Page 80 of A New Chapter

Damian cocked an eyebrow at him. “Hey, man, if you’re off the market, that’s one less guy for me to have to compete with for the ladies.”

“Yeah, right. You and I don’t even travel in the same circles, bro.”

“That could change,” Damian said, rubbing a hand over his stubbly face.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I might move back here.”

Zack sat up straight. “Here? As in Michigan? Or as in my house?”

Damian chuckled. “Are you kidding? We would kill each other if I moved in with you. I’m thinking about moving back to Michigan, maybe even to Clarkston.”

His news came as a big surprise, and Zack wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Do Mom and Dad know about this?”

“Not yet.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Kelly, does it?”

“Hell no. She’s hot, but I just met her. I’ve been tossing the idea around for a while now.”

Zack loved his brother, but he realized just how little he really knew him these days. Damian had moved to California shortly after Zack and Alicia were married, and he had only seen him occasionally since then. He’d heard snippets of news from his parents, but Zack was too busy with his own life to pay much attention. If Damian moved back home, it would probably be a good thing, not just for Zack, but for Gracie too. She seemed to have a soft spot for her secretive uncle.

“What would you do for a living?” Zack asked with genuine curiosity.

“Same thing I’ve been doing. Work on cars. Maybe open my own shop.”

“Really? Wow, that’s ambitious of you.”

“I have goals too, you know,” Damian said snidely.

Zack quickly realized his mistake. He knew that Damian wasn’t lazy, but he didn’t know much about his work. “Maybe I could help you out.”

“How?”

“Well, I’m a financial guy. I could help you get your finances in order or get a business loan—things like that.”

Damian shot him a wide smile. “Yeah, maybe,” he said. “But do me a favor. Don’t mention this to Mom or Dad or your future wife. I’m not ready for anyone to know yet.”

Zack’s mind went blank because all he heard was “future wife, future wife, future wife.”

It had a nice ring to it, he had to admit, but was he ready? And, more importantly, was she?