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“For being a nobody, he’s got great taste in flowers. And ladies,” he says. “Good for you, Bailey. How long have I been saying you need to get out and have a social life? Even if it’s just for a night, you need to have some fun. You’re young, kid.”
“It’s not what you think,” I say and snatch the card back from him.
He laughs. “Judging by this bouquet and that card, I’d say it’s exactly what I think.”
“It’s really not.”
“Then what is it?”
I open my mouth to speak but the words just fall away, my face heating up again. That sets Ian cackling. All I can do is roll my eyes and blush like an idiot. Ian stares at the card again for a long moment, and I see him putting the pieces together in his mind. And when I see the knowing glint in his eyes, I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting the urge to crawl into a hole.
“This wouldn’t be Ben Givens, LA’s newest point guard, now, would it?” he asks.
Before I can reply, I become aware of the excited whispers rippling through the newsroom around me. I’ve only ever heard that sort of animated murmuring when we’ve had a celebrity passing through our office.
My heart leaps into my throat, thinking for a moment that Ben is following up his flower delivery with an in-person visit. But when I see my brother looking down at me over my cubicle wall, my heart drops into my stomach and much like breathing or blinking, the corners of my mouth pull downward like an involuntary reaction.
That explains the excited conversations around me. Eric Greene has been a sports star here in LA ever since his days starring at USC. Of course, everybody knows who he is. And given that this is the sports office, of course, everybody is excited to see him live and in the flesh. I’m less excited. I love my brother, but most days, I don’t like him very much. To say our relationship is complicated feels like a vast understatement.
“Gee, don’t look so happy to see me, sis,” he says with a grin.
“What are you doing here, Eric? I’m working.”
“I-I’m just going to let you two catch up,” Ian says with a grimace. “I’ll catch up with you later, Bailey.”
I want to tell him to stay, but he’s gone before I can utter a syllable. Bastard.
“Who are the flowers from?” Eric asks.
“What are you doing here?”
“Had the afternoon off. Thought I’d take my favorite little sister to lunch.”
“I’m your only sister. And why? What do you want?”
He grins and shakes his head. “Do I need a reason to take you to lunch?”
“Honestly? Yeah. You do. It’s not like we get along all that well.”
He sighs. “That’s something I want to change, Bailey.”
“Why? You’ve never given a shit about me before.”
“That’s not true,” he says sharply. “If anything, I’ve given too much of a shit about you.”
“If by giving too much of a shit you mean trying to control every facet of my life, then yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
He opens his mouth to argue but hesitates and closes it again. Eric draws a breath and lets it out slowly, taking a couple of beats to gather himself.
“I don’t want to argue,” he says. “I just… I realized that with Mom and Dad gone, you’re the only family I have left, and I don’t want us to be like this.”
I sit back in my chair and look closely at my brother. He looks and sounds sincere, and despite my best efforts, I feel the wall of ice around my heart start to melt. It’s just a trickle but compared to what my feelings for my brother have been for years now, it’s a torrent and I feel myself start to soften.
“I don’t want us to be like this either,” I say.
He smiles and walks into my cube, pulls me to my feet, and throws his arms around me. It’s the first hug I’ve shared with my brother since the day of our parents’ funeral, and I have to admit, it’s unexpected but feels nice.
“So, where are we going for lunch? Your pick. We’ll go wherever you want to go, Bails.”
