by Lindsey Hart
“I guess you’re right. I don’t know, it was okay I guess. I got a flat tire on the way there. I was wearing heels and a dress and I couldn’t change it in those so I had to call for a tow. It cost money that I didn’t have. I put it on my credit card.”
“I’ll spot you as soon as I can.”
“I know. I’m just saying, that alone made me all hot and sweaty and flustered before I even got there.”
“What’s Chet like? Is he as wild as he seems?”
“No. I don’t think so. I think he was a bit of a drifter or a lost soul or whatever when he was growing up. He did make fun of me for wanting to be a teacher. Apparently, he thinks the education system is garbage. Just here though. He made it sound like because we don’t offer meditation and yoga in every class that we’re doing something wrong.”
Shane grinned. “I might agree with him there. I hated school.”
“I know. I remember. Your poor mom had to drag your ass out of bed each morning and threaten you with all sorts of shit just to get you there. They threatened to fail you if you had one more absence.”
“They could have for all I cared. School is useless.”
“You’re way more like your brother than you think. Anyway, that statement is coming from the person who now has a successful landscaping job.”
“I didn’t have to graduate to get it. It’s not like I went to school for it.”
“Okay, well, I know our system could use some work. What parts couldn’t. I think some other countries have some great ideas. I think maybe meditation and yoga have their benefits. It doesn’t change the fact that I want to be a teacher and do what I can to be a part of that change. I don’t think it’s wholly useless.”
“I would hope not, considering the fact that you’re going to make a career of it. And by the way, that sounds like a motivational poster. You’ve obviously thought about it.” Nina blushed again, for the millionth time in the past few days. Of course, Shane noticed right away. “What the hell? Are you actually blushing?”
“No, I… I don’t know.”
“Did you find my brother attractive?”
“He doesn’t look anything like you,” she protested uselessly, in case Shane got the wrong idea. She realized that it wasn’t the track he was on. “I mean, well… he’s a good-looking guy, okay? I have eyes. I’m sorry.”
Shane actually looked completely shocked. Or disgusted. Scandalized? She wasn’t sure. He wasn’t happy, she knew that. He slowly crossed his arms over his chest. His poor t-shirt looked like it couldn’t take it. He needed to upsize his clothing, Nina decided. Those damn shirts of his always looked like they were going to rip off. She knew he did it on purpose too, because the ladies liked it.
“You’ve never thought anyone is hot! Why my brother?”
“Hey, I never said he was hot. I just meant that I had eyes. I can’t help how my body reacts. Hormones are hormones. They’re beyond my control. And it’s not that I don’t find anyone hot, it’s just that I don’t do anything about it. I don’t want a relationship to mess up my focus. I’m too busy with school and friends and family and everything to have time for anything else.”
Shane snorted. “Seriously, though… Chet? Those dates were supposed to just be for that stupid contract, so we can get the money.”
“I know. I didn’t say I was going to do anything about it. I know what it’s for. You don’t have to stand there and give me a lecture like you are my father.” Even Nina was taken aback by the sharpness of her tone. She was back to blushing again. With a sigh of disgust, she pivoted away from Shane, to face the person’s back in front of them. No doubt half the lineup was probably listening in.
“Nina… come on. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” Shane touched her arm gently. His touch was hot and sticky, and Nina brushed him away. Slowly, she turned back towards Shane. He really did look sorry. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually apologized for anything. No, Shane wasn’t the apologizing type.
“Here I was going to tell you that he’s going to call you for drinks or something. He said he wanted to catch up. He made it pretty obvious he feels shitty about ditching town and leaving you and your mom to fend for yourselves. Now that you’re both adults, he wants to have a better relationship. He wants to be a brother, not a stranger.” Okay, so maybe she’d stretched the truth a little. She carefully left out her condition. She sensed that deep down, everything she said really was true. Chet had basically said as much. Or at least, he’d implied it.
That got Shane off his high horse real fast. She could see the uncertainty in his eyes and it wasn’t pretty. She knew how much Shane wanted an older brother growing up. He’d just about worshipped Chet, even after the guy left.
“Really? What if I don’t want to have drinks with a guy I don’t even know anymore?”
Nina shook her head. “Don’t try it with me, Shane.”
“Try what?”
“Lying. You might be able to kid yourself, but you can’t fool me. I know you better than that. I know how much you’ve missed Chet. If he calls you for drinks and wants to reconnect, then you should go. Don’t punish yourself because he made mistakes that he wants to fix.”
“What made you suddenly so full of wisdom?”
“I don’t know. It’s not wise. It’s common sense. He’s your brother. Your only brother. His coming back shouldn’t just be about the money or about a father dying that you don’t even know. Ask him about his life. It’s pretty interesting. Way more interesting than what’s on social media. Oh, and his hands and neck aren’t that noticeable, I promise.”
“What?”
“His tattoos. He’s not crazy. Not at all. He’s pretty normal. Eats meat just like you do. He plowed through a steak right in front of me, just like you always do.”
