My Best Friend's Brother (Hometown Heroes Book 3)

by G. L. Snodgrass

She laughed.

  “Hey, don’t mock it, they work.”

  She smiled as she hugged my arm and leaned her head against my shoulder.

  I pulled into the next gas station and lowered my window so I could talk to her. That was how bad it had gotten. I couldn’t stand the idea of a pain of glass separating us. After I got the gas going, I leaned on the door and smiled at her.

  She smiled back, but there was a sadness behind her eyes that pulled at me.

  The two of us held each other’s stare for a long moment when another car pulled into the pump behind me.

  I ignored them until I heard someone call out, “Prescott.” My stomach dropped when I saw Willie Dawson and his two older brothers climb out of their beat-up Trans Am.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Amy

  As soon as I saw Willie Dawson my stomach clenched in fear. I watched as Luke’s body tightened up. He went from lovable big teddy bear to full on panther mode in the blink of an eye. His hands tightened into fists, his shoulders set as he stood up to his full height. His eyes narrowed and every muscle became focused on his adversary.

  Turning. He faced the three other men approaching. His eyes narrowed but otherwise, he acted calm. Serious, but calm. How did he do that? I wondered. It seemed the more tense things became the calmer he became.

  “Dawson,” he said with a tip of his head as way of greeting. The two older Dawsons looked like a cross between apes and hyenas. All muscle and no brains. The kind of people who thought tearing the wings off of flies was a mental challenge.

  “So, you’re the one who doesn’t want to help,” one of the brothers said to Luke.

  My brow narrowed in confusion. What were they talking about. Why was Luke mixed up with this scum? Luke Ignored them as he finished gassing up the truck and put the handle back onto the pump.

  Once it was safely secured, he turned to face them.

  My heart raced. The testosterone flying through the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Just like that, four full-grown men were standing off against each other and it was three against one.

  Without thinking, I unbuckled my belt and started to slide across to the driver side door so I could stand with Luke. Nothing was going to hurt him. I would die first.

  Luke saw me and frowned at me. Shaking his head and shooting me an angry look for me to stay out of it. This was a different Luke. He looked like he’d bite my head off if I didn’t do what he told me.

  An anger flared inside of me. How dare he tell me what to do. Especially with something this important. But before I could get out, he leaned up against the door and folded his arms across his chest. Blocking me in and pretending like he wasn’t worried.

  “Is that Jensen,” Willie said, obviously referring to me. The muscles of Luke’s jaw twitched and I knew he was getting angrier and angrier every second. For the first time, I became very worried that there was going to be a fight and Luke was going to get thrown back in jail.

  Once again, my world was ending. We so didn’t need this.

  Luke ignored Willie and turned slightly so he could talk to the older of the brothers. “Like I told Willie, I’m not helping. And if he had any sense, he’d be smart enough not to push me. Especially after what happened last time.”

  The older brother frowned as he glanced back at his younger brother. Willie’s face lost some of its color as he glanced down at his feet.

  “What does he mean?” the older brother asked.

  Willie shrugged his shoulders. Luke snorted and shook his head. “Typical. You didn’t even tell them the truth, did you.”

  Even more color drained from Willie’s face.

  The older brother raised an eyebrow asking for details. Luke sighed heavily. “That night, your brother was the one driving. Not me. I went along with him when he hotwired the car. That was my piss poor judgment. My fault for being an idiot. But the thing to remember is that the cops offered to let me go if I turned him in.”

  The older brother glanced at his younger brother and stared at him like he was a bug.

  “This true? You were the one driving?”

  Willie shrugged his shoulders.

  “You idiot,” the older brother said. “The statute of limitations doesn’t run out for another four years.”

  “So,” Willie snapped.

  “So, shit for brains,” the other brother said, “all he has to do is walk into the sheriff’s office and you’re in jail for the next ten years. The sheriff has a hard-on for us Dawsons. You know that. You were old enough at the time, they’d charge you as an adult.”

  The two older brothers shook their head, obviously more concerned about what Willie knew about the family business than worried about him spending time behind bars.

  “Come on idiot,” the younger brother said as he cuffed Willie upside the head. “Get in the car.”

  Willie winced from the slap then stared at Luke like he wanted to kill him. I mean literally. If any person had ever wanted to destroy another, it was Willie Dawson.

  Luke didn’t change as he calmly returned the boy’s stare. Silently letting him know that if he wanted to try, he was more than welcome.

  For a long second, the two of them held their ground. My stomach churned with worry as I held my breath, waiting for the night to explode into violence.

  At last, the younger brother grabbed Willie’s arm and shoved him towards the car.

  As they tore out of the gas station in a cloud of dust and spinning tires, Luke’s shoulders relaxed and I realized just how worried he had been.

  Once their red tail lights were out of sight, Luke turned and smiled at me.

  “I wonder what else can go wrong tonight?”

  I laughed. What else could I do?

  Luke climbed into the truck and turned it on, all without acting like he had almost just gotten into a major fight. I would have been shaking with adrenaline. But he acted as if he’d just had a bag of Doritos for lunch.

