"Yeah, since when?"
"Since forever." David rolled his eyes.
"Well, smartass, is there still a chip stand there?" Jonah grinned, hearing Neil in that smug tone.
Snickering, David nodded his head.
"Well, then. I'll stop at the place on the way back from dropping you off."
"Anyway, you maybe want to go frst? Rita-Anne isn't sharing breakfast with me either."
Grinning, Jonah herded the boy out of the way of that threatening spatula, guiding him to the living room. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to take you."
"No problem, I'll wait."
Feet pounding the pavement, Neil picked up his pace, envisioning the reward he'd get the moment he fnished. He was dying for a piece of the coffee cake his sister-in-law Debbie had brought to the house. Of course, if he didn't want to gain fve pounds this week and get in shit from his unit commander, he had to either work out more or limit his intake. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen, so here he was running on a Sunday morning.
Turning off Lakeshore onto Probyn Street, he waved to Mrs. Fuller who was out surveying her garden. Two houses down he spotted Brent Renfrew clipping a leash onto his new puppy. Neil wondered if this one would last any longer than the last. Brent's wife really didn't like dogs but the poor guy couldn't seem to see that. You'd think he'd be suspicious every time she claimed her allergies were acting up. Nodding his hello, Neil sprinted for the fnish line. Almost there.
Coming closer to his parent's house he frowned at the rental car pulled in front. What was Jonah doing here?
It had been weird seeing him yesterday. It almost seemed like a lifetime ago that Neil had last talked to Jonah. They were close once, but they had both experienced so much since then that he wasn't quite sure what to make of his friend.
Neil ached inside, for how Jonah must be feeling. He knew that he'd be devastated if he lost his own mom. He didn't even want to think about that. Family was so important to him, he'd probably break down and cry like a baby if anything happened to his parents or brothers.
It was one of the reasons he'd come here when he heard about Mrs. Chevalier passing away. He knew how much Jonah must be hurting and he knew enough about him to assume that he'd be here. Neil wanted to be here for him; their years of friendship practically forced him to be here.
Slowing down, breathing heavily, Neil vaulted the steps, opening the screen door with a snap and stopping in the sun porch to take off his runners. Laying them beside a pair of black loafers, Neil shook his head at the shoes. He would never have guessed Jonah would turn preppy on him. He opened the door to the house, calling out his hello.
Two voices answered him, one still hanging onto its youthful tenor, the other pitched just slightly lower. Neil had to smile, Jonah would hate to hear how close in tone his voice sounded to David's.
Entering the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see the two bonding over fries and burgers. His stomach rumbled. Great, now he wanted fries instead of coffee cake. Reaching over, he grabbed a handful from in front of Jonah, smirking when he frowned and made to swat his hand away. He promised himself he was going to get Jonah to laugh if it killed him.
"What brings you to my neighborhood, stranger?" He popped a fry in his mouth, chewing happily. He studied Jonah carefully, spotting the signs of grief and more than a few sleepless nights. His old friend looked tired, although he appeared to be better than he was yesterday when his hazel eyes had been pained and his dirty blond locks looked like he'd been running his hands through them. Despite the effects of his grief, Jonah looked good. He was in shape, muscles hinted at beneath a thin tee and a pair of jeans.
Jonah met his inquisitive gaze, smiling slightly. "Just dropping off David."
It was Neil's turn to frown. He grabbed a bottle of water to chase down the fries, propping his ass against the counter. "Why?"
"I had to drop off some pics at Rita-Anne's. Jonah gave me a ride home." His brother shrugged, taking a big bite of his burger.
"You could have waited for me to get back, I would have taken you."
"I didn't know when you'd get back, fgured it wouldn't take me long to walk over to Buffam and pop in to see Rita-Anne."
"Hmmm." Suddenly suspicious, he eyed David carefully. "You didn't eat any of Debbie's cake, did you?"
"Fuck, Neil. Lay off the cake already."
Reaching over, Neil smacked the back of David's head. "Watch your language. Now answer the question."
Jonah laughed. "Does he always sound like that?"
Mission accomplished. He smiled at the happy sounds of Jonah's laughter. Now, all he needed to do was chase away that lingering devastation in his eyes. He didn't like it, didn't like looking at this older version of his best friend and seeing how hurt he was. Especially since Neil knew there wasn't much he could do to chase that away. Jonah had the right to his grief, it just… it just killed something inside Neil to see it. He lifted his hand, rubbing his chest.
"Like a cop?" David rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, he does. And no, I didn't eat your precious cake."
"What kind of cake?" Jonah perked up, gaze wandering around the kitchen.
Neil crossed both arms. "I'm not telling you. And don't be saying anything to Debbie or she'll want to make you one and I won't get another piece until the next time I come up here."
"That good, eh?"
Laughing, Neil took a swig of water. He refused to answer that on the grounds it might entice Jonah even more. He wasn't sharing his cake, no matter how much he wanted Jonah to feel better. Okay, that was a lie. He'd share the damn cake, hell, he'd probably give Jonah the whole cake if it would make him feel better.
