The Better Brother

by Rye Hart

  Relief was an understatement at the time. Letting my little girl off to college without me there to guide and protect her was difficult. I made it my commitment over the years to raise Alyssa to be as self-dependent as possible, but it helped that Penny was there to help her navigate through potentially challenging situations in college life. They were now inseparable and coming back to Chicago on my private plane to stay for the entire winter break, so we could all celebrate Christmas together.

  I didn’t blink at Alyssa’s request to bring Penny back to Chicago to stay with us. The only bit of explanation Alyssa provided was a side comment: “Her mom’s been dating sleaze bags. She doesn’t want to deal with this new one.”

  Gary Marshall’s death had hit me hard. We’d been friends for a long time. From what I gathered through Alyssa, over the past several years, things hadn’t gone well for Nikki and Penny - especially since Nikki apparently adopted a bad taste in the men she spent time with.

  I learned that Penny made it a point to keep going forward with her life because that was what her father would’ve wanted her to do. That made me proud of her. A part of me wished I’d kept in touch with the girls when they announced their move from Chicago to New York. My concerns at the time were for Penny’s well-being. At least now I would have the chance spend time with her over the holiday break and see how she’s doing myself.

  “It’s a bit strange that Penny isn’t going home to her mother,” Maria interrupted my thoughts. “I can’t imagine Nikki letting her daughter come back to Chicago for Christmas without an argument.”

  “I’m not sure,” I said with a shrug. “I’m sure Penny has her reasons - not that it’s any of our business.”

  Maria waved an airy hand. “Yes of course. I’ve just been worried about Penny for a long time after she left. Her mother is the only family she has, and Mr. Marshall’s death shattered both their worlds.”

  “It hit everyone hard.”

  The rest of the morning ticked by slowly as I kept one eye trained on the clock above the fireplace. The airport was at least forty minutes away from my condo in downtown Chicago, and that was if traffic cooperated. An hour had passed since my private pilot texted to let me know they had landed safely at the airport. Both girls were getting into one of the SUV’s I had assigned my driver to pick them up in.

  All that apprehension melted away the moment the front door to the condo opened. The sound of laughter spilled into my home, followed by the heels of boots clicking down the marble hallway in the direction of the living room. I rose up from my chair with a full and bursting smile when Alyssa came into the living room.

  “Hi, Dad,” she said, rushing into my arms for a fierce hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

  I kissed the top of Alyssa’s cold head. I could feel the winter chill clinging to her clothes, and it was a stark contrast to working in front of a fireplace all morning.

  “Thank you for getting us a plane,” Alyssa continued, reaching up to undo the buttons of her jacket while I followed her out of the hallway to the foyer. “It was nuts trying to find a flight out before this winter storm. It’s a good thing your pilot knows how to fly in this crazy weather, too.”

  I smiled broadly down at Alyssa. “Well, he’d better be a good pilot, considering how much I pay him to get my precious cargo back and forth across the country.”

  “You don’t have to worry about his abilities. The man knows how to work a plane. That’s for sure. Speaking of that,” Alyssa arched a coy eyebrow at me. “Is he single? He’s kind of cute to be honest.”

  I shook my head at her in exasperation. Dating had been a very tender subject with Alyssa. Even as early on as when her mother, Michelle, and I found out we were having a little girl my dread began to grow. Prior to Michelle I was a complete ass with women. Womanizer would be putting it lightly, and the thought of my daughter meeting a guy like me someday all but made my skin crawl. I was determined to steer my little girl clear of those kinds of guys when the time came.

  Of course, I had also thought that I’d have the support of her mother behind me when it happened. Instead, Michelle hooked up with my ex-business partner, stolen my original research for my very first government contract, and split when Alyssa was nine.

  At first, I was reeling at the betrayal, but soon realized that we were both better off without her. When I looked back at Michelle, without the haze of love clouding my vision, I could clearly see the warning signs had been there from the beginning. She’d always wanted the most expensive clothes and jewelry, the newest and best of everything. In the end, she wanted money more than she wanted a family. As far as I was concerned, I got the way better end of the bargain in the divorce. She could have my ex-partner and best friend, my research - she could have it all, as long as I got Alyssa.