“I’m not a plant eater. That’s not natural. You should man up anyway and become Vegan. But that would mean no more ice cream trips for you. You’d just have to sit there and watch me enjoy it in front of you.”
Nina punched him in the arm. Hard. When people said that someone hit like a girl, they’d obviously never been socked by her. Shane winced and rubbed the spot.
“Ouch! Come on now, I was just kidding.”
“You and your brother have way more in common than you think. I promise you that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I know you and I see lots of the same mannerisms and characteristics in him even though you guys spent a huge chunk of your life apart. I think if you’d give him a fair chance, you’d find that it’s pretty easy to catch up. Who knows, Chet might even stay in Houston.”
Shane’s eyes widened. “Did he say that?”
“Not exactly, but who knows. Maybe he will. Or maybe, if you guys reconnect or whatever, maybe you could go visit him in whatever cool country he stays in next. And invite me too. I want to travel.”
“We have no money to travel.”
“Well, you would. You could pay for one trip, couldn’t you? For your best friend who has literally stood through everything with you? Remember my car that you puked in? Twice? Or was it three times? Or more like every single time I picked your ass up from the bar… you never paid me back for that. You owe me, big time.”
“Okay, that was before I learned to drink. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“What about that girl I helped you smuggle out of your room when your mom came home early from your shift? I distracted her while she climbed out the window.”
Shane laughed. His laughter always had been contagious, and Nina found herself letting loose and laughing as well. They laughed until people in the line started turning around and looking at them. Nina wiped at the corners of her eyes as the last of her giggles faded.
“Okay, well maybe I do owe you. I’ll buy you a ticket for wherever you want to go and I’ll take some time off work. You only have a month left of classes. We’ll go for a week, anywhere you want.”
“Really?” She couldn’t beli
eve Shane was actually serious.
“Of course. One condition though, Nina and I’m serious. Don’t fuck my brother.”
Her face heated up with embarrassment, but more so with anger or at least annoyance. “You don’t have to worry about that. A surface level attraction is one thing. That… that is a whole other deal. I promise.”
“Good. Because if you ever did, we wouldn’t be friends anymore.”
“I wouldn’t risk our friendship for anything in the world.” She wasn’t joking anymore, and Shane knew it. He nodded once then turned back to study the ice cream lists. They were finally close enough to see.
“I think I’m going to get a scoop of rainbow and one of bubble gum and one of strawberry on top.”
“You’re disgusting, you know that.”
She hated mixing flavors. They always swirled into each other and tasted funny. Shane of course knew that. And because he was so damn mature, he stuck his tongue out at her. And because she was also so damn mature, she stuck hers back out. She laughed after and Shane joined in. She was dead right. There was nothing in the world she’d risk their friendship for. Nothing. Certainly not some contracted dates and certainly not Chet. She wanted to say she knew it with certainty, so she didn’t like the tiny trickle of doubt that lodged in the pit of her stomach and refused to leave.
CHAPTER 6
Chet
Life often played tricks and proved that time was just an illusion. Seeing their mother, though he talked to her regularly online or over the phone, with so much more grey hair and deep lines around her eyes and mouth, gave Chet a start. Seeing his baby brother as a grown man was even stranger.
Their first meeting had been brief. He’d been focused on the will and his horrible suggestion of the dates with Nina. He hadn’t really even looked at Shane.
As his little brother strolled into the pub, shoulders squared, his height, bearing along that mane of blonde hair and his bronzed skin attracting more than a few wistful stares from women around the place, he truly noticed that Shane wasn’t just a kid anymore. He was never going to be a kid again either. Chet had missed out on that. He’d missed out on being there for his brother.
No wonder Nina told him to man up and have drinks with the guy. She didn’t want him to waste any more time. Worse yet, was the suggestion that at one time, Shane had looked up to him. He didn’t want anyone to idolize him, especially not his little brother. He had no illusions about not being worthy of the honor.
Shane pulled out the seat across from him. The pub was some non-descript little brick building that his brother picked out. The outside had picnic tables lined up in front for their patio seating. The inside boasted scarred up tables, the tall kind, where you had to do some maneuvering to get up on the chairs and pull yourself in after. It wasn’t fancy, but that was fine with Chet. He’d been all over the world and this place was better than some of the dive bars he’d been in. At least they had good whiskey and the fact that they had ice was a bonus.
His brother grinned when he spotted the whiskey glass. “Beat me to it, I see.”
“This is my first one. I wasn’t sure if you ran on time. It’s hot out and I was thirsty.”
“In case you didn’t know, water is probably a better choice when you’re trying to quench your thirst.”
“Duly noted.”
Shane grinned. He looked out of place, as though he belonged in some movie or some magazine. He didn’t look a thing like Chet, but Chet had always known that he favored his dad, not his mother. Shane looked far more like their mom. The only thing they had in common was their blue eyes. They even had different builds.
“I just got off work. Sorry, we stayed late to finish this lady’s yard. She was screaming and yelling on her back deck about us nothing being done on time, so we didn’t want to make it worse for ourselves having to come back the next day.”
