Cole's POV

By the time I finish the car, it's after midday. I start packing up my things and head back to the truck.

Before I climb in, I see Bo walking down the stairs. He says, "How's the car going?"

"It's fixed. You'll be able to take the wife and kids for a drive. I'm sure they'd love to travel in style."

He laughs. "Of course they would. I'll see you at the airfield at nine. Then we can leave for New York. My wife said you and I must have each other's backs in New York. She also wants to meet Julia one day."

"Braelynn might meet her at the reunion if Julia changes her mind about not going. She's been running into some people we've graduated with over the last couple of weeks, but she won't tell me how the conversations went."

He claps my back. "You'll get there. What are you doing after this?"

"I have to pick up a classic car that Julia bought. It's a 1969 Ford Mustang."

"Damn, that's a great car. I need one for my collection."

"You'll have to find one yourself. Or give Julia a call, and she can keep an eye out for one for you. She was driving to her parents' place when she found one for me." I climb into my truck and start it. I better get the car before Julia calls and asks if I got it yet." Starting the engine, I pull it away from the house and head toward the gate.

The gate opens, and I pull the truck out of the driveway. Looking at my phone, I get the address and add it to the Navman. I follow the directions until I reach the house.

A guy stands in front of the car and looks at me as I walk over. "Are you Cole Mason?"

"Yes, Sir." I hold my hand out to him, and he shakes it.

"I'm Maxwell Graham. A beautiful woman was here earlier saying you'd stop by to pick up the car."

"That's right. Thanks for letting us take the car off your hands."

A smile spreads across his face. "This car got me through a lot of things. It even managed to get me, my wife. My wife grew up around cars, and once she saw mine, she fell in love with it. I was the one that won her heart in the end." He looks at me. "My car will be in perfect hands for Julia and you." He helped me hook the car onto the back of the truck, and I took it to the garage.

At the garage, I put the car into one of the sheds.

My phone starts ringing, and I see "Julia" flash across the screen.

Me: Hey, this is Cole.

Julia: Hey, stranger. Did you get the car?

Me: Yes, I did. It's in the garage. Do you want to stop by and have a look?

Julia: Sure, can you send me the address and I'll be there shortly.

Me: Okay, I'm quiet for a moment before saying. What's wrong with your Mom?

Julia: She has a tumour on her brain.

I wasn't expecting that.

Me: Shit! I'm sorry, Julia. Is there anything I can do to help you?

Julia: No, I'll have to get through this like I do everything else.

Me: You have me.

Julia: This weekend, I won't. What time do you fly out?

Me: I'm leaving at 10 p.m., so I have a few hours to spend with you.

Julia: Thank you for being there for me, Cole. I don't know what I would do without you.

Me: You don't have to thank me, Julia. All I want from you is to be friends and nothing more.

Me: You're getting there, Cole.

I laugh.

Me: At a snail's pace, but at least I'm getting somewhere with you.

Julia: I'm about to jump back into the car. Send me the garage's address, and I'll be there shortly.

Me: Sure.

I send her the address to the garage, grab some tools, and slide under the car.

While working on the car, I heard voices enter the shop. Pushing myself from under the car, I see Antwon and Liam.

Antwon walks over to the car and looks at it. "Where did you find this beauty?"

"Your sister found it and gave it to me."

Liam shakes his head. "Once you've restored it, I guarantee you won't see the car as Julia would want it for herself."

Over the years I've known Liam and Antwon, they haven't said anything bad about Julia. Now that she's in town, all they seem to do is talk badly about her, and I'm starting to get sick and tired of hearing them bag her out.

Looking at them, I say. "What do you need?"

Liam leans against the wall and crosses his arms. "Can we get the keys to your place? Dad kicked us out after Mom went nuts because Julia left."

Pulling my keys out of my pocket, I throw them at him. "You need to find a place of your own. I won't have you two live with me until you find girls. I want my place to be my own again."

I'm about to tell them to leave when Julia's car pulls into the garage. She stops the car when her eyes land on her brothers. She looks behind.

Standing up, I head toward her car, and before she can pull away, I climb into the front passenger's seat. "Antwon and Liam swung by to get the keys for my place, but when they saw the car, they wanted to check it out."

Liam walks over to the car and climbs into the back seat. "Antwon and I are leaving, " he tells Julia. To me, he says, "We'll keep your house safe while you're away for the weekend."

"You better. If anything is broken, you will replace it."

"Okay," Liam climbs out of the car. "Bye," he slams the door and walks over to Antwon.

Julia watches them climb into the car and pull away. "Cole,"

I watch her brothers pull away in their car. "Hmmm," I say, turning towards her. "What?"

"Do you go to the pubs with my brother? Or do you only spend time at your places?"

Why does she want to know this?

I frown. "Why are you asking, Julia?"

"Please, just answer the question."

"Work and our houses are the only places we hang out. Are you going to tell me why you're asking?"

"There's something more going on with my brothers other than what my uncle did to them. I want to know why. Please help me contact Jesse Hanson. I have a few things for him to do for me."

I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at her. "Are you sure you want Jesse to do this? What if you find out something you don't want to know? It won't end well for you."

She sighs. "I'm in the dark about everything, and I don't want to keep being blindsided by everyone in my life. It's time that everything is in the open, and then I can go about my life and enjoy it. I can't do that while my family acts like strangers towards me."

I understand where she's coming from. It must be frustrating not knowing the entire truth.

I nod. "Okay, I'll message Jesse if he doesn't pick up," I call him and wait for him to answer.