Read Online Coming Home- Rock Bay 1 by M. J. O’Shea - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: M. J. O’Shea
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his respect for her work ethic, he hadn’t really noticed her much at all. She’d been far below his social level but not the kind of girl any guy who had a good relationship with his nuts would dare mess with.
“Emmy, it’s fine. I swear. Jesus. This is why I haven’t told mom yet.”
“And what happens when she stops by?”
“You know, I’m not deaf,” Tally interjected with a wry smile. “You didn’t tell your family you hired me, huh?”
Lex reddened. “I’m an adult with my own business. I don’t have to tell them certain details that I don’t find necessary to share.”
“Which means you were afraid you’d get in trouble. Am I really that bad?”
He shrugged. “Not now. Before….” Lex trailed off.
“Great.” Tally couldn’t help but sound defeated. “I’m done with my coffee if you want to get back into training, or I could clean if you want to talk to your sister.”
“No, it’s fine.” He turned to Emily. “I’ll see ya at dinner, Sis. I’m assuming mom wants me to come over.”
“Assumed correctly. Six o’clock—and don’t worry. I won’t tell. I’ll let you do that.”
“ Bitch ,” Lex muttered.
Tally chuckled under his breath. He’d always wanted a sister, or any sibling, for that matter.
“So, espresso 101 part two? And then you can spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about how you’re going to tell your mom you hired the biggest asshole in town.” He grinned at Lex to offset the bitter words.
Lex looked like he might want to say something, but instead, he handed Tally an empty cup. “Part two—mochas.”
L
EX was trying not to sweat. He pulled his car in front of his parents’ house and turned off the radio. It was probably too much to hope that his sister had managed to keep her mouth shut. The gossip really was just too good—but then again so was the prospect of watching Lex stammer and stumble over the news that he’d kept from them for over a week.
His parents’ house was loud and cheerful as usual, filled with the smells of dinner cooking on the stove and burning cedar from the fireplace, where a crackling fire was warding off the early spring’s evening chill.
“Ma, Dad, I’m here.”
“Lex, sweetheart, we’re in the kitchen. Emmy tells me you have some news.”
Shit.
Lex walked in on a typical scene; his mother was chopping tomatoes for a salad while his sister transferred sugar cookies to a paper towel. They had the radio on and were shaking their hips in time with the music while they talked a mile a minute. It was no wonder where Lex’s sometimes unfortunately vocal nature had come from. Only his father was the quiet type.
“Hi, guys. Need any help?”
“You mind getting out the salad dressing?” his mom asked after she kissed him on the cheek. “And tell me about your new employee.”
Lex glared at Emily. She tossed him a saucy grin and started sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on top of the cookies.
“He’s working out really well. Learning fast. Pretty soon I’ll be able to take an hour or two off here and there.”
“That’s good. What’s his name? Is it one of the high school kids?”
Here we go. “His name is Tally, and no, he’s actually a little older than me.”
“Tally? That’s an odd name.”
“So is Alexis,” Lex said in a wry voice. “At least for a guy.”
“It’s your middle name and it’s traditional. You know that.”
He did. He was the fourth James Alexis Barry in the family. At least they hadn’t done that whole number thing at the end of his name. He liked it much better without. Anyway, after a James, a Jamie, and his father, Jimmy, they’d decided to call him Lex. It would have been too confusing. The few times he’d been called James felt really strange.
“I know, Ma. Hey, you have ranch and honey mustard. Which one do you want?”
His mother said “ranch” at the same time as his sister said “honey mustard.” Then they both poked each other and broke out into giggles.
Lex rolled his eyes and
“Emmy, it’s fine. I swear. Jesus. This is why I haven’t told mom yet.”
“And what happens when she stops by?”
“You know, I’m not deaf,” Tally interjected with a wry smile. “You didn’t tell your family you hired me, huh?”
Lex reddened. “I’m an adult with my own business. I don’t have to tell them certain details that I don’t find necessary to share.”
“Which means you were afraid you’d get in trouble. Am I really that bad?”
He shrugged. “Not now. Before….” Lex trailed off.
“Great.” Tally couldn’t help but sound defeated. “I’m done with my coffee if you want to get back into training, or I could clean if you want to talk to your sister.”
“No, it’s fine.” He turned to Emily. “I’ll see ya at dinner, Sis. I’m assuming mom wants me to come over.”
“Assumed correctly. Six o’clock—and don’t worry. I won’t tell. I’ll let you do that.”
“ Bitch ,” Lex muttered.
Tally chuckled under his breath. He’d always wanted a sister, or any sibling, for that matter.
“So, espresso 101 part two? And then you can spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about how you’re going to tell your mom you hired the biggest asshole in town.” He grinned at Lex to offset the bitter words.
Lex looked like he might want to say something, but instead, he handed Tally an empty cup. “Part two—mochas.”
L
EX was trying not to sweat. He pulled his car in front of his parents’ house and turned off the radio. It was probably too much to hope that his sister had managed to keep her mouth shut. The gossip really was just too good—but then again so was the prospect of watching Lex stammer and stumble over the news that he’d kept from them for over a week.
His parents’ house was loud and cheerful as usual, filled with the smells of dinner cooking on the stove and burning cedar from the fireplace, where a crackling fire was warding off the early spring’s evening chill.
“Ma, Dad, I’m here.”
“Lex, sweetheart, we’re in the kitchen. Emmy tells me you have some news.”
Shit.
Lex walked in on a typical scene; his mother was chopping tomatoes for a salad while his sister transferred sugar cookies to a paper towel. They had the radio on and were shaking their hips in time with the music while they talked a mile a minute. It was no wonder where Lex’s sometimes unfortunately vocal nature had come from. Only his father was the quiet type.
“Hi, guys. Need any help?”
“You mind getting out the salad dressing?” his mom asked after she kissed him on the cheek. “And tell me about your new employee.”
Lex glared at Emily. She tossed him a saucy grin and started sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on top of the cookies.
“He’s working out really well. Learning fast. Pretty soon I’ll be able to take an hour or two off here and there.”
“That’s good. What’s his name? Is it one of the high school kids?”
Here we go. “His name is Tally, and no, he’s actually a little older than me.”
“Tally? That’s an odd name.”
“So is Alexis,” Lex said in a wry voice. “At least for a guy.”
“It’s your middle name and it’s traditional. You know that.”
He did. He was the fourth James Alexis Barry in the family. At least they hadn’t done that whole number thing at the end of his name. He liked it much better without. Anyway, after a James, a Jamie, and his father, Jimmy, they’d decided to call him Lex. It would have been too confusing. The few times he’d been called James felt really strange.
“I know, Ma. Hey, you have ranch and honey mustard. Which one do you want?”
His mother said “ranch” at the same time as his sister said “honey mustard.” Then they both poked each other and broke out into giggles.
Lex rolled his eyes and
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