He wasn't surprised to see them falling back into the comfortable pattern they'd always had. He'd known Jonah close to forever, and they'd always been nearly inseparable through school. To this day he wasn't sure exactly what it was that made Jonah leave town but he had his suspicions. Nothing concrete, since Michel Chevalier refused to even speak of his son and Jane had always been kind of quiet. He would have questioned RitaAnne but he knew better. She was always more than happy to talk about Jonah, but she never said anything bad about him.
Still, it made him wonder. He hated not knowing. It was a little itch at the back of his mind that just got stronger the more time he spent with his old friend.
The front door opened, interrupting his thoughts. Neil shook his head, realizing he'd just been standing here quietly while David and Jonah continued to talk.
"Hello the house," cried a feminine voice.
Seconds later Debbie walked into the kitchen, immediately moving toward Jonah and hugging him from behind. She kissed the top of his head before mussing up the strands with her hand. Jonah grinned, tilting his head to look up at her.
Debbie was six years older than them but they'd practically all grown up together. She had been Tom's girlfriend for as long back as Neil could remember, before they got married right out of high school, so she had known Jonah really well when they were younger.
"You're looking even prettier than you were in high school, Debs." Jonah beamed a smile at her.
"Oh, you charmer. You haven't changed a bit. How've you been? I'm so sorry about your mom, Jonah. Are you staying with your dad? How's he doing? Did Neil give you a piece of cake? I made it special the other day, and I bet you half of it is gone already. Neil, have you eaten the whole thing?"
Rolling his eyes, Neil ignored her. He smirked at Jonah, enjoying the look of surprise on the man's face.
"Crisse, you sound exactly like Rita-Anne. Have you two been spending time together?" Jonah laughed, staring at Debbie while she grabbed the cake out of his hiding spot in the pantry. Damn, how'd she know he put it there?
"She's only my best friend, Jonah. Besides we married two men who are nearly inseparable as it is, it just couldn't be helped."
Neil frowned at her as she divided up his cake, placing three pieces out on plates. "Yeah, and poor Tom hasn't ha
d a moment's peace since he married you. How'd you know that was there?"
"You just think you're the cat's ass by hiding things, but I know better. You can't fool me. You're exactly like your older brother." Debbie smacked a kiss in his direction, placing a plate in front of David and then Jonah. Grabbing forks, she passed them out and then dug into the third piece.
Straightening, Neil frowned at her. "Hey, that's my piece!"
"Neil, you've eaten half the thing already, you've had enough. Besides, Jonah needs it more. I've seen more meat on a hockey stick."
Neil stepped forward, mock-threatening, while Jonah protested in the background that he wasn't skinny.
Debbie pretended to gag. "Geez, don't come any closer, you smell like eau de Neil, and it isn't pleasant."
"I was running," Neil said.
"Yeah, I knew that already. Why do you think I'm here? I got three phone calls this morning from folks who saw you out running and wanting to know what was wrong with you. Is there a reason, by the way, you weren't in church this morning? I don't remember seeing either you or David." She arched a brow, knowing damn well why he wasn't in church.
"Jonah wasn't there either." If he was going down, he was bringing someone else with him.
"Hey!" Jonah put down his fork, putting his hands on his hips. "And here I was going to share my slice with you."
Instantly contrite, Neil bowed his head. "I'm sure Jonah spent the morning in prayer, contemplating his position in life, and how best to devote himself to the Lord."
Debbie stared at him blankly. "You really are an idiot." Turning to Jonah, she gestured. "What's new with you? RitaAnne has kept me updated on what all you've been doing, so I know you're working with all those troubled teens. There must be something wrong with people like us. Who purposefully chooses to work with kids? It should be a punishment instead."
Jonah chuckled. "You've got a grade two class, right?"
"Yep, and let me tell you they have way too much energy. I'd like to put a Xanax in a few lunch boxes."
Nearly choking, Jonah stared at her before switching his gaze to Neil.
"She's joking." Neil was enjoying this. "Tell Jonah about what happened yesterday. I had to hear about it the minute I got in here."
"What happened yesterday?" Jonah asked.
"Geez, what didn't happen yesterday? We had a fre drill, and here I am trying to get my kidlets all out in an orderly fashion. But, what does little Benny Hall do? The minute we exit the building he has to throw his hands up in the air and run screaming to our meeting point. I could have killed him, the little bugger. He's just like his brother, no word of a lie."
Laughing, Jonah closed his eyes for a moment. "Benny Hall? Is he one of Bill's kids?"
Neil shook his head. "Nope, He's Brad's little one. Brad married Maggie Miller, and they have the two kids. Benny and Jesse, who must be in grade four by now."
Debbie took up the explanation. "Yep, Jesse was a hellion, so I knew to expect something similar with Benny. Remember how bad Brad was in school? Although, you may not remember that, since he's my age. You guys were friends with Bill, though, weren't you?"
