Page 29

Chapter 29

Brodie

I did not, in fact, have dick breath when I met Carol, nor did I have sex hair. But I did have a case of nerves that wouldn’t settle. We were supposed to meet her for dinner and I’d half expected to walk into some place with a strict dress code. Of course I’d be thrown out. It would be embarrassing and Carol would hate me.

Instead, I found myself being led into a restaurant with a patio on the sidewalk and a chalkboard sign outside with the special of the day scrawled across it in hot pink chalk. My eyes drifted up to the sign and I found myself smiling.

“Pierre’s Poutine.” I cut my gaze over to Liam, who smirked at me. “Are you serious?”

“This place is legendary around here. Of course they have the proper traditional poutine. But, don’t tell the Canadians, they also have versions that are more than just gravy, fries, and cheese curd.”

“What happens if you tell the Canadians?”

“Every time a Canadian finds out that you bastardized their poutine, another Canada Goose is born.”

The banter helped settle my nerves and I crashed into Liam when he stopped suddenly. I hadn’t even noticed that he was leading me to a table where a single woman sat nursing a beer.

She’d been dressed in a suit, but her jacket was hanging off the back of her chair and the sleeves of her blouse were rolled up past her elbows.

“Little brother.” Carol got to her feet and wrapped Liam in an embrace. The top of her head came up to just under Liam’s chin, but the hug looked intense, like she was cracking ribs. She pulled away and gave Liam one final glance before her gaze swung over to me.

“Carol Lawson. You must be Brodie.” She extended her hand and I shook it, trying to recall everything I’d ever been told about how to give a good handshake. I should have practiced. Or at least rehearsed what I was going to say.

“That’s me.” The heat of a thousand volcanos flooded my cheeks. “I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Carol’s smile softened and after she released my hand, she took her seat again. Liam and I sat on the same side of the table. On any other occasion, it might have felt reassuring, but tonight it felt like I was on trial. Or at an interview.

“I hope you’re okay with my restaurant choice,” Carol said. “The last few times I’ve been out to eat have been for business and this kind of place isn’t suitable for business dinners.”

“Well, I don’t know the first thing about business dinners. I’d be happy anywhere. It’s all a write-off anyway.” Brodie said.

“Which is why they go to the places that cost the big bucks,” Liam said.

A server arrived and took our drink orders and promised to return with menus.

“Anyway, enough about that. How long are you two in the city for?” Carol took a sip of her drink. I think she was already aware of Liam’s plans, but wanted to hear it from him when she could look him in the eyes. “Are you going to show Brodie around?”

“If he would like that,” Liam hedged.

The Liam here was different from my Liam. I’d gotten a flash of him on our way in, but Boston Liam was subdued. It was like the melancholy met him on the tarmac and had clung to his bones ever since. There were clearly too many ghosts here for him.

“While I’m here, I wanted to discuss using a few members of the tech development team for a project.”

“Oh?” Carol leaned forward, suddenly all business. “Tell me about this project of yours.”

Our drinks arrived and Liam took a sip of his. I stared at mine and wondered if I should abstain or if I should slam the entire thing to take the edge off.

“It’s not technically my project, but the person the idea belongs to doesn’t have the resources I do and I said I’d help if I could.”

“Well, color me curious. What do you need them for? They’re all yours, of course, but I want to hear what captured your attention.”

I listened and poured over the menu while Liam outlined Clay’s project. They’d clearly been in touch since the initial conversation because the idea was a lot more fleshed out now.

It turned out that I loved hearing Liam in his element. I don’t think even he was aware of how much he came to life when he was in a situation that put his knowledge to use. He often came off as insecure about his own education and abilities. It might not have been a passion of his when he was in school, and he might still feel as though he let other people dictate his decisions, but helping Clay with the app had really brightened something inside of him.

I think Carol saw it too. As Liam chatted about it while we ordered, the longer he went on, the more she relaxed.

By the time our food arrived, Liam had secured her blessing along with her permission. And then her focus shifted.

I was just shoving a bite of pulled pork poutine—sorry, Canada—into my mouth when her eyes landed on me.

“And what do you do?” Her question came from genuine curiosity, but I still felt like an asshole, having nothing meaningful to respond with. Instead of trying to sound impressive, I went with being brutally honest.

“I mooch off my lottery-winning brother. I traveled a lot, which is how I met your brother. Before the lottery, I worked for minimum wage at a grocery store. I didn’t go to college because I watched my other brother, Kieran, drown in student loan debt. And I never knew what I’d do there anyway. It was too much money to just wing it, you know?”

