by Lindsey Hart
Nina shut her eyes tight. She prepared herself for the eruption of anger that she knew was coming. Beside her, she could feel it brewing. She could literally feel the heat radiating off Shane.
“What did you say?” He ground out. “You want to- to date my best friend?”
“Yes, that’s what I want.”
Nina knew at that point, that if they’d been in Shane’s house or hers, or even Chet’s hotel room, that some serious ass kicking would have gone down. She couldn’t look at Shane for fear of what she’d see, for fear she’d set him off, but she knew. She just knew that he was boiling.
“You think you can come here,” Shane ground out between clenched teeth. “You think you can come here and just- just like that, steal my best friend?”
“I’m not stealing anyone. Just because I want to date Nina doesn’t mean she can’t be friends with you.”
“Yes, it does.” Shane finally turned to her and she had to look at him. It broke her heart to see the betrayal in his eyes. She knew exactly how he’d feel. She knew that her own weak desires would ruin a friendship that had spanned two decades. She knew it, but she hadn’t been able to give Chet up. She’d clung to the hope, even before they talked, that somehow everything would work itself out and she wouldn’t lose either of them.
“No, it doesn’t. Come on, Shane. We’re not children here.”
“The one thing I asked in all of this whole crazy, stupid situation, was that it be professional only. I knew you were interested in Nina as soon as you suggested it. I knew you didn’t just want to paint her or whatever stupid excuse you had. I’m not going to let you walk all over her and hurt her and leave her. She’s my best friend. She’s like a sister to me and I’m going to protect her like one.”
“Shane…” Nina lowered her voice, aware that other people in the diner were turning around to look at them.
“What?” He whipped around. “What, Nina?”
“I’m a grown woman. I can make my own choices. As sweet of a gesture as it is, I don’t need you to look after me.”
“No?” Shane growled. “And what happens when my brother breaks your heart and I have to hate him for the rest of my life? What happens then? Huh, Nina? Do you want to be responsible for tearing my family apart right when it’s trying to come back together?”
“Shane.” Chet cut in. “That’s not fair to her. You can’t just assume that something will fail right from the start.”
“Oh, I know it will. All relationships eventually fail. And when this one does, it would be a giant mess. It would break mom’s heart just like dad leaving, just like you leaving. She can’t take one more thing. I’m not going to let this happen. If you care about us at all, about mom and me and even Nina, you’ll take your ass back to Europe and stay there.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Chet was far too calm, and it only fed Shane’s anger.
“Then if you don’t plan on leaving, at least stay the hell away from Nina. She’s never even had a serious boyfriend. I don’t know what you’ve said to her, but whatever it is, it’s easy to make her agree to it when she has no experience.”
“I’m right here,” Nina cut in dryly.
Shane turned to her. “Come on, Nina. This isn’t you. This isn’t you at all. You’ve always said you weren’t interested in guys or dating or any of that until it could be serious, until you had the time to dedicate to it. You didn’t see the point. Why now? Why my brother?”
She wished she had an answer. She couldn’t just blurt out that it was because the way she felt when she was with Chet wasn’t like any other feeling in the world. She couldn’t explain the sense of rightness or the magnetic attraction from the first moment she met him. She couldn’t explain what his touch did to her, how it unraveled her, how her life suddenly made sense when he was there with her. She couldn’t tell Shane that she wanted a future with Chet and that it was the first future with anyone at all that she’d dared to imagine.
She couldn’t tell him, but he must have known. Her eyes, as she knew they would, gave her away.
“You fucked him, didn’t you?” Shane’s eyes took on a terrible light. The light of sheer, uncontrolled rage. “You fucked my brother.”
CHAPTER 14
Nina
That saying about cutting the tension with a knife… it was pretty much right on. The silence surrounding their table was so thick it was oppressive. All the breath rushed out of Nina’s lungs. There were no words. No words to try and explain or rationalize, no hope that Shane would somehow magically understand.
“That’s enough Shane! Don’t use that tone with her. She’s done nothing wrong.”
Shane whirled on his brother. He pointed a harsh finger across the table. “Oh no. You don’t get to sit there and tell me what the fuck to do. You’re not my brother. Real brothers stick around. Real brothers don’t go for half their lives without ever speaking a word to each other. Real brothers don’t fuck each other’s best friends.”
“I am your brother,” Chet said calmly. His voice never wavered. His eyes remained steady, his face impassive.
Nina had no idea how he managed to stay so composed when she felt like breaking down and bawling right there at the table. She blinked back the scalding tears, knowing that they’d only make things worse. She knew it would spiral out of control and that Shane would lose his mind and his temper and thing would get ugly. She knew that someone was going to get hurt. Even if it didn’t end in a fistfight, she was tearing her best friend and a man she cared about far more than she should, brothers, apart.
“You’re not my brother if you’re with Nina. Decide, Nina. My brother, who is just going to leave you, leave like he always has, or me.”
“That’s unfair, Shane. Take a minute to think about this, man. Better yet, take a few nights. You’re not being rational right now.”
“Fuck you, Chet. I’m being completely rational. The fact that I haven’t jumped across this table and pounded you into the ground is being rational.”
