to open the door and my brother is already standing in the foyer, fiddling with his white-collared shirt and dark red tie, obviously in a rush to leave. However, I can’t help but proudly admire my brother’s dashing presence in a simple suit. His midnight hair is slicked back as if he’s going to attend a red carpet event, and I wonder if he’s going to a work function for another one of his clients.
His grin has me mirroring his enthusiasm, too, as he shouts, “Sprout! Just the girl I need to see.” His wide smile falters when he notices Blake trailing behind me. “Oh, sorry. I thought you were alone.”
I huff, finding the exchange bizarre. “What difference does it make, Josh?”
He shakes his head, admonishing me. “It doesn’t. Help your bro out and tie his tie.”
As he lifts his chin upward to invite my help, I giggle. “You wear a tie nearly every day. Why the need for assistance all of a sudden?”
Blake’s ego makes a surprise appearance from behind me as he quips, “It’s got to be because of his girl. What’s it this week, Josh?”
Josh’s stare frosts over, but if anything, among his anger I sense a bit of fear as he grunts, “Shut up, Blake.”
Blake sticks his hands in his pockets and struts around us, nose in the air. “C’mon, man. Don’t act like I don’t know you. There are only two things that make you nervous as hell. One is spiders, you pussy. The second, well, that’s easy—commitment.”
My throat goes dry as I loop my brother’s tie into a Windsor knot. I mean, this conversation is perfectly normal, but let’s not forget Josh is my brother, and his girlfriend, Vanessa, is one of my best friends. The idea of throwing
commitment
into the already awkward equation rattles me because it hits too close to home.
I peer up from my tying to see Josh staring at me apprehensively. He chews the inside of his cheek, and lets out a chuff. “I’m not a commitment-phobe.”
Why is it I feel like I’m intruding on their conversation as I make my final adjustment to my brother’s tie?
Blake swivels around, smug and smiling, as if preemptively proud to admit whatever he’s about to say. “Bullshit. You and I both know we avoid commitment. It’s practically why we became friends. We understand each other. We avoid commitment by nature, but hey, that was until we met girls that handed our hearts to us on a silver platter, right?”
Josh cannot fight his agreeing chuckle, but tries to cover it up as he shoots me an apologetic smirk. “I guess I can’t argue with that. Vanessa’s worth it, though. And don’t forget, you break my sister’s heart, I ruin you.”
“Oh, ruin me? No death threats this time?” Blake goads.
Josh turns around to face him, and it almost seems playful. I’m hopeful for an element of normality between them.
“I think it’s fair to assume both.”
Blake clicks his tongue, and I hate that I think Blake looks hot when he goes into alpha-asshole mode when I know I should be scolding him, but then again, sometimes it’s good to stand up to Josh.
“What makes you think she won’t break
my
heart?” Blake brazenly retorts.
There’s a pause in the room, and both men swing their stare to me.
Do I look like a deer in the headlights? Because I feel like one.
The thought never crossed my mind that I would ever break anyone’s heart, let alone Blake’s. I consider my college friend and tutor, Richard Bennett, a possible broken heart when I denied his advances, but he ran back into the arms of his ex, Heather, so it seems far from fair for it to qualify.
Josh smiles warmly before turning back to Blake. “Skye? She can barely kill ants. What makes you think she would do the heart-breaking when you’re far more experienced in that department?”
Blake’s angular face blushes an adorable pink that’s so unlike him as he bashfully turns away, avoiding Josh’s glare. “Because I love her, man. Duh. She holds all the cards. When have
His grin has me mirroring his enthusiasm, too, as he shouts, “Sprout! Just the girl I need to see.” His wide smile falters when he notices Blake trailing behind me. “Oh, sorry. I thought you were alone.”
I huff, finding the exchange bizarre. “What difference does it make, Josh?”
He shakes his head, admonishing me. “It doesn’t. Help your bro out and tie his tie.”
As he lifts his chin upward to invite my help, I giggle. “You wear a tie nearly every day. Why the need for assistance all of a sudden?”
Blake’s ego makes a surprise appearance from behind me as he quips, “It’s got to be because of his girl. What’s it this week, Josh?”
Josh’s stare frosts over, but if anything, among his anger I sense a bit of fear as he grunts, “Shut up, Blake.”
Blake sticks his hands in his pockets and struts around us, nose in the air. “C’mon, man. Don’t act like I don’t know you. There are only two things that make you nervous as hell. One is spiders, you pussy. The second, well, that’s easy—commitment.”
My throat goes dry as I loop my brother’s tie into a Windsor knot. I mean, this conversation is perfectly normal, but let’s not forget Josh is my brother, and his girlfriend, Vanessa, is one of my best friends. The idea of throwing
commitment
into the already awkward equation rattles me because it hits too close to home.
I peer up from my tying to see Josh staring at me apprehensively. He chews the inside of his cheek, and lets out a chuff. “I’m not a commitment-phobe.”
Why is it I feel like I’m intruding on their conversation as I make my final adjustment to my brother’s tie?
Blake swivels around, smug and smiling, as if preemptively proud to admit whatever he’s about to say. “Bullshit. You and I both know we avoid commitment. It’s practically why we became friends. We understand each other. We avoid commitment by nature, but hey, that was until we met girls that handed our hearts to us on a silver platter, right?”
Josh cannot fight his agreeing chuckle, but tries to cover it up as he shoots me an apologetic smirk. “I guess I can’t argue with that. Vanessa’s worth it, though. And don’t forget, you break my sister’s heart, I ruin you.”
“Oh, ruin me? No death threats this time?” Blake goads.
Josh turns around to face him, and it almost seems playful. I’m hopeful for an element of normality between them.
“I think it’s fair to assume both.”
Blake clicks his tongue, and I hate that I think Blake looks hot when he goes into alpha-asshole mode when I know I should be scolding him, but then again, sometimes it’s good to stand up to Josh.
“What makes you think she won’t break
my
heart?” Blake brazenly retorts.
There’s a pause in the room, and both men swing their stare to me.
Do I look like a deer in the headlights? Because I feel like one.
The thought never crossed my mind that I would ever break anyone’s heart, let alone Blake’s. I consider my college friend and tutor, Richard Bennett, a possible broken heart when I denied his advances, but he ran back into the arms of his ex, Heather, so it seems far from fair for it to qualify.
Josh smiles warmly before turning back to Blake. “Skye? She can barely kill ants. What makes you think she would do the heart-breaking when you’re far more experienced in that department?”
Blake’s angular face blushes an adorable pink that’s so unlike him as he bashfully turns away, avoiding Josh’s glare. “Because I love her, man. Duh. She holds all the cards. When have
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