”

“Well, that’s not your decision now, is it, Uncle I-have-the-best-man-ever-so-I-look-down-on-all-other-boyfriends?”

“Aww, you’re so sweet, Toni.” Andrew’s voice sounded like it was at the end of a tunnel.

She laughed. “Am I on speaker phone?” Chris waved as he caught sight of her through the window. His smile was wide and welcoming. A nice, handsome smile full of straight, white teeth.