Crap.With all the things going around in Vincent’s head, the truth was, he’d forgotten all about the clowning dare. He’d planned on lording it over his siblings, eventually, but he guessed he’d have to do it now.
“Yeah, yeah,” he demurred. “So sue me. You lose, little man. Never bet against your big brother.”
“Dude,” Buck whined. “How could you do this? Have you no pity? I’m your favorite fucking brother.”
“Wrong. I don’t have a favorite,” Vincent returned with an amused snort. “You’re all total assholes.”
“Well, be that as it may,” Buck kept going, unfazed by an insult that they always, good-naturedly dished at each other, “I’m now out a Hundo, and I’m shocked.”
“Shocked, why?” Vince questioned curiously.
Vince had always been about community service of one kind or another, even when he was young. He took after his mother that way.
Once he’d been deployed, he’d found ways to ramp that portion of his life up; helping out the wives and family of injured teammates, and making sure no one’s compromised mental health got overlooked. He’d even spearheaded his division into supplying food for any number of down-and-out, small villages in Afghanistan near where they’d been stationed.
He didn’t feel like any of that was a big deal. Just his duty as a caring human being. And his little brother should know that.
“Because you’re a big joker,” Buck reminded him. “The irreverent one in the family. You never take anything seriously, and now…this?”
Vincent sighed. “How long have I been in the Navy, Buck?”
“Uh, you’re fucking forty years on this planet, old man…”
Vincent hated being reminded of his age.
“…so you’ve served…twenty?”
“That’s right,” Vincent concurred, ignoring the pang reminding him that half his life had passed him by. And that unlike six of his brothers, he had yet to find that one woman who’d make him feel like he was someone special.
Vince dropped that line of thought and persevered. “And since you were a Coastie for nearly fifteen, how long has it been since we interacted for more than a few days at a time?”
When the gang of brothersdidmanage to get time off together, Vince had pulled a few stunts for old time’s sake, but outside of family, he’d toned down his need for being the class clown.
“I know, I know,” Buck agreed. “We’ve all grown up, but Vin, nobody can ever take the ‘funny’ out of you.”
It was a compliment. Maybe. So Vincent accepted it as such.
“Thanks. Ihavetoned it down, though, and I’m more about helping out where I can these days,” he corrected, then grinned. “Ididfeel good making those kids laugh today,” he admitted.
But wait.
Vincent had questions. How the hell did Buck know where he’d been this afternoon?
“Hey jerk-face. How did you find out I was at the hospital?”
Buck snorted. “Here’s something you’ll find amusing,” he offered up. “Bobbie’s friend saw you there and texted.”
“Stop right there,” Vince grumbled. “I was in total, head-to-toe, clown garb. How could any friend of Bobbie’s possibly have known who I was?”
It was one of the banesandperks of being a Sothard. Recognition was almost always instantaneous out in public since the eight of them looked so much alike. Vince, however, had thought his disguise would keep him from being spotted today.
“Will you let me finish?” his brother huffed, clearly amused but not wanting to rush what he perceived as an interesting story.
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Vincent’s stomach growled loudly. He’d skipped lunch, and the aroma coming from his mother’s kitchen was almost too much to handle.
“Just make it quick,” he snapped.