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Really?I shake my head at him.

“My daughter is beautiful!” Oh, I’ve seen that same murderous, protective look in all my brothers’ eyes, too many times to count.

“Sure. Sure. My friend here thinks his inside-out hamster is beautiful too.” As soon as the last insult leaves Lori’s mouth, I grab his shoulders and push him away from the woman.

“We are sorry,” I tell her before dragging Lori away.

He tries to turn around, but I keep yanking him toward the diner.

“What?” He huffs. “You wanted me to lie to her?”

“No. Just avoid talking next time.”

“I can’t; my mouth is an independent being, the bitchy, slutty kind.”

I snort. “Stop making me laugh. You’re not being fair.”

“Your face is not fair.” He laces his arm with mine, another fake pout on his lips.

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Not everything does. Sometimes I hate being an adult,” he mutters.

“Because you’re not one.” I give him a little smirk. “You’re a… What does Rami call you?” I search my memories, trying to remember.

“Gremlin? Unhinged squirrel? Satan’s pet?”

I can’t stifle a laugh. Lori is a mischievous force of nature. “Oh, the sass master!”

“I don’t have the faintest idea where that comes from,” he feigns ignorance. “But me likey. Sass master.” He repeats the nickname a couple of times, as if he enjoys the sound of it. I don’t think my brother thought of it as a compliment, though.

“And Albert E.is a hairless guinea pig, not a hamster,” I remind him about my pet.

“He still looks inside out,” Lori retorts unapologetically. It doesn’t matter, because Albert E. is the cutest in my eyes.

I look at the diner’s red doors across the street; the sign reading Marnie’s looks discolored.

“Couldn’t we have gone to a spa? I’m in need of a sauna. I have toxins to sweat out,” he complains.

“You can’t sweat out toxins. Sweating can actually cause your kidneys to retain water, preventing your body from eliminating toxins.”

“So I’ve been following another new age crapola. Fantastic.”

The bell above the door announces our arrival as I push one door open and take a step inside the diner.

Marnie’s is a throwback to the last century, with Formica tables, vinyl chairs and booths, and the smell of greasy but delicious dishes filling the air. I instantly love it. A big-haired middle-aged woman is behind the counter wearing a light blue waitress uniform with a white apron tied around her generous hips.

The place is empty except two tables—one of which is occupied by Michael, Ollie, and Rami.

The waitress doesn’t look up from the magazine she’s reading as she says, “Sit anywhere; I’ll be with you in a sec.”

I follow Lori making our way to the others, and as we pass by another table, I overhear part of the conversation the two people sitting there are having.

“It’s only been two months since she dumped you,” the woman is saying to her friend.

“Well, I haven’t had sex in months. I’m so pent up. Can I even remember how is it done?” the guy replies, all grumbly.

I swallow hard thinking about my situation and am so lost in my thoughts, I almost hit Lori’s back as he stops near their table.