Page 11 of The Friendship Pact

When Nick arrived home, he changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and sat down to flip through the channels. Garrett had a key to his house and was already in the shower.

Nick’s phone rang. “Hey, Chloe, is it Dad?”

“No. He’s doing fine. Mom is with him. Can you guys come over? Cole is here and I’m making dinner. We need to plan. Discuss what we can do to help Mom and Dad.”

“Sure. We’ll be there within the hour.”

A short time later, Nick climbed into Garrett’s Lexus, and Garrett turned on the seat warmers.

“I guess the brewery is doing well,” Nick said, playing with his seat controls to accommodate his large frame.

“Yeah.”

Garrett had been quiet since he arrived. Nick didn’t blame him; he’d been deep in thought, too, since he left the hospital. Garrett hadn’t pulled out of the drive yet and stared at the snow-covered pines. “Scary day,” he said.

He gripped the steering wheel, the dashboard lights illuminating his haunted expression. “It took me three hours to get here, and I broke the speed limit every chance I could.”

Nick remained quiet and waited for his brother to say more.

“Seeing Dad in the hospital, it hit me that our parents are getting older. I’ve decided to move closer. I’ve been talking about opening another location for a while, so I’m thinking about buying the old armory building.”

“It’ll be nice to have you closer to home.”

“You’re just happy you’ll get free beer.”

“Nah, you already supply the beer.” Nick shifted in his seat. “Hey, Garrett?”

“Yeah?”

“My ass is on fire.”

Garrett pushed a button, chuckled, and pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

At least two inches of snow had fallen since Nick arrived home, and it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, with another four inches forecasted by morning. With Garrett staying at his place and his mom staying at the hospital, those were two people he didn’t have to worry about. He and Garrett drove to Chloe’s and greeted Cole as he finished shoveling Chloe’s back steps leading to her apartment above the boutique.

They walked up the steep wooden stairs. After knocking twice, they stepped in. The savory smell of chili caused Nick’s mouth to water. He wrapped Chloe in a bear hug. “Smells great, sis.”

Cole brushed off his coat, removed his boots, and made a beeline for the fridge. He pulled out beers for everyone. They were all deep in thought when a knock on the door broke the silence.

“Are we expecting someone else?” Cole asked Chloe, setting his beer down.

Chloe made her way to the door. “Yes. I asked Kate to join us,” she said before opening it.

Nick couldn’t figure out why his sister would invite Kate Davis to their sibling meeting. When she walked in, her eyes widened with surprise and her cheeks flushed. Knowing Chloe, she probably hadn’t prepared Kate for an apartment full of Reids.

Nick nodded and held up his beer bottle in greeting. She looked cute in her Chicago Bears sweats, with her hair pulled into a ponytail. He liked that she wasn’t concerned about what she wore, unlike some women he knew.

With a small wave, Kate handed Chloe a cake pan. Garrett was the first to approach her and held out his hand. “Hi, Kate, I’m Garrett. It’s nice to meet you.”

Kate reached forward and shook his proffered hand. “You as well.”

The sight of Kate with his family relaxed Nick more than he was willing to admit. It was as if the stress had left his body the moment she walked in. A dangerous thought.

* * *

Kate removed her boots and placed them on the plastic mat by the door.