  So no, the thought of her dating anyone wasn’t particularly appealing to me.

  “Don’t even try,” I said. “He has a wife and two kids. Set your sights on someone else.”

  Alyssa pouted at me. “Fine. I will. Anyway, I’m sure you remember Penny Marshall.”

  “Hello, Mr. Bradley.” The young woman speaking took my breath away.

  The Penny Marshall I last remembered had been only four feet tall, with blonde curls and wide blue eyes full of innocence. Now the sexy woman squeezed into tight blue jeans that highlighted her killer curves and a tight, maroon-colored sweater that hugged her ample chest. Her blonde hair was long and thick as it swung about her shoulders. Freckles dotted her face as she turned to face us from where she had been studying a few photographs of Alyssa and me hanging on the wall near the door.

  An unexpected heat coursed straight through me at the sight of Penny gazing at me, with nerves sparkling in her blue eyes. She adjusted the hold on her purse, obviously sensing some form of tension we both shared in that moment.

  Fuck. What just happened?

  I tried to keep my composure against the guilt I felt brewing, for finding my former friend’s daughter hot as hell. She wasn’t the little girl I pictured her to be like before. That much was evident.

  “Good to see you, Penny,” I managed to say. “I barely recognize you. The last time I saw you was—”

  “After Dad died,” she finished for me with a small sad smile. “I know. It’s been a while since I’ve been back in Chicago. Thank you for letting me stay here with you for Christmas break. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re always welcome here,” I said. A frown graced my face then because I was burning with curiosity. I knew how close Nikki and Penny had been back then. “How is your mom doing these days? I haven’t heard from her in years.”

  “She’s fine,” Penny said. “She’s been running a modeling agency in New York, so she keeps busy all the time.”

  It was a neutral answer that didn’t reveal a damn thing about what brought Penny back to Chicago after years of staying away. I suspected Nikki had a lot to do with it. I let it go, though, as I turned to look at Alyssa.

  “Ok,” I said. “Come in. Get settled. Maybe we could have some lunch downtown later?”

  A smile brightened Alyssa’s face as she looked over to Penny. “That would be great, Dad. We can walk around a little bit, too. Do you have to work this week?”

  “I’ll be in the office a few days, but I blocked out my schedule for a majority of the time you’re home.” I leaned in to kiss Alyssa on the temple with a smile, and I wrapped an arm about her shoulders for a hug. “I can’t work with my baby girl home. Get unpacked, the both of you. You can show Penny where the guestroom is while I finish up a few things on my computer.”

  I caught Penny’s eyes in a lingering glance. That heat ignited again in the pit of my stomach, but I forced myself to walk in the direction of the living room. I smoothed a hand through my hair with a shaky breath.

  What the hell is wrong with me? This is Penny Marshall. My daughter’s best friend. The little girl that I used to play with for hours with Alyssa.

  I sat back down at my desk to c
heck through a couple of emails while the girls settled in. After thirty minutes, I rose from my desk while my laptop powered down for the weekend.

  The door to Alyssa’s bedroom was cracked open when I stopped in front of it. I reached up to knock on the door, but it was Penny’s voice that stopped me short.

  “Some women are into older men,” she was saying casually. “I mean, you know how many of our classmates have imagined having sex with one of the older professors at school?”

  I stiffened in surprise at the statement.

  “That’s because they are desperate for good grades,” Alyssa replied cynically. “It’s gross, Penny. Don’t even think about things like that.”

  “I’m not thinking about it. I’m just saying that not everybody likes dating the douchebag frat boys at our college, is all.”

  “Oh my God, yes. They are the worst—” Alyssa opened the door, and jumped in surprise to see me standing there. “Shit, Dad. I didn’t know you were standing right here.”