“If that’s what it’s going to take to get through to you, then let’s go. Outside. You and me in the alley. We’ll settle this like brothers and we’ll get on with it. Leave Nina out of it. Don’t give her ultimatums. Don’t make her choose.”
“You’ve known her for a few days. I’ve known her for almost twenty years. She’s never going to choose you. I don’t have to go into the alley with you and kick your ass. I’d break your fucking hands and that would be the end of whatever shit career you think you have. You know, Chet, your art really isn’t that good. I know you think you’re some hot shot tattoo artist, but it’s not great. I’ve kept up with you and the only reason you have clients is because they’re hard up for artists in Europe. There are a million people better than you. Anyone could step in and take your place.”
“Then I have nothing to lose.”
“Oh, you have everything to lose.”
“Stop it!” Nina hissed. “Stop it both of you! I knew this would happen! I gave you my word, Shane, and I’m sorry that I broke it. I never should have had to make that promise. It’s not our business what I do with my body and my life. I thank you for trying to defend my honor, but I’m twenty-four years old. You’re not my father and you’re certainly not my brother. You’re my best friend and I love you to death, but you’re not my keeper. Saying things right now that you’re going to regret later isn’t going to help anyone.”
“Nina…” Shane started, but she cut him off.
“No. Let me finish.” She levelled Chet with a stare after. “And Chet, I have no idea what’s happening between us. I have no idea what the future holds. You’re the first person that has ever meant anything to me at all. I’m always going to hold that near my heart.” The tears started then, despite her best efforts to hold them back. “But I can’t tear your family apart. I knew this would happen. I had to come and be honest. I hope that counts for something. If you don’t want to be friends with me anymore, Shane, then I guess I’ll have to live
with that. I’m not choosing. I won’t choose you and I won’t choose Chet. You’re brothers. Not enemies. Brothers. This was supposed to be a fresh start for you and I’ve fucked it all up. It’s me that is the problem It’s me that is keeping you apart. I’m not going to be the reason you end up hating each other. Get your shit together. Both of you. Actually, I do choose. I choose both or none. I want you as my best friend, Shane, and Chet, I want you as- well… whatever we decide we want to be to each other. I want that more than anything in the world, but if it’s not possible, then I don’t want any of it.” She slid out of the booth and stormed up the aisle, face red with embarrassment at the stares she received and hot with the burning tears tracing down her cheeks.
“Nina wait!” Chet tried to call her back, but she didn’t turn.
She burst out the door and kept walking, walking fast and hard, not slowing her pace until she reached her car a block away. She realized she hadn't paid the meter when she arrived, she was so distracted by everything. She had a ticket tucked under the driver’s side windshield wiper.
“That’s just fucking perfect,” she muttered as she ripped it out.
She slid into her car and slammed the door shut. The ticket got tossed onto the passenger seat a moment later. She scrubbed her hands over her face then wiped them on her jeans to dry them. She took a few deep, steadying breaths before she decided that she was okay to drive. Her eyes remained dry and though her nerves were frayed, she felt better than she had when she got there. It was done and over with.
She’d given both Chet and Shane her own ultimatum. They had to figure things out on their own. Or not. She desperately wanted her best friend and she wanted Chet. She wanted to find out what all that feeling could turn into. If it would be anything at all. She wasn’t going to be a prisoner in her own life. She wasn’t going to walk through it powerless or like a wrecking ball.
Neither of them were being fair to her, Shane especially. She’d broken her promise, a promise it wasn’t his business asking her to make in the first place. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t considered that before. It was obvious in the diner, when her own anger took over.
Slowly, she pulled away from the parking spot and started the long haul into traffic. She was going to give her notice, find a new apartment. Even if it was crappier than her current shit accommodation, she was going to find one that would allow dogs. She wasn’t giving up on her puppy. Even if she wasn’t going to live with Shane anymore, even if he didn’t give her a cent of that money, even if the whole damn thing had blown up in her face, she was going to take care of herself. She always had and she always would.
She was strong. At least, she tried to tell herself she was. She’d save the rest of her tears for her apartment, where it was safe to cry. She had to hope. Hope that Shane would come to his senses. Hope that Chet wouldn’t up and leave like he was used to doing. Hope that somehow, someway, the entire mess could be worked out when tempers cooled and hurt faded and everyone saw sense.
To top it off, their favorite diner was now ruined. She’d never go back there, not after that conversation and the people who stared. Some of them were regulars. She’d have to find a new spot. Or not. Without Shane, her best friend, her ice cream buddy, the guy who always set her straight, called her on her bullshit, wiped her tears when she needed it and cracked crass jokes to make her laugh, without him, she didn’t need a spot.
CHAPTER 15
Chet
A knock at the motel’s exterior door woke Chet from a deep sleep. He shook off the hazy fog that clung to his brain as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. The knock came again and something wild and irrational jumped inside of his chest.
Nina? He hadn’t heard from her since the day at the diner over a week ago. She’d stormed out, angry and disgusted with both of them, as she had every right to be. He’d tried texting her a few times, but after he didn’t receive a response, he took the hint and stopped. She obviously didn’t want to talk, and he wasn’t going to pressure her into it. There was nothing more he wanted than to apologize. She’d told him. She knew Shane and he didn’t. He felt like he’d driven a wedge right into their friendship, all because he saw a few photos of her and liked them over the years.
