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CHAPTER 14
Sutton
“I really appreciate you coming out here, Brian. It means a lot to Mark and me.”
I could see the flush rise on Brian’s cheeks as I grabbed a box of cereal and plopped down beside him at the new kitchen table. Mark came in after me and kissed the top of my head.
“You’re embarrassing him, Sutton,” he murmured against my hair, loud enough for Brian to hear.
“You’re not,” Brian tried to protest, and I got the impression that he rarely got praise. “I am here for you and the baby.”
Mark laughed. “But my sorry ass can take care of itself?”
Brian’s eyes, so very similar to Mark’s, narrowed until you only saw a slit of silver. “I should hope so. You are a grown ass man.”
Mark rolled his eyes and grabbed a bowl to sit beside me.
“It’s understandable that you would want to keep your nephew safe.”
Brian blinked and then slowly smiled.
It occurred to me then that he hadn’t considered the baby a part of his family. It pissed me off to no end that Mark’s father didn’t acknowledge Brian. He was a good man and didn’t deserve the shitty father he was given.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Brian asked as he ate his cereal.
“Sutton’s alleged cousin is supposed to be coming today,” Candice answered as she walked into the kitchen.
Brian’s eyes were glued to her full breasts underneath her nightshirt that clearly were not corralled into a bra.
Mark elbowed me, and I got him right back.
“Maybe the two of you could take some time to get Brian acquainted with Otterville Falls,” Mark suggested. “It’s important that he knows the area.”
As far as matchmaking went, I thought it was fairly obvious, and what was worse is that Mark had tried to feed me all that bullshit about staying out of other people’s affairs, and here he was shoving the two of them together.
Candice shrugged, a move that Brian watched with bated breath.
“Sure,” she said with a kind smile. “I would be happy to show you about.”
Brian nodded. “Thank you, I should be ready to go in about an hour. I have some work I need to get submitted and then I will be free.”
Candice glanced up at the new clock in the kitchen. “Sounds perfect. I will be ready.”
Brian stood to set his bowl in the sink and head back upstairs to his room. He was a few inches taller than Mark, and where Mark was ripped in a runner’s body kind of way, Brian looked more like one of those professional wrestlers.
However, when you looked at their faces, it was clear they were siblings. Even some of their mannerisms were the same. I knew that Mark hadn’t been close to Brian, but I wondered how much of that was because neither one knew how to bridge the gap.
“How did you sleep?” I asked Candice, noticing that she was yawning for the second time since she walked in.
“Pretty good. No sign of the spectral inmates, so that was good.”
Mark choked. “There is no such thing as ghosts.”
In unison Candice and I both said, “Of course not!” And then laughed, which Mark ruefully joined in.
“Are you alright with taking Brian around?” I asked Candice. “I know it’s been a few rough days.”
She looked up with clear eyes. “Actually, it will be nice to take my mind off other things. And Brian is a nice guy. I’ll introduce him in town so that he knows the regulars. And Martha does serve a fantastic burger or salad, so we will head there afterward. Do you want to meet up at Abberly’s?”