  “What was that all about?” I asked, knowing I was sticking my nose in his business but tough. He was going to have to get used to it.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “They wanted me to introduce them to some of my friends, guys I knew from before. You know?”

  My brow narrowed in confusion until I figured it out. “You mean criminals? Other drug dealers?”

  Luke nodded without taking his eyes off the road. His cheeks grew a little pink and I knew he was embarrassed about having been associated with those kind of people. My heart went out to him as I realize that the shame would follow him for the rest of his life.

  “Why didn’t you turn in Willie?” I asked, desperate to understand. “I mean if it would have lowered your sentence and he was driving.”

  Luke frowned at me then looked back at the road as he shrugged his shoulders. “I was just as guilty. It just seemed wrong for some reason. I know, probably not the smart move, but hey, I’ve never claimed to be super smart.”

  My heart lurched as it filled with love. I think he was an idiot for not telling the police the truth, but I understood the young man who had held to his principles. I was sure his family and the state were demanding and pressing him but he had held firm with what he believed.

  What he believed was stupid, but he had been willing to pay the price.

  As I laid my head on his shoulder, I wondered about this man next to me. The depth and layers were so complex. Would I ever fully understand him? Could I?

  The two of us sat there in our own world, beset by stress and worry from every side, but I felt it pull us even closer together. Jenny might hate me, Willie Dawson wanted to destroy Luke, and my father was freaked out that I was going to ruin my life.

  But I didn’t care. Not really, not as long as Luke and I were together, then nothing else really mattered. It was a nice, grown up feeling. As if my soul had been designed to be this way.

  As he pulled up in front of my house, he put the truck in park and turned off the engine.

  “So, can I sh
ow a girl a good time or what?” he said with that silly smirk. My heart melted as I reached up and pulled him down so I could kiss him.

  That wonderful feeling of rightness filled me and I knew we would figure it out somehow.

  We kissed and explored until he pulled back.

  “I better get you inside before your dad comes looking for me. We’ve had enough drama for the night.”

  I sighed heavily. He was right but that didn’t mean I had to enjoy it.

  “Will you call me later to let me know what Jenny says?”

  He laughed and assured me he would. We kissed again but then forced ourselves to leave the warm cocoon of his truck and slowly walk across the front lawn.

  When we got to my door Luke pulled me into his arms and let me rest there, warm, safe, secure in the knowledge that we were still us. Still in love. I let myself fill with joy and held on for dear life.

  Finally, we both sighed heavily and kissed goodnight, promising to talk later on the phone. I reluctantly turned and stepped inside.

  As soon as I clicked the door closed behind me, I remembered the words Luke had spoken earlier. ‘I wonder what else could go wrong tonight.’ The boy could be a fortune teller.

  Sitting at the dining room table with my dad, was my long-lost mother.

  My stomach clenched as if I’d been punched in the gut. I so didn’t need this now, was my first thought. Not, oh how wonderful to see my mother again. Not, she looks good, healthy. Not even a hint of the long-buried anger.

  Nope, all I could think was I so didn’t need this now.

  “Mother,” I said with a coldness that shocked her a little. Dad frowned at me, obviously disappointed but at the moment I didn’t really care.

  “Amy, you look so grown up,” she said with a large smile.

  I shrugged my shoulders as I turned and started up the stairs. All the while biting back a tear.

  “Amy,” Dad called.

  I stopped for a moment and studied them both. I didn’t really know these people. They weren’t just my parents. They were their own individual selves I realized. Leading their own lives. Not planets circling my sun. I didn’t blame them. Not really. But their opinion was not so critical. I would not survive or thrive depending upon what they thought.

  The realization was a freeing moment. A turning point.

  “It’s been a long night,” I said. “I’ll talk to you guys in the morning.

  Both of them looked at me as if I was some strange person they had never met before. But really, I just didn’t care at the moment. I felt like a wrung out dish rag. Twisted and tight. The last thing I wanted to do was hash out family issues. I had more than enough of my own crap to figure out.

  After I had dressed in my flannel PJ’s, I grabbed my favorite stuffed rabbit from its place of pride on the foot of my bed and crawled under the blankets. Only when I had settled into my place did I let the tears flow.

  How would Luke and I ever be able to maneuver the rapids and whirlpools of life if everyone was against us?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Luke

  My house was like a minefield. The wrong move and I’d be blown to bits.

  I stepped in and every nerve in my body went to full alert. Mom and Grandma stood there with their arms folded as they stared daggers into my soul. Even Nellie glanced at me as if I had really screwed up this time. I swear the dog shook her head in disappointment as she walked away.

  “What?” I demanded of my mom. I knew perfectly well what they were upset about but I was starting to get angry with the whole idea of everyone questioning my judgment. I will admit it hadn’t always been the best. But in this instance, I knew I was right.

  “How could you?” Grandma said with a shake of her head. Mom nodded, obviously upset with me that I had hurt Jenny.

  I shook my head and looked at Mom, “If it had been Dad, would you have let anyone tell you to ignore the love between you?”

  Her jaw dropped as the realization hit home.

  “No, I didn’t think so,” I said as I pushed past her and Grandma.