The knock sounded again, and this time Charlotte perked her head up from the end of the bed. She was an easy going dog, certainly not the world’s best watch dog, but she was a great companion and that was what truly mattered to Chet.
Charlotte let out a low, deep growl. The black hair on the back of her neck behind and under her collar ruffled up.
Maybe she’s a better guard dog than I thought. Just because she wasn’t given to annoying fits of barking didn’t mean that she couldn’t protect him. They’d bonded instantly, the connection between them as deep and loving as if they’d known each other their entire lives.
Kind of like how it was with Nina. He didn’t know how he just knew, but he did. He knew that she was special. She had the power to change him, to make him stay, maybe even to make him fall in love, something he’d never even considered for his life. With her, he wanted it. He wanted a future with an ache so deep it bit right into his bones.
“Chet? I know you’re in there. Your rental is parked out below. Open the damn door, will you?” Shane’s voice drifted through the door, or maybe it was the window right beside it that Chet left open when he’d crashed after a microwave dinner and a re-run movie he’d seen at least twenty times before.
Chet hedged. Charlotte growled again and let out a deep woof that vibrated through the walls of the small room. It was the first time she’d bothered to bark at all. He put a gentle hand on her soft, sweet, warm head to soothe her. While the extended stay allowed pets, they’d been adamant that too much barking would get them booted. He gave her a few pets.
“It’s okay, darling. Nothing wrong out there.” He hoped it was true, that Shane hadn’t come to kick his ass.
The pounding on the door started up again. He slammed his eyes closed. If he was going to stay in Houston, and he had no plans on leaving, he was going to have to face his brother sooner or later. He wanted to face him. Mending the relationship with his family was a huge part of the reason he was even there in Houston.
Finally, Chet forced his feet to take him over to the door. He threw it open and Shane paused, fist raised, ready to strike the door again. Or maybe ready to strike something else. Like Chet’s face. Or maybe he was going more for the low blow to the stomach.
“What were you doing in there? I’ve been standing out there forever,” Shane mumbled irritably. He was dressed the same as always, jeans, a t-shirt, ball cap on backwards, long blonde hair spilling out from either side. Irritation flashed across his face, but the outright rage Chet saw the last time they’d been together, was gone.
“Sorry. You caught me having a nap.”
Shane peered inside. One sandy brow rose in question. “Long day then? It must be exhausting doing nothing.”
Chet refused to rise to the bait. “I was doing enough. Must have been the turkey dinner that did me in.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Come in, if you want. I can offer a cold beer and that’s about it.”
“As long as it’s not whiskey, I’m in.”
“Really?” He hadn’t actually meant to voice that thought out loud.
“I guess so. Unless you want to stand on your doorstep and talk about personal shit for the rest of the world to hear.”
Chet left the door open. He turned, rolling his eyes when Shane couldn’t see it. His brother, he learned, could be pretty obnoxious when he wanted to be.
“Nice dog.”
Charlotte growled again, a menacing growl. Shane ignored it and stepped into the room. When he shut the door, Charlotte moved slowly off the bed, eying him up.
Chet wasn’t actually sure what his new dog would do to a stranger. He hadn’t had anyone come bothering him at the hotel since he’d got her. He walked over and set a hand on her back. She wagged her tail,
turned and licked his palm.
“That’s a good girl. Can you lay down?”
She obeyed, flopping down on the floor. She set her massive, heart shaped head on her paws and watched Shane with wary, velvet brown eyes.
“I really mean it. She’s a pretty thing.” He frowned as he stepped further into the room. There was a beat-up small table and chairs set, a round blonde piece that was scarred with countless rings from beer bottles and glasses being placed directly on the surface in the past. Two mismatched wood chairs completed the piece of shit package deal.
Shane pulled out one of the chairs and sunk down. Chet waited for his brother to say something. When he didn’t, he walked across the small room and produced two cold beer out of the bar fridge. The room wasn’t spectacular. It wasn’t anything more than a regular motel room. A bed on one side, a night stand, across the room from that, an ancient desk with an ugly nineties lamp complete with a stained pink shade and the token hotel phone. To the left of the desk was a bar fridge tucked into the bottom of a cart that had a microwave on top. There was a bathroom a few feet off to the right, but that was it. In some countries he had been to, this much would be considered a luxury.
His brother didn’t thank Chet for the beer, but then again, he didn’t expect the guy to. He was amazed that Shane was there at all. It seemed like he’d come to talk or parlay or bargain or tell him to get the hell out of town. He hadn’t come to fight else he probably would have just jumped right into it.
“So why are you here anyway?” Chet pulled out the other chair and sat down heavily. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the tabletop like he always did, but he caught himself and pulled back. This wasn’t going to be a casual conversation.
Shane popped the tab on his beer and took a long pull. The can was a tall one, but still, his brother pounded at least half of it back on the first go. Chet couldn’t help but be a little impressed. He hadn’t had much practice himself. He wasn’t usually a beer drinker.