by T. A. Foster
“And the mysteries keep coming.” Beau opened the door and stepped out of the car.
I was on my way to the trunk of the car when I felt my body lifted in the air and tossed over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Gotcha, little sis.”
“Austin?”
My oldest brother ran a circle around my car while I bobbed up and down on his shoulder. If I kicked too much he might drop me.
“Seriously, put me down. I’m going to throw up, Austin.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He deposited me at the bumper. I reached out for the trunk to steady myself, but felt Beau grab me by the arm to keep me from stumbling.
“Hey, man, I’m Austin.” My prankster older brother reached out to shake Beau’s hand. “Welcome.”
“Thanks.” Beau shook his hand, and then turned to me. “Brother?”
I grinned sheepishly. “Well, about that. I was getting ready to tell you—” Before I could finish my sentence I was whipped up into the air again.
“London! You’re home! We haven’t seen you since Christmas.”
“Ok, you all have got to stop picking me up.” I pounded on my brother’s back. He set me down in time for me to see the other two on their way over to our sibling reunion.
Austin stood next to Beau. As the oldest, he often took charge. “Beau, this is Nash, Jackson, and Roman.”
Beau performed the customary handshake ritual with each of my brothers.
“I’m just so shocked to see all of you here. Nash is right; we haven’t all been together since Christmas.”
“Mom called us and mentioned you might be bringing a guy home this weekend. Couldn’t miss it.” Jackson punched Beau in the arm.
“Oh, no you misunderstood,” I stammered.
“London, come inside and get out of the chilly air. Boys, get her things out of the car.” My mother was standing on the front porch, smiling sternly.
I shrugged my shoulders at Beau. Clearly, I had not prepared him for the onslaught of the James boys. How could I? I had no idea they were going to be here, at least three of them. Roman was the youngest and a senior in high school. My older brothers: Austin, Nash, and Jackson were all grown up and living on their own.
“Hi. I’m Lydia James, but you can just call me Mrs. James.” I sighed as my mother introduced herself to Beau. She was always so formal.
“Thank you for letting me crash this weekend, Mrs. James. The vineyard is impressive.”
“Why thank you. London will have to give you a tour tomorrow. Now, everyone inside. Dinner’s on the table and we don’t want to make Dad wait for supper.” She herded the pack along the porch and into the front door.
I lagged behind, watching my brothers laughing about something. Beau was a step in front of me. I tugged on his jacket before he crossed the threshold.
“I’m sorry about all of this. I didn’t know they would be here.”
He laughed. “Don’t apologize. They’re your family. Although, maybe you could have mentioned the four brothers at some point.”
I looked at my boots. Why had I kept so much from him?
“Come on, I heard we can’t let your dad get hungry.” He slung his arm around my shoulder and we walked into the house.
“Dad!” I dislodged Beau’s arm and ran to hug my father as he descended the staircase.
“Hi, kitten. I heard you brought a friend home for the weekend.” My father looked over the top of my head to survey Beau.
“Dad, this is Beau Anderson. He’s my Comm 224 partner this semester, and he’s pre-law.” I emphasized the law part.
“Nice to meet you, sir.” Beau was probably getting tired of shaking hands by now.
“Welcome to our home, son. Let’s go eat. You’re probably hungry after that drive. I want to hear more about your law studies, Beau.” Oh, jeez. I knew this was going to happen. Beau was right—I should have prepared him.
***
“Mrs. James, dinner was delicious. Again, thank you for having me this weekend.” Beau had survived the firing squad over dinner.
“Beau, you are so welcome.” My mother stood from the table with two plates in her hand.
Beau jumped up and leaned across the table. “Here, let me help you with that.” He took the plates from my mother and disappeared into the kitchen.
My mother looked shocked. “Boys, did you see that? There are men who have manners in this world.”
My brothers rolled their eyes. “I’ll go help him, Mother.” I collected a few more plates and joined Beau in the kitchen, where he was rinsing plates and stacking them in the dishwasher.
“You know, you don’t actually have to impress my parents. But if you’re trying—it’s working.” I winked at him as he threw a dishtowel over his shoulder.
I liked seeing him in my parents’ kitchen. He seemed at ease and relaxed. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss him right here in front of the pile of dirty dishes. The nearby room full of raucous brothers didn’t deter the feelings stirring under my skin.
“London? Where’d you go?” Beau waved a plate in front of my face.
“Right. Nowhere.” I smiled and grabbed the silverware. This weekend was supposed to be about luring him back to me, but so far, in only two hours, I had managed to fall even more head over heels for him.
“So, what does everyone do around here when the sun goes down?” Beau’s smile quickly transformed into a look of panic. “No, that’s not what I meant. I was just asking about nightly entertainment. Dammit. Not what I meant.”