  She opened the door all the way to reveal Penny sitting on the edge of Alyssa’s bed. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink when our eyes met.

  “I was just seeing if you ladies were ready for lunch,” I said, clearing my throat. “Probably should get going before the snow really hits.”

  “Good idea,” Alyssa said. “Come on, Penny. Let’s go. I’m starving.”

  I held back to give them room in the hallway. Penny passed by me with a tentative smile tugging at her lips. The smell of vanilla lingered in the air when I inhaled deeply.

  I was in deep shit.

  CHAPTER TWO - PENNY

  I knew that coming back to Chicago would be tough, but I certainly didn’t expect to feel the dark tug of grief dragging down my heart. It had been years since the last time I even thought of coming back to Chicago for a visit, but when Alyssa offered a place to go away from my mom’s over winter break, visiting Chicago had jumped high on my list again.

  It never occurred to me that just being here would bring back those bitter memories, until I walked down the hallway in the direction of Alyssa’s condo that she shared with her father. The building itself hadn’t changed from how I last remembered it as a young girl, clutching my mother’s hand in fright while I watched our things being hauled away in moving trucks, never be seen again.

  “Life isn’t going to be the same. We’d better accept that now.” I remember her saying. Blood shot red eyes from tears of mourning - not only from the loss of her husband, but also the loss of life as we knew it.

  I didn’t realize it then, but our condo had been emptied out in an attempt to pay off my father’s debts at the time. That was when we moved to New York to live on the little money my mom had managed to keep while we made a living for ourselves there. We stayed in the basement of a five-family house in Queens, until we eventually managed to move to the city when mom’s modeling agency took off.

  It had been a strange twist of fate when I had run into Alyssa Bradley on campus years later. She was a nervous little freshman, needing directions around before we both realized who was who. Ever since then, I had latched myself onto a part of my childhood that had been a good part at least. Playing with the little girl down the hallway had been the highlight of my life for a long time as a kid.

  While the building had remained the same, thoroughly decorated for Christmas, there were a few things that had changed since I left as a child - Gabriel Bradley, for example.

  He stood tall and proud next to his daughter, with his dark hair smoothed back from his bearded face. His green eyes flashed happily from behind his black, square-framed glasses, while he listened to his daughter compliment the private pilot that he’d sent to retrieve us before the snowstorm. My heart rate increased as he turned to look over at me, standing nervously in the middle of the marble foyer while I waited for them to have their moment.

  I didn’t remember his muscular frame, but I’d never forgotten the strength he had in his arms when he would lift me up in the air as a kid. He approached me with a broad grin that showed off white and sparkly teeth, and his broad shoulders shifted beneath a dark green sweater.

  He asked me about my mom, and I gave him a perfunctory answer, revealing as little as possible. I didn’t want to spoil my vacation talking about her and why I had chosen not to spend the holidays with her in New York.

  A crooked, unreadable smirk curled up on his lips as his dark green eyes traveled slowly from my Jimmy Choo’s all the way up to my eyes. His gaze had a kind of intensity I never witnessed before. It was almost as if his eyes could touch me and I felt that touch everywhere. I felt it on my arms, legs, my neck, and especially, on my nipples and in between my thighs.

  For the first time in my life in a public setting, I felt moisture gather at my center and soak the thin fabric of my panties. Sure, I had been with boys in the past, but none of them had ever made me feel as hot and bothered as Gabriel that very moment.

  What the hell was my issue? Only a few minutes in and Gabriel already had the strongest effect on me. My cheeks warmed and flushed a bright red as I pressed my thighs together to find some relief. He offered to take us to lunch and let us walk around downtown, before telling Alyssa to show me to my room.

  Gabriel caught my eyes in a lingering glance before he turned to go back in the living room. I felt myself let out a pent-up breath. My heart was racing, too. I didn’t know what it was about him that unhinged me, but it had happened. I pushed away those thoughts for the meantime. I didn’t want to linger on any awkwardness since I planned on staying an entire two weeks.

