by Lynn VanDorn
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Um, mutual homicide. I think they'll refrain, though, for our sakes if nothing else. Josh, thanks for doing this. Really. You are a literal lifesaver.”
“I'm just volunteering to be your brother’s roommate, more or less. Probably more, but it's not that much different than when I let you be my roommate when U of C screwed up your dorm assignment. If I can survive living with you, I'm sure I can handle Tyler.”
“You know, I wasn't that bad of a roommate.”
“Three words,” Josh said. “Water balloon incident.”
“Oh. Yeah. Well, I guess you've got me there,” he said with a snicker. “Maybe I am a tough act to follow. At least I never tried to kiss you.”
“All things considered, that's a relief. I'm not sure I want a Chadwick trifecta. That, and I'm pretty sure my sister would murder us both.”
“Who do you think she'd kill first?”
“You. She’d save me for last because I'm family.”
Brad was silent for a while then said, “I hope we don't come back to find she's dumped Tyler’s body in the lake.”
“Nah,” Josh said. “He's safe, at least until he hands over the money. She's got her priorities.”
“That she does,” said Brad, sounding fond of his fiancée despite all her mercenary and potential homicidal glory. That was love for you. Good luck making any sense of it.
Chapter 9
Rachel Speaks Her Mind
Saturday, September 17th, 8: 37 a.m.
Back and forth between the Chadwicks’ lake house and an unnecessarily large rental house
Blue Lake, WI
“Grab your cat,” Rachel said as soon as Brad and Josh were safely out of her way. “You and I need to talk.”
Tyler looked at her and raised an imperious eyebrow. She'd seen the same look on Ryan’s face at the firm when he felt someone was overstepping his or her bounds. It was the sort of thing that his—likely aristocratic—ancestors had used to quell peasants on their vast estates back in England or wherever. It didn't work on her when Ryan tried to use it, and it didn't work on her when his shrimpy brother tried it, either.
“Great,” he said. “I can't wait.” Sarcasm and condescension radiated off him, but he did go get his cat and put it inside the carrier for her.
Rachel grabbed it and set off for the house Josh had rented, figuring Tyler would follow his cat, if not her, and she wasn't wrong. He caught up with her on the patio.
“So, is this the point when you ask if my intentions toward your brother are honorable?” he asked.
“Depends on what you mean by intentions,” Rachel said.
“Let me rephrase, then,” said Tyler. “Are you worried about your brother's virtue?”
Rachel glanced at Tyler and snorted in disbelief. “His virtue? You're joking, right?”
Tyler shrugged. “What do you think?”
Rachel shifted the carrier to her other hand. “I don't know what to think,” she said, “which is why I'm going to try and shake you until something satisfactory rattles loose.”
Tyler eyed her. “Not literally, I assume.”
“Hopefully it won't come to that.” Rachel gave Tyler a bright smile.
Tyler gave her back an unimpressed expression. “Stop trying to intimidate me,” he said. “Scarier people than you have already tried and failed.”
“Ditto,” she said. “You’re nothing but a little baby snake. I used to work for your father, don't forget. You aren't nearly the bastard he was.”
“Is, not was,” Tyler said. “He's retired, not dead.”
They were almost to the rental and he walked a little faster so he could get to the door before she could. He opened it and held it for her. “Not a fan of my father, I take it?”
“Not even a little,” Rachel said, putting the cat’s carrier down on the floor.
“We have that in common, at least. Just leave him in the carrier. He'll yowl, but that's normal. I can't let him out until we've got his litter box set up or he'll go and pee on one of the beds just for spite.”
“Lovely,” Rachel said, and followed Tyler out of the house.
“What are you worried about?” Tyler asked. “Since I'm just a little baby snake. I hope I'm something venomous.”
“Of course, you are.” Baby snakes still have fangs. “Tyler, I'm worried that Josh is going to get fucked over by yet another Chadwick. He doesn't have a good history when it comes to your family.”