“I can imagine. Was she elderly, in a polka dot bathrobe with curlers in her hair? Was there a smoke in her hand with a four-inch-long ash?”
“Just about. No, I’m kidding. Not really. She was the business type. The class that thinks they’re better than everyone else. Her house cost upwards of a million dollars. She was entitled to a good lawn, I guess. We were landscaping this huge backyard. You should have seen the pool. I think it was bigger than my entire house.”
Chet winced. “I know that type. It’s funny, they’re the same whatever country you go to.”
The guy who was working behind the bar, a hulking middle-aged man with a shiny bald head and faded bluish tattoos on his arms that were obviously not done in any kind of shop, came around to ask Shane what he was drinking.
Shane grinned at the guy. “How’s it going, Phil?”
“Good, good. The same old. How about you?”
“Alright. Just got my ass yelled at by some prissy lady.”
“Sounds erotic.”
“So erotic I just about started lactating.”
The massive bartender, who was either ex-military, ex-biker gang, current biker gang or ex-wrestler, laughed like Shane’s absurd statement was the funniest thing he’d heard all day. If Chet was honest, it probably was the funniest thing he had heard all day. It was nice to see his little brother had a good sense of humor. He could see why Nina was friends with the guy. They probably found the same things funny. Chet pegged Nina for having one of those crass senses of humor and he knew he probably wasn’t wrong.
“Just a beer. Whatever you want to bring me is fine. And a poutine. Extra cheese and extra bacon?”
“As always. What about the mushrooms?”
“Yeah. Extra those too. Thanks, man.”
The burly guy, Phil, nodded. He turned his eyes to Chet. “Another whiskey for you?” The way he eyed Chet up said that the guy didn’t really trust people he didn’t know. Chet couldn’t really blame him. It was also obvious that the guy had no idea that he and Shane were brothers.
“No, I’m good. Just a pint of whatever my brother is having.”
Phil did a clear double take and Chet nearly laughed. He glanced over at Shane and Shane nodded slowly.
“That’s right. This guy over here is my older brother. Back from god knows where to do god knows what.”
Phil walked away, muttering something under his breath. Chet levelled a stare at Shane, who wasn’t smiling any longer.
“What was that about?”
“What?”
“What you said. You could have been… more polite.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know that I had to put on an act.”
“You consider common sense an act?”
Shane bristled. “I don’t know what I consider anything. I do know that you took my best friend out three nights ago and when I debriefed her about the date, she had this fucking look on her face that I didn’t like. Nina isn’t like other girls.”
“Why not.” Chet refused to be intimidated by the way his brother was getting his panties in a big knot about a date that had been completely innocent.
“She’s my best friend. That’s why. She’s not on the market. Catch my drift?”
“I think that’s more a blatant statement than a drift.”
“You’re real obnoxious, you know that?”
“I’ve been told a few times.”
“Nina was right. You are a bit of a dick.”
“She said that?” The hard wave of heat hitting him everywhere at once wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was that Shane was basically sitting there telling him that Nina was actually interested. Chet never would have guessed, from her cool attitude, that she was ruffled at all. She’d been so composed on the outside. On the inside, was she as off kilter as he was?
“I don’t know that she said it really. I could just tell.”
“And you could also tell that she was attracted to me. Or that she’s interested, apparently. Since you’re warning me to stay away from her.”
“Of course, I could tell. She was blushing. She never blushes.”
Well, that says a lot. Nina couldn’t stop blushing all night long. “So, from a blush you’re warning me to stay away from her? How do you even know that you aren’t reading her wrong?”
“She said she had eyes and you’re attractive.”
“Is that a crime? I signed a contract. A contract stating that this was business only. Did she also tell you that the reason I orchestrated the ‘dates’ was just so that I could get to know her because I want to paint her?” Liar. I am such a fucking liar.
“I don’t know what you want out of her or from her. I don’t know what you want, period. I don’t know you from a hole in the wall.”
“So that’s what this is really about. You’re bitter that I left home and left you to fend for yourself.”
“You can do what you want with your life, asshole. You could have checked in once in a while to make sure I was still alive.”
“I talked to mom all the time.”
“Twice a year on holidays isn’t all the time. You never asked to speak to me.”
“Because she always gave me updates. Communication is a two-way street. I thought if you wanted to contact me, you would have. I know that you follow my pages. There are message icons on there, you know, those little bubbles or the buttons that say ‘message.’”
Apparently, Shane didn’t like that. He clamped his lips together and his eyes left Chet’s face. They swept around the pub, just above Chet’s shoulder. He sighed. This wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Worst of all, Nina was going to be disappointed. And it mattered to him what she thought.
Of course, it mattered, the woman had been his inspiration and his muse for years. It wasn’t just that though. It went deeper than that. He’d never just seen someone before and knew that he had to meet them. That he wanted to know them. She’d captivated him in a way that no other woman had before. She’d held his singular, undivided attention for years. He knew, if he had half a shot in hell for some unspecified opportunity, a shot in the dark with Nina, who didn’t detest him as much as he thought she did, he had to be nice to his brother. It wasn’t just for her. It was for himself too.