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I wanted to tell him to go back out in the rain, that no one inside cared to see him, but right then, his expression changed and my dad’s voice boomed behind me, “Dave, what are you doing out there in the rain? Come on in.” That was my dad for you: oblivious to the undertones of the conversation.
Then again, the same could be said of every adult in my life.
I stepped aside, standing beside my dad as Uncle Dave walked in. My mind spun. I didn’t know what to think, what to do, and it was only as my dad and Uncle Dave turned to go toward the living room that I remembered Brett.
Shit. This day just got a lot worse.
Chapter Ten – Brett
James walked in the living room first, followed by a stranger I’d never seen before. He looked vaguely like James, and I watched as Emily gave him a tight smile and said, “Dave. How are you?” She didn’t sound too thrilled, though I couldn’t imagine why.
“I’m good. How are you, Emily?” The man, Dave, spotted me next, and he wiped his hands on the sides of his jeans before asking, “And who’s this?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Emily spoke. “And you should ask Charlie who this is.”
Charlie, who, I noticed, hung back, under the archway between the living room and the hall. I immediately noticed something was off, because the way she looked… it was almost like she was going to be sick.
When her mom said that, she blinked and tried to straighten herself out, but I could tell she was uncomfortable with all the eyes in the room on her—even Dave’s, who’d dragged his stare off of me and landed it on Charlie.
I stood up and offered Dave my hand, causing his attention to snap back to me as I said, “I’m Ian, Charlie’s boyfriend.”
His gaze narrowed. His lips thinned somewhat, as if he wasn’t happy about me or my presence. He didn’t go to take my hand right away, and I hoped that wasn’t because he was in the process of recognizing me as Brett Banks.
A tense five seconds passed before Dave took my hand in his own and smiled at me. “Good to meet you, Ian. I’m Dave, Charlie’s favorite uncle.” He squeezed my hand harder than I was expecting, but that was fine, because the moment he started to squeeze, I did too. An invisible battle of strength. His hands were calloused, but mine had seen a lot more.
In the end, I think I won the handshake contest.
The front door opening caused our handshake to end, and Claire and Tyler filed into the house, shaking themselves off like wet dogs. Charlie’s parents shared a lingering look before going to greet their other daughter and her fiancé, which left me and Dave in the living room—and Charlie near the hall.
Why wasn’t she coming in? She almost looked uncomfortable.
My thoughts of Charlie were interrupted by Dave, who asked, “Ian, huh? You seem a little old for Charlie. How long you’ve been dating?”
I was much taller than him. I would not be intimidated or made to feel like I was nothing. I had at least half to three-quarters of a foot on him, so it was easy for me to stand tall. “A while.”
“That’s funny. I talk to my brother a lot, and he never mentioned you once.”
“Do you two talk about Charlie a lot?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Charlie greeting her sister and Tyler, but she was stiffer than she was before, almost like she was retreating into herself right before my eyes.
And the weirdest thing was, no one else was noticing it.
Dave flashed a smile at me, but the smile was cold and not the kind of smile I was used to getting from this family. “Believe it or not, yes. Charlie and Claire. They’re my only nieces, so I like to stay informed about their lives.” There was something about this man I didn’t like, but I couldn’t put my finger on it quite yet.
I couldn’t help it. I didn’t like this guy, so I brought up the one thing I probably shouldn’t. “So, I take it you heard what happened to Charlie’s ex?”
“Yeah, pity. I met the boy a few times. He seemed like a good kid.”
“It’s a shame bad things can happen to good people,” I told him.
Before either of us had a chance to say anything else, the others crowded in the room. Claire and Tyler greeted me, and then plopped down on the couch on the far end. Charlie eventually found her way back to my side, and I set a hand on her back and lowered my head to whisper, “You okay?”
Her parents were too busy talking to Claire still, so I didn’t think they heard. The only one who might’ve heard was Dave—and something about him didn’t sit right with me, so I didn’t give a shit.
Her dark brown eyes were wide as she glanced at me, and she bit her bottom lip and nodded once. She didn’t say a word as we retook our position on the couch next to Claire and Tyler. That left the recliner—which her dad claimed—and the kitchen chairs that were brought in. Emily and Dave took up the chairs.
Claire leaned forward, eyes on Dave. “Uncle Dave, I didn’t think we’d see you today.” Her engagement ring sparkled on her left hand, a similar diamond on her neck. If I had to guess, another present from her fiancé. Tyler was quiet, but he did set his hand on Claire’s knee, a display of affection, some might say.
Me? I called that a display of possession.