“He and Brad seem to get along.”
“Yeah, because Brad doesn't want to have sex with him.”
Tyler was quiet. Dammit. That's what she thought. It would've been nice to be wrong.
“This is a weird conversation,” Tyler said. “Have I mentioned how weird this is? Because it's really fucking weird.”
They reached his family’s house and he stomped inside, snagging Oliver’s water and food dishes. “The litter box and litter are in the back bathroom,” he said, pointing. When Rachel came out a few minutes later balancing the bag of litter on top of the tray, she saw he had gotten a bag of presumably cat stuff together and was holding it.
“This is heavy,” she said.
“Be grateful I had Brad scoop it this morning.” Tyler indicated his stitches. “I'd help you carry it, but Brad will have a fit if I tear these.”
“No,” she said. “I've got it. I'm stronger than I look. I'm probably stronger than you.” Rachel ignored his huff of disbelief as she lifted the pan higher to get a more secure grip on it. Tyler held the door for her as they left the house.
They didn't talk this time as they walked to the rental. Tyler seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and Rachel found that carrying a litter box and forty pounds of cat litter left very little breath for speaking. She was out of shape. Josh was always nagging at her to exercise and she always ignored him. Rachel was glad he wasn't here to witness this, because he would be full of smug and retaliation would be necessary.
Rachel panted a little and shifted the litter and litter box in her arms. “God, this is heavy,” she bitched, realizing she was repeating herself.
“I thought you were stronger than you looked, Xena.”
“Just get the door,” she said.
Tyler gave her a snappy salute and held the door open. Rachel set the pan and litter down with a grunt of relief while Tyler let his cat out and filled the food and water dishes.
“Are we done?” Tyler asked. “I'd really like to take a nap now.”
“No, we're not done,” Rachel said.
Josh was her older brother, but there were times when it felt like she was five years older than him, rather than the other way around. In many ways, it was like he was in a sort of emotional perpetual holding pattern that had frozen fifteen years ago when he and Ryan parted ways. Throwing him and Tyler together felt wrong, like letting your dumbass roommate’s pet baby cobra play with your huge but clueless black lab. Things were not going to go well for anyone involved.
Tyler had that eyebrow of his raised again, waiting for the lowly peon to get to the point.
“Come on,” she said. “Let's go sit on the porch and talk.”
Tyler made an “after you” gesture. Rachel took a seat on a small couch that let her look at the lake and was a bit surprised when Tyler sat next to her.
“I've been here before,” Tyler said.
“Been where?”
“Here,” he replied, giving her a look like he doubted her intelligence. “This house.”
“Oh. When?”
Tyler shook his head. “When I was a kid. I think my parents were friends with the people who used to own it. Maybe they still own it.” He gave a little shrug. “Most of the houses on this side of the lake were built by people my parents knew. They used to call it the North North Shore.” Tyler let out an unamused laugh. “Brad played with most of their kids. And Ryan had Josh, of course.”
What about you? Who did you have? she wondered, but didn'
t ask. Instead she just said a very noncommittal, “Of course.”
“I've always rather liked you,” he said, surprising her again. “Or approved of you, I guess. You're good for Brad. Good with him. He's lucky to have you.” The last sentence sounded almost wistful, but maybe that was her imagination. She was starting to feel bad for Tyler, and she didn't want to.
“I… thank you,” Rachel said. “I always thought you were a spoiled, attention-seeking brat.” Tyler gave her a look that was equal parts anger and resignation, so she hastened to add, “I'm sorry, Tyler. I was wrong. About a lot of things, as it turns out. I want to apologize to you for assuming that about you, well, except for the brat bit. I think that one’s accurate.”
“I love you, too,” Tyler said. “Bitch.”
