AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’re not after the same girl,” I protested while Leo shrugged as if in admission of what Ethan was suggesting.
“We never fought over a girl,” Leo pointed out.
“That is true,” Ethan admitted. “I still can’t understand why two grown men who are so different in every other respect seem to have the exact same taste in women.”
“The best taste,” Leo said, “that’s not the flex you think it is, that you don’t go for the same kind of girls we do. It shows how ordinary you are.”
“Ordinary?” he asked dismissively. “Rebecca was a Fulbright scholar.”
“That’s exactly what any sane man is looking for,” Leo quipped. “Someone terrifyingly smarter than them.”
“I admit Rebecca was, at times, terrifying. But far from ordinary.”
“True,” I said. “You don’t usually get to meet the Wicked Queen in real life.”
“The one from Snow White?” Leo asked. “Yeah, I can see that about her.”
“Yes, it’s strange that she didn’t ever like our family,” he said wryly, “with such friendly and understanding brothers.”
“Wasn’t she gluten-free?” I ribbed.
“She said the gluten caused inflammation that could affect her thinking. Something about her language processing being sluggish if she had gluten I think,” Ethan said, sounding mystified.
“She was definitely not one that Noah and I looked at twice,” Leo said as he selected a Rocky Patel as usual.
“I’m going to try the H. Uppman No. 2,” I said and nodded to my older brother. “Your fault for sending me that Top 25 from Cigar Aficionado. I couldn’t sleep the other night, so I read it.”
“Did it put you to sleep?”
“No. It made me curious about Uppman.”
“Stress over the promotion?” He asked.
“Always,” I replied. “I think if I ever relax and feel like I’ve done enough then I might as well quit.”
“Buy an island and retire there?” Ethan said.
“I’m not quite that advanced.”
“You got me a thirty-one percent return last year. I’d say you’re good at what you do.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling proud that Ethan trusted me with his investments and had confidence in my skill.
“Hey, bro, you know when I get some money that’s not tied up in the farmhouse, I’ll invest it with you,” Leo chimed in, eating the last of the olives.
“It means a lot,” I said to them both.
The lamp at our table lit to signal that our cigars were ready in the lounge. We left our drinks and headed for the private room of generous club chairs and paneled walls hung with the style of equestrian and hunting dog paintings one might expect to find in an English manor. The first velvety curls of smoke rose from my cigar as I drew on it slowly, sinking back in my chair.
“I take back what I said about you picking snooty places to have a drink, Ethan,” I said with a sigh of appreciation. “This is the life.”
“Glad you finally recognize my wisdom, little brother,” he chuckled. Leo puffed on his cigar and stretched out his long legs.
“I can’t complain either. Remind me again how much a membership costs?” Leo said.
Ethan named the figure and Leo’s eyebrows shot up. He gave a low whistle.
“That was some thank-you gift,” he said.
