Page 47 of Last Fall

And while she was the reason I got Zoe here, I really wished Belle would disappear. “Little sister.” I pulled her against my side and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’d like you to meet my friend Zoe. She’s awriter.”

All five-foot-ten of my tall, slender, raven-haired sister tensed. “It’s nice to meet you Zoe. What kind offriendare you,exactly?”

“You little shit.” I clamped down on her hip. “Thefriendkind. Zoe used to work for Eve and Jake. She watched their littlegirls.”

“Oh yes! Max and Sam. I remember now.” She forcefully pulled away from me to shake Zoe’s hand. “My brother has always had a soft spot for kids. At first I was jealous he’d found a new family but then I realized he just missed me.” She batted her lashes and I pushed down the urge to put her in one of my usual brotherlyheadlocks.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Erik tells me youwritesome?”

Damn, Zoe was good. Broaching the subject right away but without the aggressiveness I tended toattackwith.

“I enjoy it,” Bellehedged.

“Well let’s grab a drink and talkwords.”

Zoe took it from there. As if she were born to mentor worried, budding writers. She guided my sister into a corner and babbled away for several minutes. I gave them space because as much as I wanted to plaster myself to Zoe, I really did want her to talk some sense into mysister.

“Who’s the hottie?” Riley asked as he shoved a fresh beer into myhands.

“Offlimits.”

So of course that only made him grin. “Youlikeher.”

I didn’tanswerthat.

“Youreallylike her. Wow. And you sent her off with the hellcat. You’re either stupid or so fucked up over her that you’re diving deep and fast to get itoverwith.”

I shot him a look that I hoped would shuthimup.

Itdidn’t.

“You haven’t introduced a girlfriend to the family since Jack and Berlin’s divorce so this has tobebig.”

“She’s not my girlfriend and it has nothing to dowithJack.”

It had everything to do with Jack. My brother’s divorce hit him hard and the last thing I wanted to do was poke that hornet’s nest. It also really hit home how sick I was of dating women I didn’t feel a connection with. The last few years it had been one wonderful but-not-right woman afteranother.

Laurie was the only one who I’d sparked with and even that had fizzled fast. Watching Jack and Berlin drift apart, seeing how hollow my brother was without his other half, I knew what I wanted and that I wasn’t bringing her home until Iwassure.

“If she’s not your girl why are you watching her like you’ll kill anyone who goesnearher?”

Aw fuck. I tore my eyes off her smile and pointed them straight at Riley. “Cuz looking atyouhurts.”

He didn’t buy it but he let it go. “Jack’sstressed.”

At thirty-four my brother was currently the youngest coach in the league by a significant margin, and so far the youngest coach toevermake it through more than one season with his job. This was make-or-break time for him though. The Pythons needed to come hard and win big if he wanted to keep management happy. “You telling me to talktohim?”

Riley shrugged. “Just keep in touch. You’re both so busy at this time of year I know it’s hard, and he’ll never say it, but he needs you. I can’t say the things he needs to hear because I don’t know whattheyare.”

I got that loud and clear. Jack was sitting on the top of a mountain all on his own. That meant he had no one to talk to. At least no one who understood the kind of pressure you get from a team that’s looking up at you, management that’s looking down on you, and a family that justmissesyou.

“I’ll keeponhim.”

He slapped my back. “Thanks.”

The teams came out on the ice and everyone took seats to watch the opening theatrics but Zoe and Belle stayed put, heads together, smiling and talking away as if they were long lostfriends.

It did things to my insides to see those two. Twisty things that made me happy and sad at the same time. Especially when I saw Belle sigh and Zoeshakehead.