“Okay, fine, I deserved that. You know, Brad should have told me the truth about you a long time ago, but he's as protective of his brothers as I am of mine.” Rachel gave Tyler a wan smile. “But I wish I'd known, because I tend to think the worst about people. Dealing with money and lawyers all day is part of it, maybe, but I think that's just how I am. I see the worst in people before I think to look for their best. But my brother, Josh, he's not like that.”
Tyler gave her a noncommittal grunt.
Rachel decided to take a different tack. “You know he's a dermatologist, right?”
“I am aware,” Tyler said, and smiled at her. Even knowing Tyler was gay, even being thoroughly in love with his brother, Rachel reacted to that smile, her heart tripping in her chest. She had to pause a second to gather her wits about her. If Tyler ever used that smile on Josh he'd be toast.
“Dermatology wasn’t his first choice. Josh wanted to specialize in pediatric plastic surgery. In the abstract, he found it fascinating. He was halfway through his residency when he had to stop. Not because he couldn't do it. He was an excellent surgeon. He had to stop because of the toll it was taking on his health. He couldn't detach himself enough from his patients’ trauma. It was so much more than birth defect repairs. It was burns and mutilations and—”
“I get it,” Tyler said. “Trust me. I get it.”
“He had stomach problems. Lost a lot of weight. He started compulsively cleaning things, which we didn't find out about until later. He did a pretty good job of hiding what was going on for months by avoiding me and my parents and what few friends he has.”
“What about Brad?”
That made Rachel smile, but it was bitter. “He’d moved in with me by that point, and that year I monopolized his time. It made it even easier for Josh to avoid scrutiny, since two of the people most likely to notice were pretty much oblivious to everything at the time. Anyway, Josh went to work and the gym and played video games. Then one day in the middle of a surgery he was assisting, he started vomiting blood. He spent that night in the ICU as a patient. That's when we found out all this was going on.” Rachel realized she had her fists clenched and relaxed them. “It was decided that it was in his best interests not to pursue plastic surgery at all. I think it was pediatrics that was the problem, but he and his advisor and the hospital all agreed that he needed something less stressful, so he took some time off until his health recovered, then he switched to a more general dermatology residency. It must've worked because he got better, but he still has the cleaning thing, which is mostly under control. I think he's got it under control, anyway.”
“Okay,” Tyler said. “So, he's fragile. Don't break him. Check.”
“You know,” Rachel said, beginning to lose what little patience she had, “I figured not breaking my brother was kind of a given. He's a person, not a toy.”
Tyler’s face went glacially haughty. “I'll make sure to put him on a shelf and only bring him down for special occasions.”
“Dammit, Tyler, just… please stop. I am trying to…” Rachel should not have tried to tap dance around what she wanted to say. She'd attempted to be diplomatic, even subtle, and that had been dumb. She wasn’t good at subtle, and she suspected her pathetic attempts at it were wasted on Tyler. It would have been better to just say what she meant in the first place. “I'm trying to protect him, since he's not good at protecting himself. I'm worried about him. You, Tyler, worry me. A lot.”
“What if I promise to play with him really carefully?“ Tyler gave her a look of poisonous irritation.
Rachel forced herself not to react. “Josh has a hero complex,” she said. “He's going to want to save you.”
“Fuck that,” Tyler snapped.
“I know,” she said patiently. “Brad already warned me this was going to be a problem after Josh called us, all panicked because of you. My brother has a hero complex and you … well, in Brad’s words, are a resentful and ungrateful shit who hates being rescued even when he needs it.”
“Right.” Tyler spoke through a clenched jaw, and Rachel wondered if maybe she shouldn't have repeated that. Oh, well. Too late now.
“I'm just warning you ahead of time,” Rachel said. “That’s how he is.”
“I'm not some princess in a fucking tower.” Rachel could tell from Tyler's tone that she'd hit a nerve. Great. Just great.
“I didn't say you were.” She made her voice as placating as she could.
“What else?” Tyler snapped. “I can tell there's more.”
