This is my brother’s wife.”
“Oh?” Jax said, still confused. “I didn’t know he was married.”
“My late brother,” Jude reminded him. “You never met him.”
“So, there’s another brother?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
Jude squirmed a little before nodding to confirm.
“Jesus,” I huffed under my breath. “Older than you?”
“Yep,” Jude said, wincing as he read my expression. “I figured if Julian didn’t mention me, he certainly didn’t mention Jamison.”
“Are there any more siblings I need to be aware of?” I demanded. “Any more of you Garner-Willoughby people going to pop out of the woodwork and show up at my doorstep?”
Jude laughed and crossed an “X” over his chest. “Nope. Swear.”
“I want to hear more about this other brother,” I said, my eyes focusing on where I knew his triple J tattoo resigned.
“Another time,” Jude said as he turned to wheel my bag down to his room.
“Hey,” Jax called out. “A bunch of us are going out for tapas tonight. You two wanna join?”
“It’s up to Evie,” Jude said. “We’re doing whatever she wants this weekend.”
Instinctively I wanted to decline. I didn’t know what tapas were. I didn’t come here to meet new people. I didn’t want to stand out in a city of big-breasted blondes. I just wanted to get out of Halverford and get to know Jude better.
“Sounds fun,” I lied, making a mental note about Googling “tapas” later. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was boring and lame.
JUDE
“Whoa, whoa,” I said, steadying Evie under my arm as I led her into my condo. Throwing her into a big group setting with a bunch of people she didn’t know in a city she’d never been to probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Downing glass after glass of Spanish wine, Evie only stopped when she was beginning to feel sick. I had no choice but to get her out of there. I never realized how shy she was, and it was kind of cute.
Evie giggled as her wobbly legs knocked into mine.
“Sit here,” I said, propping her up on an industrial barstool at my kitchen island before grabbing a bottle of ice cold Gatorade from my fridge. “Drink this. All of it.”
“I’m so not thirsty right now,” she slurred. “Seriously. If I drink that, I’m going to explode.”
“You need some electrolytes,” I said, holding the bottle out and trying not to get annoyed. “You’re going to feel like shit tomorrow. Your whole Saturday will be wasted. You won’t want to do anything. Just do what I say.”
“You’re bossy,” she snickered as she took the bottle, uncapping it. “I kind of like that about you. You’re like the big brother I never had.”
“Is that how you see me?” I asked. “Your big brother?”
“I don’t know what the fuck you are,” she blathered. I chuckled at the irony of her sweet lips uttering such foul language. She was just as much of a contradiction as I was. “I don’t know what the fuck this is. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here. I don’t know fuck about anything anymore.”
“Why’d you drink so much tonight, huh?” I asked. “You nervous? ‘Cause if you are, I can assure you, my friends all thought you were a cool chick.”
“I just wanted them to like me,” she said, slurping her Gatorade.
“I wouldn’t have let you meet my friends if you weren’t a nice person,” I said. “I don’t hang out with assholes and douchebags, so you had nothing to be nervous about.”
“I know that now,” she said, drawing out her words as she began sliding back and forth on the barstool.
“Stop that. You’re going to fall and hurt yourself.”
She threw me a look, challenging me, and let go of the marble island, spinning around on the barstool and losing her balance. Just before she was about to smack her head on the hardwood floor, I swooped in and caught her.
“Ow,” she said, rubbing her knee.
“God, you’re so
“Oh?” Jax said, still confused. “I didn’t know he was married.”
“My late brother,” Jude reminded him. “You never met him.”
“So, there’s another brother?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
Jude squirmed a little before nodding to confirm.
“Jesus,” I huffed under my breath. “Older than you?”
“Yep,” Jude said, wincing as he read my expression. “I figured if Julian didn’t mention me, he certainly didn’t mention Jamison.”
“Are there any more siblings I need to be aware of?” I demanded. “Any more of you Garner-Willoughby people going to pop out of the woodwork and show up at my doorstep?”
Jude laughed and crossed an “X” over his chest. “Nope. Swear.”
“I want to hear more about this other brother,” I said, my eyes focusing on where I knew his triple J tattoo resigned.
“Another time,” Jude said as he turned to wheel my bag down to his room.
“Hey,” Jax called out. “A bunch of us are going out for tapas tonight. You two wanna join?”
“It’s up to Evie,” Jude said. “We’re doing whatever she wants this weekend.”
Instinctively I wanted to decline. I didn’t know what tapas were. I didn’t come here to meet new people. I didn’t want to stand out in a city of big-breasted blondes. I just wanted to get out of Halverford and get to know Jude better.
“Sounds fun,” I lied, making a mental note about Googling “tapas” later. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was boring and lame.
JUDE
“Whoa, whoa,” I said, steadying Evie under my arm as I led her into my condo. Throwing her into a big group setting with a bunch of people she didn’t know in a city she’d never been to probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Downing glass after glass of Spanish wine, Evie only stopped when she was beginning to feel sick. I had no choice but to get her out of there. I never realized how shy she was, and it was kind of cute.
Evie giggled as her wobbly legs knocked into mine.
“Sit here,” I said, propping her up on an industrial barstool at my kitchen island before grabbing a bottle of ice cold Gatorade from my fridge. “Drink this. All of it.”
“I’m so not thirsty right now,” she slurred. “Seriously. If I drink that, I’m going to explode.”
“You need some electrolytes,” I said, holding the bottle out and trying not to get annoyed. “You’re going to feel like shit tomorrow. Your whole Saturday will be wasted. You won’t want to do anything. Just do what I say.”
“You’re bossy,” she snickered as she took the bottle, uncapping it. “I kind of like that about you. You’re like the big brother I never had.”
“Is that how you see me?” I asked. “Your big brother?”
“I don’t know what the fuck you are,” she blathered. I chuckled at the irony of her sweet lips uttering such foul language. She was just as much of a contradiction as I was. “I don’t know what the fuck this is. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here. I don’t know fuck about anything anymore.”
“Why’d you drink so much tonight, huh?” I asked. “You nervous? ‘Cause if you are, I can assure you, my friends all thought you were a cool chick.”
“I just wanted them to like me,” she said, slurping her Gatorade.
“I wouldn’t have let you meet my friends if you weren’t a nice person,” I said. “I don’t hang out with assholes and douchebags, so you had nothing to be nervous about.”
“I know that now,” she said, drawing out her words as she began sliding back and forth on the barstool.
“Stop that. You’re going to fall and hurt yourself.”
She threw me a look, challenging me, and let go of the marble island, spinning around on the barstool and losing her balance. Just before she was about to smack her head on the hardwood floor, I swooped in and caught her.
“Ow,” she said, rubbing her knee.
“God, you’re so
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