He was a patient man. She’d come around.

By day three it wasn’t any fun anymore.

Every time he tried to swing through her office, she was on the phone. If he saw her heading to the break room and moved to intercept her, he always got waylaid.

She’d blocked his number from her phone, and when he came to her door the night before, she didn’t answer.

Even Ginger was giving him the cold shoulder. The dog who’d loved him just a week before no longer jumped to her feet to come greet him when he entered the room.

“You going to tell me why you’re so pissy this week?” Mick asked, approaching, wearing a master schedule face.

“I’m not pissy. Why are you bothering me?” Duke said in what sounded like a pretty pissy voice.

“Just checking with you. What’s your timeline like on this?” Mick indicated the dozens of pieces of the ’73 Duster’s engine.

“I’m not Rumpelstiltskin. I can’t spin gold from this shit. It’s an old engine and no one took care of it,” Duke said.

“Yadda yadda. I get it. You’re great.” Mick patted Duke’s head. “Now, so like a week? A day? An hour? You complain but it never really seems to connect with just exactly how much time it takes you to fix something so make your answer time specific.”

“Four days. Go away.” Duke turned his attention back to all the parts spread out before him. Like a puzzle. If he focused on that, he could forget his annoyance about Carmella.

“Does this have anything to do with the way you look at Carmella and she goes out of her way not to look at you? Did you guys have a fight and that’s why you didn’t come out on Saturday?” Mick asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Duke wasn’t used to being the one who needed this kind of support. He was the one Mick and Asa came to for advice. He talked people down, defused potential friendship-ending arguments, mediated problems.

Duke liked that. And he most certainly didn’t like it being the other way around.

Mick blew out a breath. “All right. At least talk to someone, man.”

Duke knew a lot of people. He seemed to be the kind of person others thought of as a friend. He got along with most everyone. Knew how to listen more than he spoke.

But Mick and Asa weren’t simply friends. The three of them were family. In truth, Duke trusted them more than the brother he was related to. Mick had reenlisted and spent a few years away from Duke and Asa. Away from the foundation of the life they’d built, of the shop. Their friend had only come home to Seattle the year before.

More than just about anyone Duke had ever known, Mick needed roots. He needed to belong. Duke needed to remember that and not make his friend feel rejected just because Duke was on the outs with his woman.

“Damn it.” Duke tossed the cleaning cloth he’d been using to the counter.

“Let’s go to lunch.” Mick jerked his chin toward the door leading outside.

“I was in the neighborhood so I figured I’d drop in to see if you were free for lunch.”

Carmella grinned as her cousin Craig came through to her office. She hadn’t seen him in nearly two weeks. “I’m so glad you did. I’m free and really hungry.”

The hug was something she’d really needed. Enough that he noticed, eyeing her carefully.

But before he could question her about it, she wanted to be away from work. “When we have food, we can continue this conversation. And since you’re a full-time college student now, lunch is on me,” Carmella said.

Instead of taking over his father’s shop, Craig had decided to go back to school to get his engineering degree. The entire family had been behind the choice. Craig wanted to design aircraft. Carmella couldn’t have kept the shop up. So they’d sold to one of their mechanics, who’d relaunched as a franchise in a chain store.

“Excellent.”

They walked across the street to the burger place. “They’re having clam chowder today.” Carmella pointed.

“You always remember.” Craig put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. “So, you’re in a fight with Duke? Did he do something really bad? If I’m going to be punching him, I should have fries. Bulk up and all.”

Carmella burst out laughing. “I’m so glad you came by. I really needed to see a friendly face.”

He frowned but held his question until they’d gotten seated and had ordered.

“I thought you two were cool. What happened?” Craig asked.

“I thought we were cool too. One minute we’re chilling, getting ready to spend the day on the water, and then boom he comes out of my bathroom …” Carmella jerked out of her conversation and wrenched her neck to the side.

Duke stood there with Mick, who waved and smiled.

“Go on with your story,” Duke said.

“Go away, Duke,” Carmella whispered.

“No. I want to hear how you’re going to spin this to Craig.”

“Why the hell are you speaking to her that way?” Craig demanded.

“He’s got a point,” Mick murmured. “Maybe let’s all sit down and chat this out.”

Carmella wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. The whole situation was humiliating.

She leaned out to speak directly to Mick. “There’s nothing to chat out, Mick. I appreciate that you’re trying to help. I’m having lunch. I clocked out if there’s an issue with my work performance.”