“Watch yourself, kiddo. I won’t tolerate this new attitude just because you’re out on your own now. Mom will make you move back home if you keep that shit up.”
“Don’t say sh– Ugh!” I grunt with frustration. “Don’t swear! It’s completely unnecessary. You sound dumb, and all of Momma and Daddy’s tuition money will be for nothing.”
“Really?” He shakes his head and takes another sip of his beer. “I had no clue cussing killed brain cells. You’ve enlightened me.”
“You annoy me so much,” I grumble. I pull out a stool from beneath the counter and study my wine. There’s already condensation on the outside of the glass. “You really don’t know that guy?”
“I really don’t. But if a dude is giving me the staredown in my own sister’s shop, I’m not gonna just whistle and skip away. He wanted to start something with me, so I obliged and gave him the chance to take the first swing.”
“Boys are so stupid. And for the record, you were staring too. You were both stupid egomaniacs, wanting to compare your height, and pee a circle around Jess because she’s cute.”
He shrugs and empties his beer in one last swallow. “She’s super pregnant and a week away from getting married. She’s not cute to me, but I think maybe you’re cute to the mountain.”
I choke on my wine and swipe the dribble from my cheek. “I assure you, he doesn’t think I’m cute.”He thinks I’m ugly and boring. He also thinks I’m stupid and not worth his time.But I don’t say any of that out loud, because then we’ll circle back around to my brother wanting to claim ownership and defend my honor.
“Just stay away from him, okay?” He turns away from the stove and rests his elbows on the countertop. “Maybe you should talk to Nadia about her security system, see if she can recommend something for the shop.”
“You’re so dumb sometimes, Nix.” I drop my head into my hands and study the marble countertop my brother installed last summer with his own hands. I was here for the delivery of the material, watched the guys bring it in, and prayed they wouldn’t drop it. But I wasn’t allowed to help because I’m the baby sister everyone loves to baby. And God forbid I do anything that might bring my heart rate a little higher than normal. “Nadia’s security system came from that guy’s workplace. He’s with Checkmate, and Jess’ fiancé owns Checkmate. Do you really want me to ask?”
“Absolutely not.” He pushes away from the counter and grabs two plates and two sets of silverware. Moving around the island, he flicks the end of my hair as he passes. “Then he’ll have access to your business around the clock. Definitely don’t go there.”
I snag my glass of wine, and a fresh beer from the fridge for Nix. Following him to the table, I set them down by our plates, then sit and watch him come back with already prepped bowls of salad and a container of the beef I always crave.
Momma can cook like a professional, and Nix got that gene from her. But I… would live on baked beans if left to my own devices.
“This smells amazing.”
He chuckles and flops down into the leather chair at the head of the table. My brother is so handsome and kind, it bothers me that he’s not married and making babies yet. I don’t understand what he’s waiting for, but if I nag him about it one more time, I might be banished and never fed tacos again, so I tuck it away for another day, and start compiling my meal.
“How are you feeling, Abby? Good?”
I look up when I’m done stacking my taco, and toss my long hair back over my shoulder. “I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
“And work?” He begins eating. “Everything chugging along there?”
“Uh-huh. I landed a big job. Jess Lenaghan is getting married in a little over a week and wants all of the best things in life. I almost lost it all today though, because my shop smelled like testosterone.”
He chuckles. “Touché. I’ll be good, I promise. But you gotta stay away, too. He gave me weird vibes.”
Probably something to do with Spence’s speech about killing people.“Have you heard from Troy?”
“Nah, but I heard from Mitch, who said he heard from someone else, who heard from Troy.” He snorts. “He’s set to get back in a month, I think.”
“He’s been gone so long.”
My oldest brother is six years older than me. Yup, my parents had five boys, one after the other, so they all share August and September birthdays. Troy is the oldest and thirty-one, and Nix is the youngest at twenty-seven. Corey, Beckett, and Mitch fill out the slots between, and make me genuinely wonder how my mother can even walk after all of that.
But a couple years later, they got me. They were so dang sure they needed a precious baby girl, they refused to stop trying until I was born and turned their world upside down.
But you know what they say about best laid plans…
Despite the fact I’m twenty-five years old and no longer in need of one-on-one care, my brothers treat me like a delicate little baby who’s mere seconds from tripping on air and falling on my face.
My mom’s grandmother was born and raised in Scotland, but though my grandmother emigrated here when she was a child, and my mother was born and raised here, every woman that comes down that side of the family comes complete with my red hair, pale skin, copious freckles, and for us special enough, every second generation is gifted with our strange eyedefect.
One blue eye, one green.
My mother often complains that she ‘missed out’ and that it’s not fair. But I don’t know; as the quiet one in school, and sometimes the bullied one, I would have traded for a regular set of soft brown. It would have been one less thing to draw attention to myself when all I wanted to do was melt into the walls and become invisible. But no, girls with my hair and skin never blend in. We’re bland and forgettable for sure, but noticeable? Absolutely.