Alex sat down and glanced between the two of them. "My brother hitting on my girl?"
"I thought she was just a friend," Mark said, and chuckled as Jamie gave him a look. "Alright... no, I'm not hitting on her, though you should watch yourself. I don't know many men who wouldn't try, especially with you playing her up as nothing more than a friend."
Jamie pressed her fingers to her forehead, wanting to disappear. While she was thrilled that Mark was willing to take up for her, it only seemed to start up the tension once again. There was nothing to do but focus on the liquor. Somehow it seemed to numb her senses. It was the only way she was going to get through the visit.
They slept turned away from each other that night, Alex having been in a particularly horrid mood by the time they made it back to the hotel. Jamie wasn't willing to put up with anything from him, due to the liquor giving her more attitude than she was used to having. After a small argument, she laid her head on the pillow and was out.
The next morning, Alex was already up and dressed by the time she got up.
"Morning," he grumbled, sipping a cup of coffee as he stood by the window, gazing out.
"Morning." She pressed her fingers to her head and groaned. "Remind me next time you ask me to come with you back here to tell you to fuck off. I can't stand the tension between you and Mark. The wine helped, but today is going to be rough."
He moved toward her and touched the side of her face. "I'm sorry. I was a royal ass last ni
ght to you and him. I just feel the need to protect myself when he's around. I'm waiting for the first punch to land."
"I know, but I hate it." She got up, kissing him once, and walked to the bathroom. "Are we leaving after the estate sale today?"
"Yes. There will be people all over the property today. Let's grab a bagel on the way over and then we will just do as we're asked, and then leave. I'm not interested in hanging out with Mark or the witch he married any longer than necessary."
Jamie couldn't agree more, though she didn't respond. A quick fix with her hair in a ponytail and a little bit of makeup on, and she was ready to go. Her slacks and white cotton sweater was business casual and looked good enough against Alex's slacks and button-down.
He held her hand on the way over and she ordered a couple of extra bagels at the store for Mark and anyone else who might be there. Alex saw no point in being overly nice, but she ignored the comment.
"Ready for this?" He looked out the window as the car stopped.
"Yes. Are you ready, is the question." She squeezed his hand.
"Not really, but if it means that I never have to come back, then, yes, I can't fucking wait." He got out and held the door for her.
Mark was the first one to approach them, his suit looking good on him, but the dark circles under his eyes had grown larger. "Alright. We're to mingle with people, answer questions about any of the trinkets in the house, and kiss ass. Just lie if you don't know the answer to anything, and smile a lot." He turned from Alex to Jamie. "It’ll be over soon and we can all go home."
"Sounds great." Jamie nodded toward Alex. "Let's go hang out in the back bedroom and make ghost sounds."
Mark laughed and turned, walking back to the house. "Hey, if things don't work out with you guys..."
He was totally teasing, but it was stupid nonetheless.
"Don't," Alex warned, and gripped her hand even tighter.
"Hey. Part of working on a relationship is letting some things just slide off your back. Your brother’s just kidding." She snuggled into his side and moved toward the kitchen. "Let me get something to drink and then we'll take up our post."
He ignored her first comment and simply nodded. "Sounds good," he huffed. “I don’t know why we couldn’t just give all this shit to charity. It’s not like I need the money or to be here. I should be working, not dealing with this shit.”
Jamie smiled. “It’s called closure. You need to be here.” She got a quick drink and turned to find Alex bending over in the pantry just inside the kitchen. "What’re you looking at?"
He glanced up and smiled, his lips tight. "These markings are from when we were little. On our birthdays every year, our dad would bring us in here and get our height. Funny how much we grew in tandem until Mark hit a huge growth spurt in eighth grade. I thought I would never hear the end of it."
Jamie moved into the pantry with him and wrapped him in a hug. "You okay?"
"Not really. I just want this to be over with." He glanced down at her and touched the side of her face.
The aggressive man she was used to was nowhere to be found. A scared boy stood in his place. She needed to remind him who he was.
"Does this door shut?" She pushed it closed and reached up, turning on the light and smiling. "Do you know how much trouble we would have gotten in if we’d met when we were younger?”
"I can only imagine." A smile lifted his lips as his eyes narrowed. "I like your tactics for distraction. How did I get so lucky?"