The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(22)

“I know you’re still struggling with your grandma’s death.”

Brynn blinked, because he was talking to Eli, not her.

Without a word, Eli set his water aside and went back to the cooler for a beer.

He’d lost a grandparent, one he’d clearly been very close to. Brynn knew what that felt like; it was an actual hole in your life. Not having ever had a dad, she’d always been aware of what she was missing, the grief of it. But since she was lucky enough to have two moms, she’d kept that grief to herself.

But that didn’t make the feeling go away.

“I’m okay,” Eli said.

“You spent a lot of time with her, from age ten on,” Max said. “She left a void.”

“Of course she did. She was my only parent after Dad . . .”

“Boned the babysitter?” Max’s voice was dry and sounded much older than he was. “You don’t have to dance around that for me. My mom was never shy about how she stole him from your mom. I was always jealous as hell that you got to go live with your grandma. She sent you to that great summer camp for a bunch of years.”

Eli smiled. “She did.”

“Did you ever hear back from your mom on what she’s going to do with your grandma’s ashes?”

The soft snort from Eli didn’t sound like amusement. “No. I called the funeral home, but unless she gets back to them, aka pays for their services, Grandma will end up in a grave where all the unclaimed remains go.”

“Not what she wanted.”

“No, she wanted to be buried, not cremated, with a proper funeral,” Eli said. “And blessed by her priest before being laid to rest next to her husband. But Mom did the cremation without a care for any of that. Now the best I can do is get the funeral home to hold off on the unmarked grave until I can get the paperwork for the right to make the decisions.”

“And how are you going to get the paperwork?”

“I don’t know,” Eli said. “I was counting on at least one of my parents calling me back so I could try to talk them into letting me do the right thing.”

Max shook his head. “You’re going to offer to pay for everything, aren’t you?”

Eli took a long pull on his beer.

“That’s such bullshit, man. You already mortgaged the house for her long-term care and medical bills.”

“This isn’t about me.”

“No, but it should be. Seriously, you’re the most stubborn person on the planet.”

Eli shrugged. Apparently he already knew that.

Max sighed. “I heard your mom was in Singapore,” he said quietly.

Eli looked at him in surprise. “What’s she doing there?”

“She bought a house there.” Max turned a disbelieving look on Eli. “She really didn’t tell you?” He paused and shook his head with obvious disgust. “Of course she didn’t. The only reason I even know is because my mom found out.”

“She still stalking her via Instagram and Snapchat?”

It was Max’s turn to snort. “Yeah, and has ever since she was that eighteen-year-old babysitter screwing her paycheck. She’d cooled it for a while, but someone called her the trophy wife a few weeks ago and it sort of renewed her obsession.”

Brynn felt a tug at her heart at the expression on Eli’s face, which she could only see in profile. Hurt. Angry.

“I’m sorry,” Max said. “You deserve better.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Dude, it fucking matters, okay? It was your birthday last week and neither of them even called you. Now you’re just trying to give your grandma the burial she wanted. It’s not rocket science. Our parents, all of them, suck ass.”

Brynn realized she was rubbing a hand across her chest, aching, feeling a connection to Eli that she hadn’t expected. She couldn’t imagine either of her moms ghosting her. Or avoiding her at all, for any reason. And if one of them were to die—even the thought hurt madly—the other would do whatever her wife had wanted, no matter what. So it was incredible to Brynn that Eli was burdened with this. Fighting his mom to give his grandma the burial she’d wanted.

Max stirred. “I’m going to bed, man, and you should do the same.”

“Yeah.”

They both began to—oh, shit—peel their wet suits the rest of the way off right there on the porch. Brynn had long ago lost her moment to announce herself, and she knew it, but . . .

Good.

Lord.

They weren’t wearing anything beneath. Their backs were to her and she knew it was wrong, but her feet wouldn’t move and her eyes couldn’t seem to help themselves.

Eli had the best butt on the entire planet.

And then he turned around and, sweet baby Jesus, even in the chilly night he was impressive.

At that very moment, Mini pushed her way out the screen door, looking sweet and sleepy, tail going a mile a minute, happy to see her guys.

But she didn’t go to her guys, because Brynn’s luck didn’t run that way. Nope. The big yellow lab headed right for Brynn on the porch swing, letting out a welcoming snort.

Shaking her head, she held out her hands, trying to ward the dog off.

But Mini didn’t have any sense of boundaries. She snorted again right before she jumped onto her lap.