Page 46 of Floodgates

“It’s not your fault, idiot,” he barked over at me.

I nodded as he reached me and let him wrap me in his arms and hold me tight against him.

“Hey, buddy, get your goddamn hands off my brother.”

Evan pulled back, and his smile for Alex was radiant. They hugged hard, and Evan left his hand on the back of Alex’s neck when they let go. Both pairs of eyes turned to me suddenly, and I waited.

“Here,” Alex said, holding out the tea for me to take. I noticed he had even put the little protective piece of cardboard around the cup, so I wouldn’t get burned. Damn nice of him.

I took a sip and sighed before returning my gaze to my brother. “Thank you.”

After several minutes of staring, Evan finally spoke. “You feel okay?” he asked me, his voice soft, concern clear in his tone.

“As good as can be expected,” I sighed. “C’mon, let’s go, I’m beat.” I watched Alex take Evan’s carry-on and swing it over his shoulder before turning to go.

Evan walked between us, his arm around my shoulders and his left hand still on the back of Alex’s neck. I watched people see us, trying to figure it out. Was he Alex’s lover or mine? Alex and I sort of matched in our faded jeans and casual attire, but Mr. GQ didn’t resemble either of us. He could have walked out of an ad for Calvin Klein. All he owned were labels: Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Armani, Cole Haan, Versace, Kenneth Cole. Not a pair of Levi’s in there anywhere. And so we got the staring that usually went along with traveling with Evan.

I sat in the back once we got to the car, and I fell asleep on the ride to my dad’s place in Sausalito. I woke up to Evan telling my dad that he was being ridiculous.

“What?” I yawned, stretching before I realized how sore I was. “Ow, ow, ow.” I winced.

“You want a pill?” Alex asked from the driver’s seat.

“Yes, please, kind sir,” I said, catching his eye in the rearview mirror.

“In the small zipper pocket in my jacket I’ve got your eight-hundred-milligram ibuprofen, and there should be an Evian back there on the seat or on the floorboard next to my duffel.”

“Thanks.” I scrambled around and found the water and my pill and took it before leaning forward between their seats. “What’s going on with Dad?”

“He’s got that lady friend of his over at the house,” Evan told me, “and he’s trying to get rid of her before we get there.”

“Why?”

“Because he wants to focus all his attention on you, and he doesn’t think this is the best time for us all to meet her.”

“I, for one, am dying to meet her,” I told them both. “I have been trying to get him to invite me over when she’s there for almost a month now.”

“Yeah, but, Tracy, it’s not the best fuckin’ time,” Alex reminded me. “We should maybe do it when you’re feeling better.”

“It will get my mind off other stuff.”

“I’ll talk to you, and you can watch TV. We don’t need company,” he groused.

I turned and looked at Evan and fixed him with a continuous stare. It took him a minute, but he suddenly got it, and I saw the recognition in his eyes. “Oh, you’re kidding,” he said warmly, curving his lips into a smile before he chuckled.

“What?” Alex asked, interested.

I turned back and looked at his profile. “You don’t want to meet this woman because you don’t want Dad to date.”

“What?” he said defensively, his voice higher than I knew he wanted it to be.

“Alex,” I began. “You––”

“Why don’t you have your seat belt on? That’s against the law.”

“Really?” I asked, my voice steeped in sarcasm.

“Lean back and buckle up.”