“Oh boy. Is this about the girl?” he asked.
“Don’t start. Just feed me,” I said to my oldest brother.
Phoenix put in an order without telling me what it was.
Dad walked in with Becket. They both sat at the bar and ordered food.
“Nice turnout today,” Dad noted.
“Yup,” Phoenix said.
We all chatted about nothing in particular. It was a nice sunny day, and Maple Valley was full of tourists, which was good for business. My food came out. Phoenix had ordered me a pulled beef sandwich with pastrami and coleslaw. It was a large heaping sandwich and smelled like heaven. I took a deep breath and went for it. That’s when I felt three sets of eyes on me.
“What?” I paused mid-bite.
“What’s going on?” Dad asked.
“It’s a girl,” Phoenix blurted.
I gave my brother a look that said fuck you, but he just shrugged like he was doing me a favor.
“Wow, little brother,” Becket laughed. “You clearly got it bad.”
“I don’t have anything,” I barked, and I ignored the three of them since they were being annoying as hell. I bit into my sandwich and groaned from the taste. “Damn, that’s good.”
“Thanks,” Phoenix grinned, pleased with himself.
“Asher, what’s going on?” Dad asked, worried.
“Claire went to see Nico last night. Apparently, he was being charming and let her in on some information before he locked down and told her to leave.”
“She went to see Nico Mercier?” Becket asked, alarmed.
“She’s intent on getting answers about her friend’s disappearance.” I nodded.
“But that’s not what’s eating you,” Dad said. “You like this girl.”
“Maybe. How am I supposed to know?” I asked, practically stuttering.
Phoenix laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
“You’re supposed to be a grump,” I said to him. It wasn’t true. He hadn’t been a grump since he got together with Elyna. Now that she was expecting any day, my brother was pure sunshine.
“That’s what the right woman does,” Phoenix replied.
I groaned. “For crying out loud.”
“Okay, just relax, Ash,” Dad said. “I think you like this girl.”
“Oh, I know I like her. That’s the problem,” I blurted.
“Oh damn, he bites the dust,” Becket muttered under his breath.
“Fuck you,” I barked.
“Boys,” Dad said with that stern voice he used when we were kids. “Look, Ash. Love is scary. I’m the first to admit that. My heart shattered when your mom left. My world was turned upside down when I was left to raise five kids on my own. Your sister was so young, and so were you,” he said. “I didn’t date. I didn’t go out. I just worked and took care of you guys, and then you grew up and had your own lives, and that felt lonely. I knew Ididn’t want to be alone anymore. I wasn’t looking for Sandy, but love hit me hard.”
“We all know how that went down,” Becket laughed at Dad’s take on things.