Chapter20
“You a bit off today, little bro?”
“I’m all good, Joe.”
Luke and his brothers were at the Halloween Ryker Falls basketball comp. He was throwing the ball around with his team. The nucleus was made up of the three Trainer brothers, Dylan, and Fin. They then brought in ringers. Today they had Ted plus Buster Griffin and Paul Newman, friends from Lake Howling, who were in town to do some research with Ted on a business they were looking at buying. Lenny from the Lodge and Bas from the garage were also suited up.
“You’re looking like Nash used to,” Joe said, standing before him. “Grumpy and pissed off with the world.”
He felt grumpy and pissed off but hadn’t realized it was showing on his face.
“I’m all good, just tired. Big shift yesterday.” He was tired, but he was also feeling antsy about Quinn. He hadn’t seen her in four days, but he’d wanted to. In fact, he’d thought about her constantly since they returned from Lyntacky. Plus there was the worry for Nixon gnawing at him.
“Yeah, but it’s more than that.”
Someone had painted a cobweb on Joe’s cheek. Luke’s money was on one of his kids.
“Just working through some crap. I’m good, Joe. It’s a big deal now we have Nixon. Raising him and stuff. He’s not exactly an open book either. He’s shut up tighter than a bullfrog’s ass.”
“Nixon will come round, Luke.”
The three Trainer brothers had their place in each other’s lives. Joe was the head of the family. Jack was the money man, and Luke was the go-to man. If something needed doing, and they didn’t have time, then he was the one everyone in the family called. From taking kids to appointments to fixing shit in their houses.
They now had Nixon in their lives, and everything had shifted and changed. They wanted to bring him into the circle, but he was resisting.
“It’s just hard not being able to get through to him,” Luke said.
“We are. He’s responding, but you have to remember how long it took us to start talking.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It’s a hell of a thing,” Joe said, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve said it before, but he’s the image of you at that age. Has that haunted look in his eyes.”
“Trainers.” Jack arrived with a pumpkin on his forehead. “Nixon is sitting up in the bleachers with Aunt Jess, Bailey, Blake, Benji, and Ella.”
Luke located him. He had Blake leaning on him. He may be wary around the adults, but he wasn’t with the kids. They loved him, and he loved them. Luke understood some of what he was feeling. The fear that he’d wake up one day and all the stuff he now had would be gone.
Luke had fought that fear for years.
“Okay so let’s kick some SRR ass,” Jack said.
“I’m not sure anyone is taking you seriously with that orange circle on your forehead,” Luke said.
“It’ll lure them in thinking I’m soft. Then I’ll confuse them with my speed and ball skills, plus, I’m a mean SOB.”
“And I’ll say again, you have a pumpkin my children drew on your forehead,” Joe drawled.
“I hope you boys haven’t let yourself go since you left Ryker,” Jack said to Buster and Newman.
“I’m hoping that thing on your forehead is not catching,” Buster Griffin replied. He owned cafes and Newman was some kind of corporate raider. Luke hadn’t worked out his exact job detail yet. They’d come to Ryker a few times over the years.
Luke bounced the ball while he listened to the smack talk going on around him. The rec center was humming like it always was. The place had fast become a hub in Ryker.
Decorations had been strung up everywhere, and the children and some of the adults were in costume. Best dressed got candy, so maximum effort had been put in. Today they were raising money for the library extension. All entry fees were going to the cause.
“Don’t sprain anything, Nash. You know how hard it is to recover at your age!” he called to the man doing a layup. His reply was to raise a middle finger.
They were playing SRR. The Sleepy River Ranch was owned by the Winter family. Nash lived here in Ryker, as did his sister, Maggie. Ford lived on the ranch with his parents.