Chapter Ten
Andy
The bar was busy when I arrived, with booths already filling with patrons who came to drink pitchers of cheap beer and watch the Mariners play on a huge projector screen. I scanned the chattering crowd until a thickly muscled arm shot into the air from the far corner and waved me over. It was George, already parked in a small booth and waiting for me with a freshly-poured beer on the table in front of him.
“Hey, big brother,” I greeted, sliding into the bench opposite George. I reached for the beer list and scanned the day’s draughts before I set the plastic-encased sheet back down and looked across the table at my sibling. “You look tired. Long day?”
Faint shadows ringed George’s blue eyes—the only blue eyes in the family—and his dark hair was a disheveled mess. Even across the table, I could detect a faint whiff of disinfectant and dog hair that clung to his dark blue scrubs—his daily uniform as a veterinarian.
“Yeah, I went into work early to squeeze in an emergency surgery before we opened, then a few unexpected things came up during the day that had me scrambling.” He reached out and grabbed his beer and took a long sip. “But, everybody survived and now I’m going to relax and wreck a basket of wings.”
“Amen to that,” I replied, and turned to relay my drink order to the server.
“So you’ve been kind of missing in action lately,” he remarked after our server hustled off to grab my drink. “Is Josie keeping you busy?”
I rubbed at a stiff, sore muscle in my shoulder. “She’s not keeping me from stuff I’d rather be doing, if that’s what you’re asking. I work hard all day and then I spend time with Josie, if I’m lucky.”
George arched a dark brow and took another small sip of his beer. “How much time are you two spending together, anyway?”
“She comes over just about every day. She studies at my place and she spends the night a lot, too.”
A faint smile curled the corner of my lip as I recalled the evening before. We’d settled in to watch a movie, but the opening credits had barely finished rolling before Josie climbed on top of me for a quick fuck—neither of us bothering to remove all our clothes before she sheathed my hard cock in her slick pussy and rode me until both of us came.
A hand waved in front of my face. “You still with me?” George looked like he was trying not to laugh.
A glass thumped down in front of me, and I nodded politely at our server before I picked it up and took a sip of the thick, dark beer. “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry, I got distracted.”
George rolled his eyes and slouched into the padded booth bench. “I guess I’m just curious how things are going. It’s been weeks since you called to ask about her, and since then I haven’t heard anything. Josie’s been pretty tight-lipped with Annie, too, and those two usually tell each other everything. And you haven’t said anything about it whenever I see you at Mom and Dad’s house.”
“Nicky didn’t give you anything, did he?” If he had, then George wouldn’t have been drilling me for information.
He shrugged. “I asked him really nicely, but no. Told me to piss off and ask you myself.” George studied me as his thick fingers slid against the dewy surface of his pint glass. “I just want you to be happy, is the thing. After Marnie—"
I winced at the mention of my ex-girlfriend’s name. I’d barely thought about her for—well, weeks. “Josie isn’t like Marnie at all. Our whole thing isn’t like that.”
My big brother angled his head curiously. “No? How do you mean?”
I hesitated. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it because everybody was so wrapped up in Ian’s wedding, but Marnie and I broke up because she gave me an ultimatum.”
“An ultimatum?” A basket of wings appeared in front of George, and he didn’t break his stare as he picked up a saucy piece of chicken in his big, deft fingers and went to town.
Our server plunked down another basket in front of me, this one with a big, messy burger, but I left it untouched for the moment as I gathered my thoughts.
“Yeah. Marriage or we were done.” I took in a deep breath and paused—waiting, I guess, to feel the shame or anger that had dogged me in the days following that conversation, but instead I felt…relieved.
George set the half-finished wing down and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “That was a bullshit thing for her to do.”
“Maybe.” I thought about it for a second, still turning over the surprising turn that my feelings had taken about the whole situation. “I felt pretty horrible and embarrassed about it for a while, and just…didn’t want to talk about it.”
“What are you embarrassed for?” George asked, shrugging. “It’s not like you were the one flinging around ultimatums. What are you even supposed to do when someone does that?”
I shook my head. “She doesn’t deserve all the blame for us breaking up. I think our relationship had been on life support for—well, it had been a while, and neither of us had the guts to admit it. I’m not sure she really wanted to get married, either. It was more like throwing a bomb to finally end things and force us to go our separate ways. And now that I’ve had a little time to think about it, I’m just glad that it’s over. Marnie’s a good person and she deserves someone who can make her happy.”
“You deserve the same,” he countered, picking up a wing again. “Does Josie make you happy?”
Instantly, without hesitation, I replied, “Yes.”
I picked up my burger and lifted it up for a big bite, humming with pleasure as the juices and spicy sauce hit my tongue. George and I both chewed our food in silence for a second—him with that same thoughtful expression, while I let myself marvel at the strong, undeniable feelings for Josie that I was only just starting to explore.