Neil nodded. Bill had played hockey with both Jonah and himself.
"Anyway, Brad and Maggie have the two kids, while Bill ended up married to Suzie Parker and they have three between them. You may not know Suzie. She grew up in Cobalt, although you probably played hockey against her brother, Shaun. He would have been… oh, about Patrick's age, Neil?"
Nodding again, Neil remained quiet. Patrick was his next oldest brother, only a year older than Neil.
"I didn't know Suzie real well, seeing as we didn't hang with the same crowds, but her cousin Mary and I knew each other better. Mary Parker was the looker in the family, a lot more attractive than Suzie, but then again the backend of a rhino is more attractive than Suzie. She had these horrid buck teeth. Finally got them fxed a few years back, but I'll never forget those. Geez, listen to me going on and on like a fart in a mitt. Someone just shut me up already."
Jonah started to choke again, obviously trying to hold in his laughter.
Neil grinned evilly when Jonah's gaze met his own. Arching his brow, he waited until Jonah had semi calmed down. "Debbie, who farts in a mitt?"
Shoulders shaking, Jonah quickly looked down at the foor. A chuckle escaped, which he tried to hide behind his hand.
"Seriously, that's quite the visual." Neil said, trying to keep his face straight.
Jonah lost it, starting to whoop as he held his sides. Unable to hold it back, Neil joined in, nearly bent over laughing.
"Geez, you two haven't changed a bit. You still do that, I see." Debbie tried to sound stern but Jonah could hear the humor behind her words. She patted his head. "Mission accomplished, I'll be leaving now. Don't be a stranger, Jonah. David, don't let Neil eat any more cake. See you guys."
Wiping tears from his eyes, Neil fnally straightened, waving goodbye. He glanced at Jonah, realizing his mistake instantly when they both started to laugh again.
"You guys are idiots. I'm leaving." David left the room, leaving them alone.
A giggle slipped out from Jonah, nearly starting Neil again. Holding up his hand, Neil calmed down. "Don't you dare start again. I'm warning you."
Jonah's shoulders shook but he managed to hold the next bout of laughter in. "I can't remember the last time I laughed like that."
Sobering, Neil studied his friend. That didn't sound right. Jonah had always been laughing. It suddenly became Neil's goal to make sure his friend got that back this week. He wouldn't rest until he made sure Jonah was alright. "You want to go out tonight? We can head to Matheson's Bar and Grill. They serve a mean beer and wings."
Jonah met his gaze, a familiar twinkle back in his eyes. "That sounds perfect."
Good, that was good.
chAPteR Five
Hours later, after a pretty uneventful day, Neil was stuffng his feet in the sneakers he'd left out on the sun porch when his cell rang. Scrambling for balance, he grabbed the phone out of his pocket, sighing when he saw the number on display. Straightening up, he debated with himself.
To answer or not to answer... Damn, it would probably be worse if he let this go to voice mail.
He snapped open the phone. "Hello."
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"
He didn't want to deal with this shit tonight. "What do you want, Heather?" He couldn't keep the ire out of his voice, but he didn't really care.
"What, I can't call you now? So, you take off to Buttfuck, Nowhere and I'm just the last one to know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Randy told me you went back to your rinky-dink hometown at the last minute. He said you're supposed to be on rotation this week. You're going to get fred, Neil."
Wait, what the fuck? Why would his coworker tell Heather anything? That didn't make any sense. Half the guys on the Team didn't like her. Neil rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
"Heather, we've already had this discussion. I don't want to hurt you, but you need to stop."
"Well, you're damned lucky I didn't just stop. I went by your place this morning and you didn't even bother to clean out your fridge."
"Whoa. Why were you at my house? How did you get a key? I didn't give you a key."
Silence greeted him. God fucking damn it. He didn't want to deal with this. His shoulders tense, Neil continued.
"I had to pick something up."
Who did she think she was? He so didn't want to deal with this bullshit. "Damn it, Heather!" Jesus Christ. They weren't together anymore. They'd broken up nearly two weeks ago. Man, he had lousy taste in women. He should have known Heather was a nutcase before he started dating her.
"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me, Neil Brogan. I can turn around and walk right out that door any time."
He was two seconds away from saying something incredibly rude but his mom would kill him if she ever found out, so he bit his tongue. Trying
to calm down, he realized this wasn't exactly a discussion he wanted to have over the phone. Knowing Heather, she'd probably take that damned key she'd somehow gotten and trash his condo.
"The key, Heather. Where did you get a key?"
"I borrowed it. And it's a good thing I did, too, or you would be in even more trouble than you are. Randy says you didn't ask for time off."
"No, Randy wouldn't know that. Because Randy isn't my fucking unit commander, is he? And for your information, I do have permission to be here. Not that it's any of your fucking business." And the only way she could have borrowed his key is if Randy gave it to her. Neil knew he shouldn't have asked his coworker to check on his place. Damn it.
"Hmmph."
Broken Rules Page 4