My Best Friend's Brother

by Mia Madison

  My face warmed, but this time with happiness, not embarrassment. Parker was talking about us doing this again. He was making plans that included me.

  But then his next words killed that feeling. “You’re twenty-one, right?”

  “Of course!” God, did he really not know? I’d hoped that during this trip, during ten whole days together, he’d finally start seeing me as an adult. As a woman—not just his kid sister’s best friend. “I’m almost twenty-two.” That was stretching the truth a bit since my birthday was October and this was June, but there was nothing wrong with rounding up.

  “Just checking. Not that it matters so much in Europe. They start drinking younger here.”

  We were walking back toward the entrance to the shopping center now, and as Parker moved confidently through the crowds, I tried to figure out a way to get the conversation back to the idea of our going out for a beer. But then we arrived at the luggage carts, and the Grants were there, and Claire wanted to try the pretzel, and the moment had passed.

  “I don’t know why we got a room with two beds if you’re just going to sit at the windowsill the whole time.” Claire’s voice softened her words. She knew how I excited I was about this trip. She was, too, but she’d been to Europe many times with her family.

  “I can’t help it. There’s just so much to see.” And there was. The mountains were distant, but we’d be closer to them during other parts of our trip. The city of Zurich was amazing enough in its own right. Without even leaving our room, I could see the river that divided the city in two and then widened into Lake Zurich. Flanking the river were the most amazing buildings, including dozens of churches. The two biggest were on either side of the river, separated by a bridge. And there was a clock tower, and boats on the lake. Claire said we’d see a lot of those things tomorrow during our tour of the city.

  “We’re going down for dinner soon,” my roommate hinted. “So unless you want me to send up room service for you and the windowsill, you’d probably better get unpacked.”

  Grinning, I looked at Claire’s side of the room. She’d already hung her clothes in the closet and put all her toiletries in the small bathroom whereas my suitcase was still unopened by the door. Still, I just had to spend a few more minutes looking at the amazing vista. There was a large hill outside the city that had some kind of tower on it. The view from up there must be amazing.

  Pulling the guidebook out of my carryon, I flipped through it, trying to identify some of the Zurich landmarks I’d seen until Claire’s phone buzzed. “Dinner’s in ten minutes,” she said, reading her screen. She laughed as I bolted upright and rushed to my suitcase. “I didn’t think you wanted the Grants to see you dressed for dinner in the same clothes you’ve been wearing for eighteen hours.” As she headed into the restroom, I heard her mumble under her breath: “Especially not one Grant in particular.”

  I flushed at her words. Though I tried to keep my decade-long crush on Parker a secret, Claire was my best friend. She knew me better than anyone in the world.

  And she was right—I really didn’t want to Parker to see me looking like I currently was.

  Time to make every single one of those ten minutes count.

  Lanie

  “Does anyone want to climb to the top?” Okay, I really did mean anyone, but I had to admit, I was hoping Parker would say yes. The five of us were currently touring a humongous church called Grossmunster. It had been built over eight hundred years ago in the Romanesque style, and it was gorgeous. It was like being in a medieval castle. “I think it costs five francs.”

  Claire sat down on a nearby pew. “Yes, five francs, but how many steps? I’m guessing a million.”

  “It’s not that many. Come on, the view will be worth it.” I kept my voice raised a little louder than I normally would for such a sacred place, but Parker was about ten feet away examining some artwork on the wall. He hadn’t said much at breakfast this morning, but he’d been fascinated by the art and architectural aspects of the places we’d visited, as was I. At the first church we’d toured, Fraumunster, we’d stood side by side for over twenty minutes examining the stained glass windows designed by Chagall. He hadn’t said much, but it had been nice to feel like he and I appreciated the astonishing artwork in a way the rest of his family didn’t seem to.

  Mr. and Mrs. Grant appeared next to us. “Why don’t you go up, Lanie, and we’ll meet you just outside. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I want to get something to drink. The guard by the entrance said there’s a Starbucks not too far.”

