couldn’t have been because he’d left in the middle of the shift.
Stayed out too late? Maybe, but it wasn’t like Brandon had been happy when he knocked on the door in the first place. The surprise on his brother’s face had lasted two seconds before asking what the hell was he doing there. Not quite the reunion he’d hoped for, so he couldn’t imagine Brandon giving a shit how late he stayed out.
Figuring out Brandon was an impossible task, since the man left his wife and came here. For all Justin knew, Brandon really needed to get laid. So long as he was married, he wasn’t seeing any other women. Since he was separated from his wife for some six years now, but not yet divorced, Justin was going with cranky and would resist taking his brother’s attitude personally.
If Justin was going without sex for that long, he’d have probably killed a couple people.
Maybe the news about them expanding would be what Brandon needed to drag him out of this small town hellhole and get him back to work. Brandon had been alive and ready to tackle life. Even when he’d met Dixie, he’d been a force. Next thing Justin knew, Brandon dropped everything and left him high and dry.
With this news sitting on his chest and about to burst, Justin doubted he could wait until morning. Brandon was awake. In a few minutes, he would be done working. Maybe he could talk him into a drink so they’d be ready to celebrate as soon as the news came out.
Just as soon as this place was cleaned, then he could get his brother’s full attention. “Have you wiped the tables yet?”
“Nope.” He still focused on the dishes.
Justin sighed and wet a rag in the hot dishwater. “I’ll get it done to wrap this up. I’d like to talk after we’re done.”
“All right.”
Silence extended as Justin went over the closer tables. “You’re not curious to know what about?”
“I thought you wanted to talk after we were done, not now.”
He sighed. Brandon didn’t used to be this, hell, much of a hardass? That didn’t seem the right word. A jerk? Stubborn for unknown reasons? Justin would give anything to know why their marriage had fallen apart. If he knew why it broke, maybe he could fix it. Or at least fix what broke his brother. So far, nothing from Brandon. Justin’s attempts to reach out to Brandon’s wife netted him nothing but a friendly “it’s good to hear from you again” bullshit. “I do. Just thought you’d be curious and try to pry information out of me. It’s not every day I drop by and see you.”
“I noticed.”
Justin bit back the response that he’d been a little busy running their business alone, and Brandon hadn’t reached out to see him either. It’s not like Brandon had rolled out any great welcome to encourage more visits. Hell, Whitney had given a better welcome and he didn’t even know her.
He didn’t want a fight to start, not on this day, so he ignored his brother’s tone, as much as that grated. “Looks like you’re doing well here.”
“I am. Lot of people are starting to ask if I’ll put a TV in, so I’m going to see about that over the summer.”
“You get too many more people in here and you’ll have to hire some help.”
His brother paused for a second and washed again. “I like it just me.”
“If you hired someone, then maybe you could come see me sometime.”
“I have no interest in the city. Nothing but trouble there.”
And his only brother. Their business was also there. Rawlings Steakhouse didn’t exist in a backwater town like this.
He wiped over another table and decided what the hell, let’s test the waters. “You met Dixie in a city. That couldn’t have been all trouble, since you married her.”
The water came on and ended that conversation. At least his brother didn’t walk away at the mention of her. Progress? It probably shouldn’t be counted. Justin went over the last of the table tops as Brandon set the final dish in the rack.
Justin tossed his rag in
Stayed out too late? Maybe, but it wasn’t like Brandon had been happy when he knocked on the door in the first place. The surprise on his brother’s face had lasted two seconds before asking what the hell was he doing there. Not quite the reunion he’d hoped for, so he couldn’t imagine Brandon giving a shit how late he stayed out.
Figuring out Brandon was an impossible task, since the man left his wife and came here. For all Justin knew, Brandon really needed to get laid. So long as he was married, he wasn’t seeing any other women. Since he was separated from his wife for some six years now, but not yet divorced, Justin was going with cranky and would resist taking his brother’s attitude personally.
If Justin was going without sex for that long, he’d have probably killed a couple people.
Maybe the news about them expanding would be what Brandon needed to drag him out of this small town hellhole and get him back to work. Brandon had been alive and ready to tackle life. Even when he’d met Dixie, he’d been a force. Next thing Justin knew, Brandon dropped everything and left him high and dry.
With this news sitting on his chest and about to burst, Justin doubted he could wait until morning. Brandon was awake. In a few minutes, he would be done working. Maybe he could talk him into a drink so they’d be ready to celebrate as soon as the news came out.
Just as soon as this place was cleaned, then he could get his brother’s full attention. “Have you wiped the tables yet?”
“Nope.” He still focused on the dishes.
Justin sighed and wet a rag in the hot dishwater. “I’ll get it done to wrap this up. I’d like to talk after we’re done.”
“All right.”
Silence extended as Justin went over the closer tables. “You’re not curious to know what about?”
“I thought you wanted to talk after we were done, not now.”
He sighed. Brandon didn’t used to be this, hell, much of a hardass? That didn’t seem the right word. A jerk? Stubborn for unknown reasons? Justin would give anything to know why their marriage had fallen apart. If he knew why it broke, maybe he could fix it. Or at least fix what broke his brother. So far, nothing from Brandon. Justin’s attempts to reach out to Brandon’s wife netted him nothing but a friendly “it’s good to hear from you again” bullshit. “I do. Just thought you’d be curious and try to pry information out of me. It’s not every day I drop by and see you.”
“I noticed.”
Justin bit back the response that he’d been a little busy running their business alone, and Brandon hadn’t reached out to see him either. It’s not like Brandon had rolled out any great welcome to encourage more visits. Hell, Whitney had given a better welcome and he didn’t even know her.
He didn’t want a fight to start, not on this day, so he ignored his brother’s tone, as much as that grated. “Looks like you’re doing well here.”
“I am. Lot of people are starting to ask if I’ll put a TV in, so I’m going to see about that over the summer.”
“You get too many more people in here and you’ll have to hire some help.”
His brother paused for a second and washed again. “I like it just me.”
“If you hired someone, then maybe you could come see me sometime.”
“I have no interest in the city. Nothing but trouble there.”
And his only brother. Their business was also there. Rawlings Steakhouse didn’t exist in a backwater town like this.
He wiped over another table and decided what the hell, let’s test the waters. “You met Dixie in a city. That couldn’t have been all trouble, since you married her.”
The water came on and ended that conversation. At least his brother didn’t walk away at the mention of her. Progress? It probably shouldn’t be counted. Justin went over the last of the table tops as Brandon set the final dish in the rack.
Justin tossed his rag in
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