  “This way,” Alyssa said, grabbing her duffle bag from the floor. “Let’s get unpacked so we can have some fun. No finals. No homework assignments.”

  “Speak for yourself,” I said, and followed her down another hallway in the direction of the guestroom. “I have my senior portfolio to hand in the day after we get back from break. My advisor doesn’t believe in vacation. He told me it’s good practice for the real world.”

  “Your advisor is a dick. Everyone around campus knows it, too.”

  I bit back a laugh because it was true. Mr. George, Mr. Grumpy as we all called him, had a notorious habit of making everyone’s lives a living hell. He was good at everything he did, though. He had known my father from years ago, so it had been a natural choice to pick him at the time to guide me through my last year of college.

  Alyssa pushed the guestroom door open with her booted foot. I stepped past her to take in the modest bedroom with large windows overlooking the entire city. Setting my duffle bag on the floor next to the queen-sized bed, I took in the fancy furniture and private bathroom with a smile.

  “Will this do your majesty?” Alyssa asked sweetly. “I know it’s been a long time since you’ve enjoyed some time in luxury.”

  I rolled my eyes, and she burst out into laughter. We walked together back down the hallway in the direction of Alyssa’s room. Gone were the obvious things that I remembered from my childhood—bright pink walls, Barbie dolls scattered everywhere, and a ridiculous amount of toys. Alyssa’s room was a simple room now, from her canopy bed, candles that covered her dresser, and a bookshelf filled with books.

  She tossed her bags down to the floor with a relieved groan. “I’m so ready for this break. Maybe my dad would cover the bill for a day at the spa? What do you think?”

  “Your dad’s famous for his algos predicting consumer behavior,” I said. “I’m sure you could retire from life right now and be just fine. Including your trips to the spa.”

  “Your mom works with models,” Alyssa said. “Not to nag on my dad, but that’s a lot cooler than his job. She makes a lot of money. You get clothes before they are even released, along with all the new makeup lines.”

  “It’s a dream come true,” I said sarcastically.

  I glanced down at my iPhone. A stab of guilt went through me at two missed calls from my mom already. I knew what a phone call would turn into, so I erased the missed calls with a sigh. The tru
th was, I wanted to be home for Christmas. It felt strange being around Alyssa and to be so close to my childhood, as well. I just couldn’t go home right now, not with the way things were between my mom and I. Not while he was in the picture.

  I sent her a quick text instead. We landed in Chicago. At Alyssa’s dad’s condo. Love you. I’m fine.

  Alyssa unzipped her suitcase to dump out a pile of dirty clothes. “Is your mom trying to get ahold of you?” Alyssa asked curiously.

  “Yes,” I said, and took a seat on the edge of Alyssa’s bed. “She’s upset that I decided to come to Chicago instead of home.”

  Alyssa frowned at me. “She still doesn’t want to believe that you’re uncomfortable with her boyfriend?”

  “No, I guess not. She has this incredible talent for thinking she can polish a turd and turn it into something sparkly and pretty. She hasn’t figured out yet that a turd is a turd no matter how much effort you put into it. Whatever, he probably won’t last long anyway. None of them ever do,” I said.

  “You think this one will be gone within a few months?”

  I shrugged my shoulders, even though a part of me desperately hoped so. After years of dating sleaze bags, I couldn’t wait for my mom to either just give up hope of finding love again, or find someone worth her time. Many men, younger men in particular, were attracted to my mother because of her fat wallet. They all thought that they could get something from her, or that she could make them a star. It was pathetic really.

  “Probably,” I said. “I think men are into dating older women like my mom because of her status and wealth. She’s become quite the socialite.”

  “So she’s just a means to an end for them?”

  “Unfortunately,” I replied, grimacing at the thought. “I mean, who knows? I guess they could be into her. Some women are into older men, too. I mean, you know how many of our classmates have imagined having sex with one of the older professors at school?”

  “That’s because they are desperate for good grades,” Alyssa replied, rolling her eyes. “It’s gross, Penny. Don’t even think about things like that.”