“He supposedly came out here to get over your brother,” Rachel said. Tyler gave her a skeptical look. “I know, I know. I don't get it, either. I don't understand thing one about him and Ryan and why he can't seem to let go. I've given up long ago trying to make sense of it. It's not rational.”
“Josh isn't over him,” Tyler stated. It wasn't a question.
Rachel shrugged. “At this point, I don't know. Ryan was his first love, and Josh doesn't do anything by half measures. It's why that surgical rotation almost did him in. He isn't good at letting things go. Do you see?”
“Maybe.” Tyler looked unhappy about it. Good. That was two of them.
“Josh isn't going to let you down if he can help it, Tyler. He wants to be someone's hero; if you let him he'll try and slay your dragons.”
Tyler made a disgusted noise. “While still carrying a torch for my brother.”
“Probably. Some habits are really hard to break. Unless you replace it with a new one.”
“Meaning?” Tyler sounded suspicious.
“Meaning he'll never get over Ryan until he has a good enough reason to do so. I think he's been looking for a replacement and is doomed to failure because only Ryan is Ryan. And all of that is neither here nor there. I don't want you, Tyler, to become the new Ryan.”
Tyler looked at her like she was crazy. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, Tyler. Seriously.”
“Me? You think your brother is going to throw away two decades of… whatever he feels for Ryan for me?” Tyler looked skeptical and something else that Rachel found worrying.
She turned and looked Tyler full-on. “You interest him, Tyler. Nothing interests him except work and his Xbox and now you. So, yeah, I'm worried.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?” Tyler asked.
“Option one is to make him go away.”
“Is that what you want me to do? Be the bad guy? Take the hit and go down with the ship?”
“Option two,” she said, forging ahead, “is to go through with this insane plan and keep your distance from him. Be the professional I know you're capable of being.”
Tyler chewed on his bottom lip. “The problem with that is everyone will see at once he's not my boyfriend. Josh isn't a good actor.”
“No, he's not,” Rachel agreed. “What are you going to do about that?”
“You and I both know that there's only one way this is going to work. Option three is me seducing your beloved brother, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Option three is you seducing Josh.”
“I can tell you’re not a fan of option three.” Tyler looked resigned to her not liking it.
“No, not so much. But there is
option four. I am holding out for this one.”
“Okay, lay it on me. What's option four?”
Rachel grabbed Tyler’s hand and squeezed it. He gave her a startled look. “Be his friend.”
Tyler blinked at her. “His friend?”
“Yes,” Rachel repeated, becoming exasperated. “Is it a difficult concept? He could use a friend. Maybe you could use one, too.”
Tyler continued to blink at her. It was like he was trying to give her a message in Morse code. Too bad she'd never paid much attention when they were learning it in Girl Scouts. He could be blinking “help me” or “eat at Joe’s” or “two boxes of Thin Mints” for all she knew.
Tyler didn't say anything for a long time, but he did at least get his eyelashes under control. “Okay,” he finally said. “Four options. I'll think about it.”
“And if you fuck him over, I will gut you.” Rachel gave Tyler her sweetest smile.
“You are going to be such a fun addition to the family,” Tyler said.
Rachel eyed the baby cobra that was her future brother-in-law. “Likewise,” she said.
Chapter 10
Tyler and Josh Have Their First Fight
Saturday, September 17th, 6:57 p.m.
A bedroom in an unnecessarily large rental house
Blue Lake, WI
Tyler was not in general a fan of napping, but the past day had been a lot even for him, and after having Rachel talk at him while Brad and Josh were off in town, he’d been more than willing to snuggle down in a strange bed in a strange room and sleep until he couldn't sleep anymore.
When Tyler woke, he had a dull headache pounding in his temples. Everything felt overwhelming. The video still existed and was out there being watched by who knew how many people. He would be expected to perform like a circus animal for the paparazzi, and the man he was supposed to perform with was a terrible actor. Josh couldn't pretend his way out of a paper bag. Something would have to be done about it. An option would need to be chosen. Tyler just had to figure out which one.