blink before frowning himself. “Huh?”
“Never mind.” The dream had unsettled me. It wasn’t Vic’s fault, though maybe he’d prompted it by his unexpected little drive-by through my room. “Listen. What’s going on with you?”
“What? Me? Nothing. Why?” He sounded genuinely confused.
“You’re not sleeping,” I pointed out, adding, before he could jump in, “and yeah, I know. I’m not your mother. Or your wife. Old news. Your mother doesn’t live with you, and poor Elaine’s so exhausted she’d have no idea if you were in bed next to her or not. So I’m the only one who knows you’re up at all hours of the night.”
“It’s not all hours.”
“I hear you walking back and forth. I hear the floor creaking.” I paused, thinking about whether or not to mention him being in my room. “What’s going on?”
“Insomnia.”
“Uh-huh.” I gave him a narrow-eyed glance. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
Before he could defend himself or agree, my brother came into the office on a cloud of cold air and the faint smell of oil and gasoline. He stopped short at the sight of us. Then he sighed.
“Damn, he already gave you the keys, huh?”
I gave Vic another look, but the moment had passed. “Yep. No wrestling them away from me now.”
“Can’t you just hang out here and wait while I take a look at your car?” Cap asked.
“With Dennis gone I could use an extra set of hands,” Vic interjected.
He couldn’t have known, of course, about the dream I’d had. Or how it had made me feel. “Nah. Errands to run before I get to work. I promised Elaine I’d go to the store for her. Apparently we’re out of a lot of stuff.”
“Can you pick me up some stuff, too?” Cap asked.
I raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Toaster pastries. Half-and-half.”
The other brow went up. “Really? What the hell for, Captain?”
My brother winced at the use of his full first name. “Lyndsay likes it in her coffee, and I like them for snacks.”
I laughed, trying to get at him to poke his side, but he was so much bigger he fended me off without a problem. “You want me to pick up stuff for your—”
“Don’t say it,” Cap warned in a fierce enough tone to keep me from continuing. “She’s just my roommate.”
I was pretty sure that despite their every action designed to prove otherwise, Cap and Lyndsay were fucking like bunnies. No, not like bunnies. Like ninjas, all secretlike and only in the dark. I tempered my laughter. “Sure. I’ll drop it off here. Without Dennis around, it should be safe in the fridge. Hey, Cap…listen, you want to check out that new zombie flick sometime next week? The Risen, or whatever it’s called?”
“How come he gets to go and I don’t?” Vic asked, only half listening as he texted something.
“Because he’s single and you’re an old married fella with a pregnant wife at home, duh.” I turned to my brother. “You up for it?”
“Yeah, sure.” Cap shrugged his broad shoulders.
I paused, deciding how deep to stick the shiv. “You don’t have to ask Lynds first?”
Too far. Cap scowled. I backed off, hands up, an apology on my face and tongue, but not really in my heart. He’d have to own up to it sometime—that he was crazy in love with his roommate and she wasn’t so far from looney for him, too, even if neither would admit it.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, then.”
“In my car,” Cap said, with a resigned sigh that made Vic laugh.
“Unless you fix mine sooner.” I managed to get in a poking pinch my brother could’ve easily batted away, but allowed because I was older than him.
“It’ll be fixed,” he promised.
I punched his shoulder and waved at Vic, but he was too engrossed in his phone call to pay attention. In the parking lot, I revved the Mustang’s engine a few times just to get Cap all worked up. I refrained from spinning the tires or doing a doughnut, though, just to prove I didn’t have to be a total dweeb. By
“Never mind.” The dream had unsettled me. It wasn’t Vic’s fault, though maybe he’d prompted it by his unexpected little drive-by through my room. “Listen. What’s going on with you?”
“What? Me? Nothing. Why?” He sounded genuinely confused.
“You’re not sleeping,” I pointed out, adding, before he could jump in, “and yeah, I know. I’m not your mother. Or your wife. Old news. Your mother doesn’t live with you, and poor Elaine’s so exhausted she’d have no idea if you were in bed next to her or not. So I’m the only one who knows you’re up at all hours of the night.”
“It’s not all hours.”
“I hear you walking back and forth. I hear the floor creaking.” I paused, thinking about whether or not to mention him being in my room. “What’s going on?”
“Insomnia.”
“Uh-huh.” I gave him a narrow-eyed glance. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
Before he could defend himself or agree, my brother came into the office on a cloud of cold air and the faint smell of oil and gasoline. He stopped short at the sight of us. Then he sighed.
“Damn, he already gave you the keys, huh?”
I gave Vic another look, but the moment had passed. “Yep. No wrestling them away from me now.”
“Can’t you just hang out here and wait while I take a look at your car?” Cap asked.
“With Dennis gone I could use an extra set of hands,” Vic interjected.
He couldn’t have known, of course, about the dream I’d had. Or how it had made me feel. “Nah. Errands to run before I get to work. I promised Elaine I’d go to the store for her. Apparently we’re out of a lot of stuff.”
“Can you pick me up some stuff, too?” Cap asked.
I raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Toaster pastries. Half-and-half.”
The other brow went up. “Really? What the hell for, Captain?”
My brother winced at the use of his full first name. “Lyndsay likes it in her coffee, and I like them for snacks.”
I laughed, trying to get at him to poke his side, but he was so much bigger he fended me off without a problem. “You want me to pick up stuff for your—”
“Don’t say it,” Cap warned in a fierce enough tone to keep me from continuing. “She’s just my roommate.”
I was pretty sure that despite their every action designed to prove otherwise, Cap and Lyndsay were fucking like bunnies. No, not like bunnies. Like ninjas, all secretlike and only in the dark. I tempered my laughter. “Sure. I’ll drop it off here. Without Dennis around, it should be safe in the fridge. Hey, Cap…listen, you want to check out that new zombie flick sometime next week? The Risen, or whatever it’s called?”
“How come he gets to go and I don’t?” Vic asked, only half listening as he texted something.
“Because he’s single and you’re an old married fella with a pregnant wife at home, duh.” I turned to my brother. “You up for it?”
“Yeah, sure.” Cap shrugged his broad shoulders.
I paused, deciding how deep to stick the shiv. “You don’t have to ask Lynds first?”
Too far. Cap scowled. I backed off, hands up, an apology on my face and tongue, but not really in my heart. He’d have to own up to it sometime—that he was crazy in love with his roommate and she wasn’t so far from looney for him, too, even if neither would admit it.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, then.”
“In my car,” Cap said, with a resigned sigh that made Vic laugh.
“Unless you fix mine sooner.” I managed to get in a poking pinch my brother could’ve easily batted away, but allowed because I was older than him.
“It’ll be fixed,” he promised.
I punched his shoulder and waved at Vic, but he was too engrossed in his phone call to pay attention. In the parking lot, I revved the Mustang’s engine a few times just to get Cap all worked up. I refrained from spinning the tires or doing a doughnut, though, just to prove I didn’t have to be a total dweeb. By
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