The Hookup (Moonlight and Motor Oil #1)(98)

“Tobe, you need to get over that because I’m gonna be your older brother until the day I die, and that’s just the way it is.”

“Terrific,” Toby muttered, turning his head to stare at the car Johnny had up on a lift.

“You got plans while you’re in Matlock or are you gonna fish and charm women and drive Margot insane because you seem entirely immune to having a healthy relationship?”

Toby looked back to him. “I wanna work with you here, at the garage.”

Johnny stood solid and stared.

Toby was good with an engine. He wasn’t better than Johnny because Johnny had always been a gearhead like their father and grandfather.

Toby could get stuck in and do great work.

Then Toby could get distracted and take off.

Johnny didn’t care. He was used to it and his brother was an adult. He got his checks from the garages. He did his thing. He didn’t get into trouble anymore (much). It was his life to live and it wasn’t Johnny’s place to get involved in it.

Except giving him stick and keeping him away from Addie.

But he’d love having his brother home, working beside him, like the old days.

Like before Dad died.

“You wanna be here, I want you here,” Johnny told him. “Long as you want, forever or a week, I don’t care. But I don’t have to say that. It’s yours the same as mine.”

“That may be true on paper but it isn’t true in practice, and I’ve been thinking that isn’t right.”

Johnny again stared.

A healthy relationship with a woman was not Toby’s thing.

Responsibility wasn’t either.

“I need to do my part,” Toby stated. “I don’t wanna be managing any mini-marts. But I can change a belt and switch out plugs.”

“Then start when you wanna start,” Johnny replied. “But if you’re here, I manage this bay, brother. You wanna take over your own garage, we gotta work you up to that, and by that I mean, you get one when we lose a man who’s managing one. We got great crews in all the garages. That changes, you slide in. But I’ve laid claim to this one, so it’s mine.”

“I don’t wanna manage anything. I just wanna be rooted for a while.”

“Outside of thinking you’re not pitching in when you don’t gotta pitch in, anything else bring this on?” Johnny asked.

“Grams is dead. Gramps is dead. Dad’s dead. And Margot and Dave aren’t gonna be here forever. I’ve seen a lot. Done a lot. Learned a lot. And the biggest thing I learned was that the only place I feel right is in Matlock.”

“Then it’s really a welcome home,” Johnny said quietly.

“Yeah,” Toby replied.

“I’ll talk to Iz about a good night for you to come over for dinner so you can spend more time with her,” Johnny offered.

Toby grinned. “That’d be great.”

They stared at each other for long beats.

Johnny ended it, saying, “Dad would be glad.”

Toby kept hold on his gaze.

Then he replied, “Yeah.”



“Sure,” Addie said.

It was after dinner at Izzy’s. They were in her living room, a place Johnny wanted to get out of as soon as possible considering spending time with all the white furniture, flower covered pillows and lampshades and the flipping bird cage with a pink roof on her white coffee table was making him concerned he’d actually be able to father a child in the future.

He’d just got shot down for paying the attorney straight up.

So he’d pitched the loan.

And that was Addie’s response.

Johnny looked from her to Izzy, who was staring at her sister like she’d morphed into someone else, and back to Addie.

“Great,” he replied. “Give your attorney’s bills to me. I’ll cover them. We’ll keep track. This is done, we’ll sort out a payment plan.”

“Done,” Addie agreed, giving him a big grin.

“Are you all right?” Izzy asked Addie.

Addie’s grin faded and she looked to her sister. “Yeah. Why?”

“You don’t have a fever?” Izzy inquired.

Johnny chuckled.

“Put a sock in it,” Addie ordered.

“No, really,” Izzy said. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

Addie looked to him. “You gonna screw over my sister?”

“Nope,” Johnny answered.

Her gaze returned to Iz. “Then sure, I’m sure.” She got up from her place in Iz’s slouchy white loveseat, moved to Johnny, dropped Brooks in his lap, Brooks ignored the beard and yanked on his ear and Addie strolled toward the kitchen, asking, “Anyone want leftover cake?”

“Yeah,” Johnny called after her.

“Iz?” she prompted.

“Okay,” Izzy said.

Brooks grunted as he pulled himself up to Johnny’s shoulder.

Johnny spotted him with his hands as he crawled behind Johnny’s neck.

The kid hit his other shoulder, threw himself over and slid down Johnny’s chest into his lap and giggled.

Johnny then lifted him up, swung him around and planted him on his shoulders, his pudgy legs dangling on either side of Johnny’s neck.