  Claire snorted at her mom’s choice of drink in a foreign land, but she got up when her parents headed out of the building. “Take your time and enjoy the view.”

  Hesitantly, I turned toward the entrance to the stairs to the top. But before I’d taken a few steps, I turned back. “Parker?”

  His back was to me, which gave me the perfect opportunity to take in his tall form. Today he was wearing a black jacket over an olive green tee-shirt that looked as if it might have been from his army days. His broad chest narrowed to a slim waist, his black jeans resting low on his hips. His black work boots completed his bad boy look, except for his face. Even though I couldn’t see it right now, he had the chiseled face of an angel, the kind that the ancient craftsmen who had built this place might have wanted to sculpt. All day, I’d seen women’s heads turn as he passed.

  Finally, he turned and gave me a wry smile. “I haven’t been a church in years, and now two in one day. I’m surprised I haven’t been struck by lightning yet.”

  An answering grin rose to my lips. He’d always known how to make me smile. “I remember you going to Christmas Eve services when we were little.” I’d met Claire in a park when I was just six, I think it was. She and I had played together the entire afternoon. As our friendship deepened, our families had gotten to know each other, too. Even though my parents had nowhere near the amount of money the Grants did, our apartment hadn’t been all that far away from their huge house. The Grants had invited me, my mom, and my dad over for many holidays over the years.

  “Those were more innocent times,” he said, his mouth twisting into a smirk. I grinned, too. Though he had the face of an angel, I was pretty sure that no one had ever described Parker as ‘innocent.’

  I hesitated a moment, and then took a deep breath. “Do you want to climb to the top with me?”

  “Get Claire to go with you. She’s young and full of energy, not an old man like me.”

  Hmm. I couldn’t decide if that was more amusing or disappointing. Parker was in excellent shape. He’d kept up his training regime even after leaving the army. Half the time when Claire texted him these days, he said he was at the gym. But it was also a bit of a letdown. This church was so amazing. Awe-inspiring in the true meaning of the term. It would’ve been nice to share a special moment, like seeing the view from the top, with Parker.

  “Where is she anyway?” Parker squinted around in the somewhat dim light.

  “They went to get something to drink. They said they’d meet us outside.”

  “Nice of them to tell me. I’m a bit past the age in which they can abandon me at a church.” Parker’s voice was light enough, but I didn’t think his words were entirely in jest. Even when I’d been younger and unaware of much other than my crush on my best friend’s older brother, I’d noticed that he often butted heads with his father and stepmother. Which was unfortunate. Claire and Parker were my two favorite people in the world, and the Grants had always been very kind to me. But there had always been this extra layer of tension when Parker was around.

  “I think I’ll go get a drink, too,” Parker said, and set off. Somehow, I didn’t think he meant the same kind of drink Mrs. Grant was looking for.

  A hundred and eighty-seven steps later, I was looking at an amazing view of Lake Zurich and the cities surrounding it. I took a lot of pictures and tried to not to wish I had someone up there with me. Well… not just someone. Parker.

  Mentally, I
scolded myself. This trip was a dream come true. How many young women got whisked off to Europe a week after graduating from college?

  But all semester long when Claire and I had been talking about the trip, I’d had a secret hope that it might give Parker a chance to notice me. To realize that I wasn’t just his kid sister’s little friend. We were both grown-ups now. It shouldn’t matter that I was twenty-one and he was thirty-two. We were both adults.

  Sighing, I leaned against the railing in front of me. Though I was still excited about the trip, it was already becoming obvious that my secret hope wasn’t going to happen. Parker had been distant throughout dinner last night, excusing himself to hang out at the hotel bar the second we’d finished eating. Later, Claire and I had sought him out to see if he wanted to take a walk over to the river with us. We’d found him laughing, drinking, and smoking with a small group that included several attractive women.

