do you like your coffee?”
“I don’t. I drink tea.”
“I don’t have any tea, princess.” He went back and poured himself a mug of coffee, and then filled one up for her too. “The only leaves in this house are in Ben’s room, and I don’t think you’ll want to use them for tea.”
He set the cup down in front of her, and she stared at it as if he were serving her antifreeze.
“Try it, you might like it.” He went and dished himself up a plate and then came back to sit down next to her.
She lifted a small bite of eggs to her mouth and chewed slowly. After a satisfied moan, she stabbed a piece of bratwurst and then ate it with a little more enthusiasm.
“You like?”
“Bratwurst is good .” She grinned and lifted her coffee, sniffing it. “Should I put milk in it or something? Sugar? Does it go down better?”
“I take mine black, but feel free to dump the extra shit in there if you need it.”
Brandy pursed her lips and blew on the coffee before taking a tentative sip. Her eyes squinted together and then she sputtered, spitting it back into the mug.
“Oh God, give me the extra shit please.”
Marco laughed, his eyebrows rising as he went to grab the milk and sugar. Was that the first time he’d heard her swear? It sounded about as foreign as if she’d broken into Mandarin or something.
She added the extras to her coffee and they ate in silence for awhile. True to her bratwurst is good comment, she ate almost the entire plate he’d given her.
The phone rang and he checked the clock. Who’d be calling before eight?
He grabbed the phone off the wall and answered. “Hello.”
“Marco? Is that you?”
He drew in a swift breath. His fingers tightened around the receiver as the familiar image of his kid sister raced through his head.
“Why are you calling, Elena?”
“I dunno. Me and my friends were gonna come up to Vegas in the next couple days.” There was a pause. “I was thinking maybe I could come see you.”
The idea was tempting. Damn. What had it been, about two years since he’d seen Elena? Even longer since he’d seen his dad.
“I’m not so sure that’s such a good idea,” he forced the words out past the hurt and bitterness.
“Dad won’t have to know,” his sister went on quickly. “I’ll just drop by the bar—”
“Elena, you’re not even old enough to go into a bar.”
From the corner of his eye he saw Brandy glance sharply over at him, and he turned his back to her.
“But I am,” Elena argued softly. “I turned twenty-two a few months ago. I’ve been going to bars for awhile now, Marco.”
Shit. The knot in his stomach grew. How had he forgotten Elena’s birthday? God, he was a real bastard.
He lowered his voice and switched to Spanish. “ Lo siento, niña. Pero no es buena idea. Feliz cumpleaños. Te amo .” He closed his eyes. “ Adiós, Elena .”
Before she could protest, he hung up, aware of a heaviness in his chest that hadn’t been there earlier.
“Well,” Brandy spoke up with an awkward laugh. “Another reason you probably didn’t sleep with me last night. Was that your girlfriend?”
“No.” Marco turned around and sighed. “That was my sister.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry I’m so nosy.” Relief and guilt flickered in her eyes before she quickly looked back down. “Is she coming up to visit you?”
He flexed his jaw. “No.”
“Oh. But I thought—”
“Look, it’s not something I want to talk about.”
Her mouth parted and hurt flashed in her gaze. Damn. He could’ve been a little less abrupt.
Marco shoved a hand through his hair, not willing to admit his own emotions were a bit raw after that phone call.
“How’s the breakfast treating you?” he asked with a slight smile, attempting to ease the sting.
Brandy pushed her plate away and sighed. “Oh jeez, I’m so full. Thank you. That was amazing.”
He shrugged and lifted an eyebrow. “Hangover food tends to taste better, but you’re welcome. And how’s
“I don’t. I drink tea.”
“I don’t have any tea, princess.” He went back and poured himself a mug of coffee, and then filled one up for her too. “The only leaves in this house are in Ben’s room, and I don’t think you’ll want to use them for tea.”
He set the cup down in front of her, and she stared at it as if he were serving her antifreeze.
“Try it, you might like it.” He went and dished himself up a plate and then came back to sit down next to her.
She lifted a small bite of eggs to her mouth and chewed slowly. After a satisfied moan, she stabbed a piece of bratwurst and then ate it with a little more enthusiasm.
“You like?”
“Bratwurst is good .” She grinned and lifted her coffee, sniffing it. “Should I put milk in it or something? Sugar? Does it go down better?”
“I take mine black, but feel free to dump the extra shit in there if you need it.”
Brandy pursed her lips and blew on the coffee before taking a tentative sip. Her eyes squinted together and then she sputtered, spitting it back into the mug.
“Oh God, give me the extra shit please.”
Marco laughed, his eyebrows rising as he went to grab the milk and sugar. Was that the first time he’d heard her swear? It sounded about as foreign as if she’d broken into Mandarin or something.
She added the extras to her coffee and they ate in silence for awhile. True to her bratwurst is good comment, she ate almost the entire plate he’d given her.
The phone rang and he checked the clock. Who’d be calling before eight?
He grabbed the phone off the wall and answered. “Hello.”
“Marco? Is that you?”
He drew in a swift breath. His fingers tightened around the receiver as the familiar image of his kid sister raced through his head.
“Why are you calling, Elena?”
“I dunno. Me and my friends were gonna come up to Vegas in the next couple days.” There was a pause. “I was thinking maybe I could come see you.”
The idea was tempting. Damn. What had it been, about two years since he’d seen Elena? Even longer since he’d seen his dad.
“I’m not so sure that’s such a good idea,” he forced the words out past the hurt and bitterness.
“Dad won’t have to know,” his sister went on quickly. “I’ll just drop by the bar—”
“Elena, you’re not even old enough to go into a bar.”
From the corner of his eye he saw Brandy glance sharply over at him, and he turned his back to her.
“But I am,” Elena argued softly. “I turned twenty-two a few months ago. I’ve been going to bars for awhile now, Marco.”
Shit. The knot in his stomach grew. How had he forgotten Elena’s birthday? God, he was a real bastard.
He lowered his voice and switched to Spanish. “ Lo siento, niña. Pero no es buena idea. Feliz cumpleaños. Te amo .” He closed his eyes. “ Adiós, Elena .”
Before she could protest, he hung up, aware of a heaviness in his chest that hadn’t been there earlier.
“Well,” Brandy spoke up with an awkward laugh. “Another reason you probably didn’t sleep with me last night. Was that your girlfriend?”
“No.” Marco turned around and sighed. “That was my sister.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry I’m so nosy.” Relief and guilt flickered in her eyes before she quickly looked back down. “Is she coming up to visit you?”
He flexed his jaw. “No.”
“Oh. But I thought—”
“Look, it’s not something I want to talk about.”
Her mouth parted and hurt flashed in her gaze. Damn. He could’ve been a little less abrupt.
Marco shoved a hand through his hair, not willing to admit his own emotions were a bit raw after that phone call.
“How’s the breakfast treating you?” he asked with a slight smile, attempting to ease the sting.
Brandy pushed her plate away and sighed. “Oh jeez, I’m so full. Thank you. That was amazing.”
He shrugged and lifted an eyebrow. “Hangover food tends to taste better, but you’re welcome. And how’s
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