“I respect that. It’s a big commitment, even if you don’t have to worry about the money.” Carol sounded far more accepting than I’d expected and I realized that maybe I’d judged her without knowing her. I’d decided that she’d automatically look down on me because I came from a different background than her and her brother. But she’d been nothing but kind. From the restaurant choice, to her losing her suit jacket to appear to be more casual. And then the way she seemed to honestly understand why someone with no money might not want to spend even more money they didn’t have.

“But right now, I’ll admit to being a bit directionless. Liam and I are both trying to figure out what’s next for us.”

The corners of Carol’s eyes crinkled when she smiled. “You’ll figure it out.”

“I thought of writing a book,” I said, suddenly feeling brave and a little foolish. “I saw all these famous places that were in movies and from books, and it always made me think, like, I could do that. But it’s not practical, I think.”

Carol lifted her beer to her mouth and took a sip. “Fuck practical. You love my brother. My brother loves you. My brother is loaded. Your brother is loaded. Why do you need to be practical? Will your brother let you starve? Likely not.”

You could have knocked me over with a feather. I sat in stunned silence as her words washed over me. Liam nudged me with his elbow.

“Your food is going to get cold,” he said.

I glanced at him and found a warm kind of humor in his eyes. He’d needed to come home and see his sister. As much as I wanted her approval, he’d needed it. And I think he’d always had it, but now he believed in it.

Being back here was painful for him, but I think it was starting to heal something in him. And I think he realized it too. That didn’t mean we were going to stick around for longer than planned. We had flights out the next morning and I had half a mind to see if there were any earlier ones.

We’d packed another bag for him before leaving for dinner. It contained a few personal items he didn’t want to send with the movers and more clothes. The boxes with Piper’s things in them, the ones he was willing to part with anyway, had been addressed and taped shut and were sitting on the counter back at his condo. He’d arrange for someone to ship them to John.

I’d asked Liam if he wanted any of his furniture and he’d laughed at me. More at himself now that I thought about it. He hadn’t picked anything in that place. Not a drop of decor or a single finish. He’d arranged to buy the furnishings from the company who’d staged the condo for showings.

It made me realize just how much he must have come to life since I met him. And why he was certain his sister would love me. Liam was different with me. Happier. Lighter. More sure of himself and his place in the world. I wasn’t sure if I was the cause. I think he’d been ready and we met at just the right time. I think the universe put us together for a reason.

I’d never put much stock in things like fate before. Life did what it was going to do and, for the most part, I’d always felt like I was just along for the ride. Even now that I’d found Liam, I still sometimes felt directionless, but at least with Liam I had someone to travel with. Even if our travels took us back to a one bedroom home the color of sunsets.

“Are you going to see John and Marsha while you’re here?” Carol asked carefully, stuffing a bite of food in her mouth afterward.

“No.” Liam’s voice was clipped and harsh. Not loud, but firm. “John left Marsha. He’s living with his brother at the moment. He’s trying to get Marsha into a therapist, but so far she’s been resistant. Her sister is with her right now. And honestly, after the scene at the hospital, I don’t want anything to do with them. I’d always thought that maybe I could help them, but they have to find their own way through.” Liam picked up his glass and drained his drink in a couple of large swallows.

Now more than ever, I wanted to leave Boston behind. It was the place Liam lost everything, including himself, and I didn’t see him ever finding peace here, let alone happiness.

With a skill that was effortless, Carol steered the conversation away from John and Marsha without further comment. More than anyone else, she had to be aware of the toll they had taken on him over the years. Hell, I knew and I’d known him for a fraction of his life. A blink, really.

When it was time to leave, Carol paid the bill and we trickled out onto the sidewalk together. Our hired car was still parked nearby and Liam shot a message to the driver letting him know to come get us.

Instead of shaking my hand, Carol hugged me. Her short frame was as strong as it had appeared when she’d squeezed the stuffing out of Liam.

“It was great meeting you,” she said as she pulled away. Liam was next to get hugged.

“Take the plane home,” Carol said to him. “It’s fueled up and waiting for you both at the hangar.”

“You have a plane?” I gaped at them.

Carol grinned. “It’s not Air Force One or anything, but it’ll get you home faster than commercial.”

“Come see us,” Liam told her. “Anytime you want. As often as you want.”

She brushed imaginary lint off Liam’s shoulder. “As if I need your permission, but thank you. When you’re both more settled, I’ll take some vacation time. I promise.”

Our car pulled up to the curb and Carol dove in for another quick hug from Liam before pulling away. “Get going, you two. Take care of each other.”

Liam opened the back door for me and I climbed inside with him right behind me. He watched Carol through the window as we pulled away, and I watched Liam until he could no longer see her. Then he turned to me and let out a breath. A year’s worth of tension bled out of him in a single sigh.

“I can’t wait to get home,” he said.

“Did I ever tell you how happy I am that you kept that postcard and used it to follow me home?”

Liam put his arm around me and pulled me into his side.

“I’d follow you anywhere.”