Page 155 of Lavish

“Bad time, Short Stack?” I asked dryly.

Noelle didn’t answer. She just pushed past us and got into her car, tires spinning out as she drove away.

“I can come back,” I told him.

He stared longingly after Noelle, ignoring me. “What do you want?”

“Don’t hook up with Noelle. I told you thatyearsago.”

“I know,” Erik snapped.

I stood on the porch, and sucked my teeth as I rocked back and forth on my heels. “You gonna let me in or what?”

Erik sent me a look before he turned, stalking back into his house. I followed with a chuckle, closing the door behind me.

“Your place is still dark as hell. You need to add some color,” I muttered, following him down the hall. On his walls were pictures of his family. Serena, Laurene, Gigi at various ages in their youth. Some of his old football trophies, college degrees. A big photo of their late grandpa Ben.

Erik entered the kitchen and reached into the fridge. He popped the cap off his beer and slid one across the counter. I caught it, tapped it twice against the edge, and twisted it open. “Serena told you.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, it might have slipped out,” I said, tanking the bottle. “So are we calling a truce, or just an extended timeout?”

“Truce implies we’re on the same side.” He shifted his weight, taking a sip of his beer.

“We always made better partners than rivals. Who else is gonna keep you in line, man?” I took a swig of the bottle. “Who else kept your ass from throwing hands at the country club every time some old-ass man looked at your mom sideways?”

Erik gave me a small smile.

“C’mon,” I goaded him. “You know I’m right.”

His expression furrowed. “You’re still fucking around with Victor?”

“I’m trying to get rid of him,” I stressed. “I learned my lesson the first time.”

“Did you?”

“Maybe we just start over.” I nodded.

He leaned back against the counter, arms folded. “Start over? After what happened?”

“We both did what we thought we had to do.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared into his beer.

“You were right to do it,” I said. “About my dad. I hated you for it…but you were right.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was angry, man. Your dad was outta control. You knew it. You just didn’t want to deal with it.”

“I didn’t knowhowto deal with it,” I admitted. “I was trying to hold the pieces together. Pretend it wasn’t that bad.”

Erik gave me a long look.

“I appreciate you, Erik. You were the only real friend I had. To actually call things out, to try to help me. I needed that more than ever, just to have someone in my corner.”

“You were my brother.”

“You’re stillmybrother,” I corrected him.