  The sight of him fitting in with strangers when he seemed to feel he didn’t fit in with his family was frustrating, and the smoking didn’t help. I’d never even seen him smoke before, though Claire told me he used to in the army. I guess being in a smoking-friendly country had made him rekindle the habit.

  Taking one last look around, I started my descent down the narrow, rickety wooden stairs. Even if Parker never saw me as anything more than his sister’s best friend, this was still going to be the trip of a lifetime. I’d still get to see him every day—even if he didn’t notice me at all.

  Parker

  “Another whiskey?”

  “Thanks,” I said to the bartender who’d told me to call him Earl. That didn’t sound like a traditional Swiss name to me, but what the hell did I know. Not much, according to my father and stepmother.

  “How long are you in town for?” The woman next to me had a more authentic-sounding name. Alicia. No wait… it was Alessia. I think that was it.

  “Just a few days. Doing the whole family trip thing.”

  “You’re married?” Her hand brushed across my arm to show me that she didn’t plan to ease up on the heavy flirting she’d been doing no matter what my answer.

  Earl delivered my drink, and I took a swig of it. “Not married. I’m here with my folks—unfortunately.”

  “Ah, the good old family vacation. Nothing makes you feel like a child again like traveling with your parents.”

  “My father and my stepmother, actually. Let’s just say they’re not my biggest fans.”

  She frowned, lighting a cigarette. “Then why’d you come?”

  That was a good question. Alessia handed me the cigarette and lit up another for herself. Prior to this trip, I hadn’t had one in over a year. Yet another sign that she was right—one day into a trip with my folks and I was turning into a rebellious teen again. Not that I’d ever moved too far past that stage when it came to them.

  “Free trip to Europe,” I finally said with a shrug.

  “Have you been here before?”

  “A couple of times. I was in the military for a while. I’ve got some old army buddies in Germany. I might try to visit them before I go back.”

  “If mommy and daddy let you.” Her words were harsh, but her voice was more sympathetic than sarcastic. Something told me she didn’t get along with her folks, either.

  “They probably wouldn’t even notice.” I tapped the cigarette on an ashtray, watching the ashes fall. Then I sighed. “But Claire would.”

  “Who’s she?”

  “My kid sister. The only one in the family who actually likes me.”

  “She’s got good taste.” Alessia raised her arms up over her head, as if she needed to stretch her muscles rather than her real aim which was clearly to draw my attention to the small tank top she was wearing. As if the half-uncovered black bra wasn’t obvious enough.

  “She does.” And no matter how old she got, she still seemed to like me, a fact that never ceased to amaze me. You’d’ve thought her mom and my dad would’ve poisoned her against me by now, but if they’d tried, it hadn’t worked. “She’s great. She just graduated from college.” I didn’t mention that I had, too. No one was as impressed by a thirty-two-year-old graduating.

  “What did she major in?”

  “Communications. She’s already got this internship lined up at one of the best media corporations in the US. She’s going to go far.” I took another long drag on my cigarette. God, I’d missed these cancer sticks. But as soon as I got back to the US, I was quitting again. “She’s the other reason I came along on this trip.” Well, one of the other reasons.

  “And what do you do?”

  “That’s a very good question.” Truth was, I didn’t have the first fucking clue what to do now that I was done with the army and had my degree. My old man had studied law. Years ago, he’d wanted me to study pre-law when I went to college. But then I joined the army the second I graduated from high school, and that ended any dreams he’d ever had about me and my future.

  “Here’s another good question… what would you like to do with me?”

  Turning to look at her, I couldn’t help grinning. Not because I planned on taking her up on her offer, but just because she was so direct about it. So blatant. Clearly, Swiss women were more matter of fact about these things than American women.

  Alessia returned my stare, running her fingers through her red hair. It was dyed, because the shade was so unnatural that in bordered on maroon. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was nothing like the true shade of a natural redhead.

