I stifled a shout as Jack rammed his foot into my shin full force.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up, Dean, and worry about your own love life? Or lack thereof.”
I shoved out of my chair, sliding it across the kitchen floor with a loud squeak.
“Ow, Jack! Jesus! I was just saying you two should probably get your shit together and actually start doing that whole communicating thing Gran was talking about. ’Cause the last time I checked, you sort of sucked at it.”
Jack stood up and pushed his face inches from mine, breathing hard. I tensed and braced myself, worried for a moment that my own brother was going to hit me.
“You’re being a real asshole, Dean, you know that?” A muscle jumped in his jaw, telling me I’d struck a nerve.
“Jack! Sit! Down!” Cassie yelled as she tugged at the hem of Jack’s shirt.
“Let’s go,” he gritted out, and Cassie scowled at him.
“What? No. We haven’t even done the dishes and—”
“We’re leaving. I’ll do the dishes when I get back,” he shot back, acting like a little bitch.
Cassie sighed and gave me an embarrassed smile. “‘Night, Dean.”
“‘Night, Cass. Sorry.” I shrugged, feeling a little bad about the conversation and hoping she didn’t hate me, but her smile told me she didn’t.
After they left, I looked around at the mess in the kitchen. As my way of apologizing without saying sorry, I rinsed all the dishes off before putting them in the dishwasher. At least when Jack got home, he’d know I wasn’t intentionally trying to start a war with him. I’d truly been surprised to hear that they hadn’t talked about any of those things.
June was right around the corner, and then what?
I’d already started to feel like Cass was a sister to me. I didn’t want to lose her either.
Take It to the Head
Even though I swore I wasn’t going to apologize to my brother, I still did. I hated the idea of anything being off between us. Aside from Gran and Gramps, he was all I had in this world, and I needed him on my side.
Jack forgave me easily, telling me that I only pissed him off because I was right and he hadn’t wanted to hear it. I told him that I hoped him and Cassie talked about everything before it happened from now on. He told me to stop being such a know-it-all when I didn’t know shit about being in a relationship. I wanted to argue with him, but he was right.
On Friday afternoon a couple of days later, Jack poked his head into my doorway, his keys in his hand. “Tonight, we’re going to Matt’s place to hang out before the softball game. You in?”
Since the baseball team only had practice this week and no games, Jack had been asked to throw out the first pitch for the school’s softball team. It was good PR, or so he said, so he’d agreed to it.
“Yeah. Should I just meet you there?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m going over to Cassie’s now, and then we’ll probably head there together later. I’m trying to convince her to come straight to the game with me, but she keeps telling me no.”
“Sounds like your girlfriend,” I said with a grin. “What time?”
“About six. And that’s good because if she doesn’t come with me, then I want her to be with you, Dean. You understand what I’m saying?” He leaned against my door frame.
“Not really. You want me to babysit your girlfriend?”
“No. I want you to make sure you don’t leave her alone on the walk there. I want to know that if she isn’t with me, she’s with the only other person in the world I trust. Okay?”
I grinned back, happy that he needed me. “Okay. You got it.”
“Good.”
As he turned to go, I asked, “Do you think Melissa will come?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. You should invite her. I’m out,” he said, jangling his keys on his way out the door.
I pulled out my phone and sent Melissa a text.
Dean: Come out with us tonight. Please?
Melissa: Can’t. I’m heading home for the weekend. Next time?
Dean: I’m holding you to that.
Melissa: I dare you. :)
That girl. She turned me into a sap with a three-word text message. She knew what she did to me, and she toyed with me at every turn.
Damn it, I wished she was going to be in town.
• • •
At Matt’s front door, I could hear the rowdy shouts from inside, so I didn’t bother knocking. I just opened the door and stepped inside Jack’s teammate’s apartment.
“Dean!” the group of five baseball players all shouted at me in unison.
“Dude, where’s your brother?” Matt looked up from the kitchen table where they were playing some sort of drinking game that involved cards.
“Probably with his girlfriend,” I said with a shrug.
“It’s so fucking weird that Jack has a girlfriend. You know that, right?” he asked before downing a shot, his face contorting into a grimace as he gulped it down.
“It was at first,” I said, but it actually wasn’t weird at all anymore. What would be weird would be them not being together. I hated the idea.
“Come play with us,” Ryan insisted as he stared at the cards in his hands.
I moved to a small space at the table as Matt’s girlfriend, Jamie, brought me an extra chair. “Thanks,” I said before she wandered back into the kitchen area.