June Yearling lifted her slender shoulders, wondering what the big deal was all about. People sold businesses every day. She had, just recently. The one-time owner of the only auto-repair shop in over a hundred-mile radius, she’d sold the business that had been passed on to her, because it had felt like the right thing to do at the time.
“Maybe it was,” she said to her brother’s fiancée. “Maybe he has an itch, and selling his taxicab service is the only way he knows how to scratch it.”
Lily sighed. It still didn’t make any sense to her. Kevin was acting rashly, especially for Kevin. Why hadn’t he discussed this with any of them? She looked at Jimmy and Alison, but they looked as mystified as she was.
Lily ran her hands up and down her arms, despite the fact that the day was warm. “But he’s had that business forever.”
June thought of herself, of her own feelings when she’d made up her mind to sell. “Forever’s a long time. Maybe he needed something new. Maybe he got tired of having things break down on him and—” She bit her lip, realizing that she’d allowed her own experiences to intrude into her interpretation. “Sorry. They always say, stick to what you know.”
Max laughed shortly, shaking his head. She might have the face of an angel, but June was the wild one in the family, especially now that April had ceased her wandering ways and returned to live in Hades. June had never made noises about moving out of state, the way over three-quarters of the adolescent population had, but she had been a restless pistol in every other way. She was always full of surprises.
“If that were the case,” he said to her, “you wouldn’t have sold the shop to Walter Haley and announced that you were going to make a go of the family farm.”
Family farm.
It was almost a euphemism at this point. In reality, it had been abandoned land for years. They’d left it without any thought when he, Alison and June, along with their mother, had moved in with their grandmother after their father had taken off for parts unknown. The thought of making a go of the property had vaguely crossed his mind, only to be quickly discarded. The town needed a sheriff and he needed to be it. Max knew he was lucky enough to have found his true calling.
June frowned, looking down at her hands. They were scrubbed clean now, but there were still traces of dark stains on them. She’d never been one to dress up or try to compete with her sister, or any of the other girls in town, but even she had a place where she drew the line.
“I got tired of trying to get motor oil off my hands,” she retorted. She looked accusingly at the older brother she secretly adored. “A woman’s got a right to want to keep her hands clean.”
Max gave her an innocent look. “Never said otherwise.”
Concern creased Alison’s fair features as she looked at her own brother. “Think Kevin’s having a midlife crisis?”
Luc laughed at his wife’s suggestion, shaking his head. He’d always liked Kevin. “Thirty-seven’s a little young to have a midlife crisis.”
June looked at him. She might be the youngest in the room, but age to her was not a brittle thing, without rounded edges or flexibility. “Seems to be just about right to me. Unless he’s planning on living until he’s a hundred.”
Jimmy smiled, remembering the promise Alison had extracted from their brother after their father’s funeral. “Kevin is planning on living forever.”
“Well, then you’re right,” she said glibly. “Thirty-seven’s too young for a midlife crisis. Maybe he just needed a change.” With the bluntness of the very young, she looked at Kevin’s siblings. “After all, you all picked up and left him.”
It almost sounded like an accusation. Lily exchanged glances with Jimmy.
“None of us planned it that way,” Alison protested for all of them.
June shrugged. She had to be getting back to work. The land wasn’t going to tend itself. And she still had cows to milk and a disabled tractor to curse. “Still, that’s what happened. Maybe he thinks it’s time to start over.”
Jimmy looked thoughtful. Maybe June had stumbled across something. “In Kevin’s case, it’s starting life in the first place. He’s never had time for a life,” he told his in-laws. “Been there for all of us and never had time to be there for himself.”
June looked triumphant. “Mystery solved,” she announced. “This is his time for himself.”
Alison tried to keep the sad feeling at bay, but it insisted on coming. She looked at Jimmy. “Still, it feels kind of weird, knowing the taxi service is gone.”
Jimmy nodded his agreement. All three of them had taken turns putting in time at the service and driving a cab, even Lily. Driving a cab was how Alison had met Luc in the first place. Luc had come down from Hades, looking for someone to pretend to be his wife in order to cover an inadvertent white lie. He’d wound up saving Alison from a mugger and sustaining a concussion. To pay him back for his trouble, especially after she’d discovered the nursing shortage in Hades, Alison had agreed to the charade and stayed on to play the part in earnest.
Crossing to the door, June placed her hand on the latch.
“Probably no weirder than he’s feeling with all of you gone.” She opened the door. “Well, I’ve got to be getting back to work. I’ll see you all later.”
Max shook his head as June closed the door. He put his arms around Lily, giving her a hug to stave off the bout of guilt he saw in her eyes. “Always said June was the cheerful one in the family.”
Jimmy looked after his sister-in-law thoughtfully. The last time Kevin had come up here, it had been to take part in his wedding. At twenty, June had seemed too young at the time. She wasn’t too young now.
“Maybe that’s what we can do to get Kevin’s mind off whatever’s really bothering him.”
“Do?” Lily echoed. “Do what? What are you talking about?”
But Alison was already on Jimmy’s wavelength. “We’ll tell Kevin that June needs cheering up.” She brightened immensely. “Kevin’s at his best when he’s dealing with someone else’s problems.” She looked at the others. “The man is a problem solver. He misses having to deal with all our baggage.”
Lily sniffed. “We didn’t come with baggage.”
Jimmy gave his older sister a pointed look. “You had your own luggage store.”
She laughed shortly. “And Casanova didn’t?”
Max grinned as he tightened his arms around his wife-to-be. “I’m beginning to understand what Kevin did in the family. He kept the peace.”
Lily got off her high horse. Turning, she brushed a kiss against her future husband’s cheek.
“I’d say that gives Kevin something in common with you.”
Dealing with Lily was where his people-reading skills came in handiest—and were the most challenged. “I’m not flattering myself,” Max told her. “I keep the peace for any one of a number of residents here. I know better than to try to exercise control over you.”
“This marriage,” Jimmy announced to the others, “should work out just fine.”
He ducked, but Max was quicker and caught Lily’s hand as she went to throw her cell phone at him.
“Yes,” Max agreed, looking at Lily meaningfully as he gently pushed her hand down again, “it should.”
Lily’s eyes sparkled, negating the frown she was attempting to form.