  Like Lanie.

  Lanie’s hair was a soft color, two parts red and one part honey. In the sunlight, it could look strawberry blonde, but in lower lighting, it looked like a burnished copper.

  My sister’s best friend was about as different as the woman sitting next to me as possible. When Lanie looked at me, it wasn’t with contempt, like my parents. Or with lust like Alessia. No, it was more… open. More honest. More hopeful. But it was something along the lines of hero-worship, and that wasn’t me. And when Little Lanie finally figured that out, she’d hate me for it.

  Sighing, I laughed at myself. The whole four years I’d been at college, I kept dreading the moment Claire would tell me that Lanie had a serious boyfriend. Fortunately, that moment had never come. Lanie was smart as a whip and earned a major with two minors the last four years. But when I drove over to visit them, to help them move into or out of the dorms, I’d see the way the male students looked at her. But though she’d turned heads, she never seemed to return the attention. I’m not even sure if she noticed. Being a year younger, she’d never had Claire’s easy confidence. But sooner or later, some unworthy asshole was going to catch her eye. Too bad it couldn’t be me.

  Signaling the bartender, I indicated our glasses needed refilling and then turned back to Alessia. “I’d just like to bum another cigarette from you.”

  With a surprisingly graceful half-smile of resignation, she nodded, fishing out another cigarette.

  There was only one redhead on my mind these days, and it wasn’t her.

  Lanie

  The opulent lobby of our hotel was an excellent place to people-watch. I’d found a desk by the window where I could write postcards and watch the people rush by on the dark but busy street. My newly purchased postcards showed various sights from around Zurich, including some I hadn’t seen yet. But even though we’d only been here a day, I was already eager to share the experience with friends and family back home.

  Though most of my friends were here with me in Switzerland. The Grants felt like an extended family. In some ways, I had more in common with them than my own family. Still, my parents had been truly proud of me when I’d graduated. Reaching up, I fingered the small gold charm, a necklace they’d given me last week. I wrote to them first. Unable to choose what to send, I picked out a picture of Grossmunster for my father and Lake Zurich for my mother.

  I sent a card sporting the front of the hotel to my cousin Amy, and an image of a train to the twin sisters who’d lived acr
oss from us in the dorms last year. I couldn’t think of much to say on the postcard about the train since I hadn’t been on one yet. But I was looking forward to it. Tomorrow was our last full day in Zurich, and then the day after that, we’d be taking a train to Lucerne.

  While trying to figure out who else I could send a card to, I engaged in a little more people-watching. The other guests in the lobby were very well-dressed. Claire wanted me to go with her to a clothing store tomorrow a block away from the hotel. I couldn’t imagine what the prices would be like in an upscale dress store in the heart of Zurich.

  The people in the street were a mixture of tourists and locals, the latter heading home from work. Beyond them, trolleys, buses, and cars made their way slowly through what seemed to be rush-hour traffic. Every time I saw a tall man with dark hair, I couldn’t help hoping it was Parker. We hadn’t seen him since he took off after our tour of Grossmunster today. But he never showed up.

  After purchasing stamps at the front desk, I dropped my postcards into the slot in the lobby. For a brief moment, I wished my parents could’ve been here, but to be honest, they’d never shown much desire to leave their home country. Or even their home state. Besides, the Grants were family, too.

  When I got to our floor, I passed by Mr. and Mrs. Grant’s room. Oddly enough, their door was open. I could hear them inside, talking about something, so I didn’t interrupt. Instead, I fished my key out of my purse and opened the door to Claire’s and my room.

  “I’m ba—“ I cut myself off mid-word when I saw the scene in front of me. Claire’s open suitcase was on her bed with piles of clothes on either side. Claire herself hurried out of the bathroom with an armful of toiletries.

  “There you are. I texted, didn’t you see?”

  “What’s wrong?” Claire’s face was red, and it was obvious she’d been crying.