  Both of them turned to follow me but I knew that I’d pushed home a killer point and there wasn’t much they could say about it.

  When I got to Jenny’s door, I knocked and said, “Jenny, it's me.”

  “Go away,” she yelled and I knew her jaw was clenched as tight as a bank safe.

  “Grow up,” I said as I opened her door and stepped in.

  She sat up in bed and stared at me like she wanted to strangle me with piano wire. Preferably long and hard.

  I stared back at her. This was my sister, the one person who had stood with me when every other person on the planet thought I was lower than dirt. The one person who had loved me unconditionally. And I had ruined it.

  Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down before we said something either of us would regret for the rest of our lives.

  “Don’t blame Amy,” I said. “This is all my fault.”

  Her eyes grew narrow, “What? You forced her to fall in love with you?”

  I laughed sarcastically, “No of course not. It’s just that I am so perfect she couldn’t help herself.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes but I saw her lips almost crack into a smile.

  “How could you guys do this to me?” she said and my insides relaxed just a little, she was moving beyond the accusations and hate to the need to understand. It was progress.

  “We didn’t do this to you. In all honesty, the last thing either of us would ever want to do was hurt you. We actually pushed it away. Denied the truth. But eventually. Sometimes things just overwhelm a person and there is no denying the truth.”

  Her eyes softened just a little. She was a girl. The idea of soul mates and undeniable love was supposed to be what they wanted. A good romance story was too hard to ignore.

  “What I don’t understand?” she said with a shake of her head, “is , what does she see in you? I mean, come on.”

  I laughed, “Believe me, I wonder the same thing about two dozen times a day. But she does. And as for what I see in her. Come on, this is Amy Jensen. Can you think of any better person in the world for me to fall in love with? It shows I have some sense, and you know what kind of person she is. There is no one sweeter and kinder on this planet.”

  Jenny nodded just a little. I could see it working in the back of her mind. She cared about both Amy and me. Deep down, she didn’t want either one of us to get hurt.

  “You can hate me,” I continued, “but don’t hate Amy. She doesn’t deserve it.”

  “I don’t hate you,” Jenny said with a heavy sigh. “I just don’t understand.”

  I laughed. “Well, when you figure it out, let me know. In the meantime, please don’t be mean to Amy. Because I will have to take her side and that will ruin you and me, and the last thing I want to do is tear this family apart.”

  “See, that’s the problem,” she said. “You will take her side and she will take yours. That right there is the whole reason why this is wrong.”

  I could see the anger building again. Her face had taken on that blotchy red appearance it got when she was about to attack. And one thing I had learned was that I did not want to be on the receiving end of a Jenny Prescot attack.

  “Not always,” I said. “Like that whole Chip thing.”

  “What Chip thing?”

  “You know. I was going to morph into offended Big Brother. It was my job to scare Chip away. That macho stuff that says my little sister is too good for any guy. Amy was the one who talked me out of it. Who pointed out how I should be happy that it was Chip and not some guy like Willie Dawson.”

  Jenny shuddered as I mentioned Willie then her brow narrowed as she processed what I had said about Amy.

  “See, maybe there might be a benefit to having Amy as my girlfriend. You two can work together to keep me on a straight course.” I knew I was speaking crap but if it worked then fine.

  She continued to frown then slowly shook her h
ead. “That doesn’t excuse you guys keeping it from me.”

  I nodded slowly. “Okay, does that mean you’re going to tell me everything about you and Chip?”

  Suddenly, her cheeks grew red again, this time with an embarrassed blush.

  “Thought so,” I said as I turned to leave. “You’re going to have to deal with Amy and me. You can be mad and hate us both. But it isn’t going to change anything. So, you might as well get over it. The sooner you do the sooner we can all enjoy life again. Think about it,” I said over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me.

  I wondered what she would do. Like I said, it didn’t matter in the long run. But I hoped she wised up soon so I could put this drama behind me.

  .o0o.

  Amy

  Mom was pouring herself a cup of coffee when I walked into the kitchen. She was dressed in an old set of silk pajamas. I remembered her wearing them the last Christmas we spent together three years earlier. Had dad kept them when we moved or had she kept them all this time. They seemed sort of out of place for a commune.

  Where did she sleep last night I wondered? No, my father wasn’t that dumb. She had stayed in the guest room. My stomach churned as a dozen different feeling flowed through me, fighting for dominance. Anger won.

  “So, how long are you staying?” I asked as I took the coffee pot from its holder to pour my own cup.

  She flinched at the roughness of my question then her eyebrows rose when she realized I was now drinking coffee. I lifted the cup, silently saluting her, letting her know that a lot of things had changed in the last two years.

  Taking that first sip I let the warm tonic of life fill me enough so that I could face the day.

  “I don’t know for sure, Christmas at least, maybe through New Year’s.”

  “What? Your boyfriend doesn’t mind you being gone that long? I thought those cults kept tight tabs on their people.”

  Her shoulders slumped as she realized I was no longer a nice person, especially when it came to her. My stomach turned over with guilt but still, my anger held the highest position. I knew I was wrong, but I also knew I couldn’t make it go away just by wishing it so.