Page 29 of The Other Brother

I was excited to see my friends. But now they’re here, I kind of want them to go home so it can be just Cody and me again. I wasn’t expecting scrutiny of our friendship. I don’t know why I’m feeling defensive. We’re allowed to be friends.

The barbecue is on the back deck. Fitting in with everything in this place, it is pushing the boundaries of what a barbecue is. It’s more like an outdoor kitchen.

I turn the knob, and the gas flickers to life.

I chuck a bunch of sausages on the grill. They remind me of sunbathers on a beach, all lined up and ready to get burnt to a crisp.

Mia comes out to talk to me as I’m focusing on not burning anything. It involves a very disciplined regimen of turning the sausages and burger patties regularly.

“This is a cool place to hang out for summer,” she says, looking around.

Through the gaps in the sand dunes, the sun is just starting to set over the ocean. The whole thing looks like a postcard.

“Yeah, it’s been great.”

“Cody’s friends with Jamie Anderson, right?” she asks.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I thought I recognized him. He’s the guy who hooked up with Angie at Jamie’s birthday party.”

I accidentally stab a sausage. “He hooked up with Angie?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you see? They were all over each other.”

“Nah. I was late to Jamie’s party.” Obviously too late to observe the entertainment of Cody and Angie together. Angie Baker is a stunning redhead with an incredible body that she enjoys sharing. The thought of Cody pressed up against her, Cody kissing her, has me jabbing at the burger patties viciously.

Shit.

Mia’s watching me, and I know she’s clocked my reaction.

“Damn, I thought Angie was saving herself for me,” I say.

Mia smirks. “I know. It’s hard to believe she’s not.”

“You want to grab some of those burger patties?” I ask.

“Sure.”

As Mia helps me cook, we have a debate about the best barbecue food. I’m giving an impassioned speech on how barbecued corn on the cob is epic, but part of my mind is still caught up on her revelation.

Cody and Angie. The thought sits like a splinter in my brain, growing more and more infected as the minutes tick by.

I dart a look through the living room window at the girls Cody’s invited tonight. Beth, Sara, Whitney. Is he hoping to get together with one of them? Am I going to watch Cody hooking up with someone tonight?

I know I shouldn’t care.

But I’m fairly sure the hollow feeling in my stomach isn’t just because I’m hungry.

As we eat and then head to the beach for a bonfire, I’m watching Cody and the girls closely, trying to work out if something is going on with any of them.

Beth seems like a typical private school snob with straight blonde hair she keeps tossing around like she’s some kind of show pony. Whitney’s stunning, a Pacific Island goddess with a mass of black curls and a loud laugh. Sara’s more the girl-next-door type, but if you look closer, she’s pretty with light brown hair and clear blue eyes. She has a quiet laugh, and when Cody sits on a log next to her, she stretches out her long legs so they line up next to his.

My stomach twists, and I stare at the bonfire. It’s growing now, the driftwood crackling and spitting as the fire consumes it.

To distract myself from the thoughts that seem intent on consuming my brain, I grab the guitar Cody’s brought and strum "Wagon Wheel."

After a minute, I’m aware the conversation amongst my friends has completely died. When I glance up, Oz’s mouth is literally hanging open. He could take a stroll out in the ocean and catch sharks in that thing.