I giggled. It was nice to see him squirm for a change. “I know what you meant. Do you want to try some of the wine?”
“Definitely.” He eased back into shoveling plates in the loading rack.
“A wine tasting it is. I’m going to leave you with kitchen detail and gather some wine for us. It will just take me a few minutes. Be right back.”
“Ok. I can handle it.” Beau turned to face the tower of pots and pans climbing out of the sink. That should keep him busy for a few minutes.
I slipped out of the kitchen door and walked toward the barn that was adjacent to my house. My parents had converted the barn into a tasting room years ago and used it for corporate parties, wine launches, and the occasional wedding.
Quickly, I went to work setting up glasses, selecting my favorite wines, and lighting a few candles. Satisfied I had created the perfect wine tasting setting, I dimmed the lights and went to rescue Beau from the mountain of dishes he was plowing through.
“Hey, lil sis. Ready for some cards?” Austin was in the kitchen with Beau and I could tell I had interrupted a conversation.
“Oh, thanks, Austin, but I was going to let Beau taste some of the wines. Maybe after?”
“That’s too bad. I was going to show your boy here how we play.”
Uh-oh. Beau looked interested in the challenge. “Man, I know how to play. What game?”
“Texas hold ‘em?”
“I’m in.” Beau threw the dishtowel on the clean countertop and followed my brother into the hallway.
Ugh! The allure of male bonding had taken over. “Ok, don’t worry about me. We can try the wines later,” I called out, but they were already gone.
I moped all the way to the barn, and returned the glasses and the wines to their original spots. I blew out the last candle before I turned off the light. So far, my hometown date wasn’t going as I had planned.
***
“Good morning.” Beau was already at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of coffee when I entered the sunny room.
“Good morning.” I smiled and walked to the cabinet in search of my favorite tea. My mother always kept the best stash of raspberry tea.
“London, you missed a good game last night. Beau here is quite the card player. I lost fifty bucks last night.” Austin looked pleased with himself despite his monetary loss.
My brothers had managed to rope Beau into their clan in just one night. They were definitely better at it than me.
�
��Sorry, I missed it. I’m in the middle of this amazing book, Marjorie Morningstar, and I—”
“Hey, Beau, do you want to shoot some hoops? We have a full court behind the barn. Bet you can’t get past my D.” Even my youngest brother, Roman, was part of the testosterone conspiracy.
“You have a court? Yes, I want to play.” I don’t think Beau had noticed that I sat in the empty seat next to him.
“Guys, I wanted to show Beau the vineyards.” Did that sound as whiny as I think it did?
“Oh, like he wants to go look at a bunch of baby grapes instead of play ball. Come on, London. You can take him sightseeing later.” Nash had chimed into the basketball discussion. I knew this battle was lost.
“Ok, I’ll just see you later, I guess.” I waited for Beau to turn down the hoops offer, but he looked excited.
“Cool.” He hopped up from the table. “Whose team am I on?” My army of brothers filed out of the kitchen, taking my date with them.
I sighed, a little too loudly. “Everything ok, kitten?” My father stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He was still in slippers and his long, plaid robe.
“Hi, Dad. Yes. It’s just the guys hijacked Beau and I thought I’d give him a tour of the winery this morning. It’s no big deal.”
My father poured a steeping cup of coffee and sat across me at the table. “Honey, now I know what your mother told me about the project and I heard what you said last night, but it’s all a bunch of BS. You care about that boy. It is as clear as day on your face.”
I wasn’t sure what surprised me more: my father’s perceptive abilities or the fact that he just said BS. “Dad, you’re reading too much into it.” I wasn’t ready for this conversation.
“Look, I’ve been there. I’ve been at this same exact crossroads you’re facing. College graduation is a scary time, but having someone there with you makes it a little easier to face. The world ahead of you must seem like a big black hole—the great unknown.”
“Are you talking about when you and Mother were in college?” It was hard to think about my father being afraid of anything, especially as a young man. He was always so certain.
“I am. I faced the biggest decision of my life when I was your age.” He took a sip of coffee and his eyes were warm and reassuring. “I could have moved out of the state and gone to an Ivy League school when I graduated. But that would have meant I was leaving our relationship up in the air. I knew when I graduated I didn’t want to start my life without your mother in it. I gave up a different career path to have this life with her. I’ve never looked backed—never regretted it once.”
“Dad, that’s so sweet. I’ve never heard you talk about college like that.”
“I’m not trying to be sweet. I’m trying to tell you that we all have to make decisions and sacrifices. You can’t possibly make it through life without facing a tough choice. If you like him, do something about it before the choice is made for you.”
My father sat back in his chair and smiled at me over his coffee cup. I tried to picture him and my mother fresh out of school, completely in love, with their whole lives ahead of them. It was hard to think of my parents as anyone but my parents. The sparkle in my father’s eye told me there was much more their life together than only parenthood.
