AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And happy old age, big sis,” says one of two men who’ve appeared beside us.
Charlotte splutters on her champagne. “Oh my God.” She coughs. “Dan! Brody!”
She stands and they have a three-way sibling hug.
Once Dan’s swung his sister around and set her down again, he pats me on the shoulder. “This fella invited us to your birthday lunch.”
“Elliot.” She tries to look cross, but she can’t tame her wide grin or the sparkle in her eyes. “I said no fuss.”
“It’s not a fuss. It’s just your brothers,” I tell her.
“And do I look like I’ve made much effort?” Brody asks, pointing to his ripped jeans, scuffed sneakers, and faded Nirvana T-shirt.
She pokes him in the arm. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you’re in town?”
“Because I wasn’t.” He pushes back his sun-bleached California surfer hair. “This boyfriend of yours flew me out.”
Charlotte tips her head and smirks at me. “And you don’t call flying my brother in from San Diego a fuss?”
I smile, shrug, and beckon a server for two more glasses.
It’s the first time I’ve seen the three of them together, and it makes me wonder if this is what people see when they look at me, Max, and Connor. Three people who are inextricably linked, tied together with a bond that would have one walking through fire to help another. Three people who know each other better than anyone else on the planet knows them. And three people who can irritate the living daylights out of each other at the drop of a hat.
“A toast,” Dan says, holding up his drink. “To my big sis. And to the new guy here, who’s put that big smile on her face.”
“To sis and the new guy,” Brody says.
Charlotte beams as our glasses meet above the center of the table. “Yeah, to the new guy.”
“That was great.” Dan nudges his plate away and stretches back in his chair, rubbing his belly. “This place is great too.” He looks up at the wood-beamed ceiling of the old printing factory that houses the pub. “I’ve had Toasted Tomato beer before, but never been to one of the pubs.”
“Yeah. Sweet that you’re almost related to a brewery, Charl,” Brody says, draining his glass.
Charlotte flinches. “Almost related might be taking it a bit far.”
I’m about to say she’s already part of the family when Brody jabs her with his elbow. “Oh, come on. I’ve never seen you as happy as I have in the last hour and a half.”
I’m not sure any other sentence could delight me more—the people who’ve known her all her life have never seen her as happy as she is right now.
“And about time too.” Dan folds his arms, leans forward onto the table, and looks at me seriously. “You know neither of us would be where we are now without Charlotte, don’t you?”
I nod. “I do.” A warm rush of pride fills me as I reach over and take her hand.
“Oh, hell, yeah,” Brody says. “I might still be in traction, with zero hope of ever swimming with turtles.”
Charlotte squeezes my fingers as her eyes flash between Dan and Brody. “Neither of you have ever said anything like that before.”
“Yup.” Dan gives her a knowing nod. “We are definitely a pair of ungrateful, unappreciative assholes.”
“But we’re ungrateful, unappreciative assholes who are actually very grateful and appreciative,” Brody tells her.
“We know what you gave up for us,” Dan says. “We were just too young and selfish to understand at the time.”
“And even if we had understood, we’d never have been able to express it,” Brody adds.
“So you’re all warm and fuzzy and touchy-feely now?” Charlotte grabs Brody’s face and puckers up as if she’s about to give him a big kiss.
He shoves her away.