“Dad, I think I’ve already messed the whole thing up.”
“What did you mess up, London?” My mother entered the kitchen right on cue. “And your cheeks are looking quite pink this morning—something is going on.”
“Oh, nothing. Good morning, Mom. Thanks, Dad.” I kissed my father on the cheek and walked out on the porch before my mother could analyze anything else written on my face. I could already predict the advice my mother would give: stay home and give up acting. I didn’t need her to tell me what to do; I already knew what my heart wanted.
***
I needed a way to get Beau alone—away from the James brothers. Think, London. What would Victoria do? The mountains sprawled out in front of me. I rocked on the front porch, sipping my tea and devising a plan to separate Beau from the allure of poker, basketball, video games, and action movies. I had a sinking feeling I might not be able to compete with any of that. I had delivered him straight into the hands of the perfect guy weekend. Wait, I had a brilliant idea. A resource that was more powerful than testosterone. Divide and conquer. I pulled out my phone to text Nina.
Up for a road trip? I need your help.
It only took a second for my friend to respond.
Where are we going?
How fast can you get to my parents’ house? I need you to run interference. My brothers are here.
OMG. On my way. Do I get to pick which one?
Gross. But, yes.
I leaned back in my chair. Nina would probably be here in about four hours. I hoped the boys enjoyed their male bonding. They had just started a new game of corn hole in the backyard. Tonight I was getting my alone time with Beau.
***
I jumped up and down when I saw Nina’s car roll into the driveway.
“You’re here!” I hugged her fiercely before she had a chance to put both feet on the ground.
“You bet. I wouldn’t miss a chance to spend the night with your brothers.” She smiled.
“Ewww, Nina. I can’t hear that.” I covered my ears with both hands.
She laughed. “Your plan. Not mine. Now where is the pack?”
I pointed to the bonus room over the garage. “Up there. After they played basketball for two hours, they ate lunch, started some kind of weight lifting competition in the wreck room, which I think Austin won, and now they are deep into a Bruce Willis movie. I’m drowning here. Beau doesn’t even know I’m here anymore. It’s like they initiated him into the brother bond.”
“Don’t worry. We can break them up. Who’s the leader?”
“Definitely Austin. But, Nina, he’s the oldest.” I thought about my twenty-eight-year-old brother and his reputation for dating. It was doubtful Nina could sidetrack him that much, no matter how flowy her blond hair was or how long her legs were.
“I brought a secret weapon.” Nina reached into the backseat of her car and pulled out a grocery bag. “Ta-da!”
“Cookie dough?” I shook my head. This definitely wasn’t going to work. “That’s it? The magic that will undo all things testosterone?”
“Come on. It’s worth a shot.” She dangled the bucket of dough in front of my face.
“Ok, but I don’t see how this is going to do anything.” I helped her with her overnight bag and a pillow.
The kitchen door closed behind us. Nina was already searching the cabinets for a cookie sheet before I even had her bag upstairs. In twenty minutes, the entire house smelled like chocolate chip cookies.
Nina and I were sitting at the kitchen table when we heard the low rumble of shuffling feet. Roman was the first to stick his head in the kitchen.
“Did you make cookies?” He ran over to the oven to peek inside.
Jackson, Nash, and Austin sauntered in after him. Nina winked at me.
“All right, guys, give me just a second.” Nina took her time walking to the oven before making the perfect bend at the waist to open the oven and check the cookies. My brothers were ogling every inch of her bottom, and Nina was fully aware of the attention her ass was getting. I had to turn away. Just as I did, I saw Beau enter the kitchen.
Nina shuffled the cookies around and placed the hot tin on the counter to cool. “Who wants the first one?” She smiled brightly at her captive audience.
Austin cut to the front of the line. “Are you Nina?”
“Yep. In the flesh.”
“Haven’t seen you since we moved London into the dorms her freshman year.” Austin was clearly flirting.
“Oh, were you there?” Nina toyed with him. Ok, she was good.
She reached for a spatula and began stacking the cookies on a plate. My other three brothers waited while she served them cookies. They cleared the kitchen and headed back
up the stairs to Bruce Willis. Austin hesitated by the oven.
“Since you just got here, you probably haven’t had a chance to see the winery. Would you want to go on a tour of the vineyard?”
Nina’s eyes lit up. “Now? I just got here. I’m not sure. London, would that be ok with you?”
I had to bite my lip to stop myself from giggling. “Yes, if you have the time, Austin, that would be really sweet.”
“Sure. Yeah. Come on. Let’s take some cookies for the road.” He piled a few on a paper plate and ushered Nina out of the door. I waved good-bye to my over-the-top-conniving friend.