“Would you guys quit it? We’re grown men!”
“Then act like it,” Adam demands, leveling me with a glare. “First you were off because of things with the league. We get it; coming home is tough, and it takes a while to get adjusted. But you found a job, agoodjob where you get to work with kids to keep doing what you love. So why the fuck are you moping?”
I don’t appreciate being scolded by my baby brother, but he’s only the youngest on paper. He’s further along than any of us in relationship terms, though Henry isn’t far behind. I wonder how long until Cory pops the—
“He’s doing it again,” Cory says with a sigh. “Tuning us out in the middle of a conversation.” He turns to me. “Are you ADD, dude?”
“No,” I answer automatically, though I’ve never checked. Getting my bachelor’s like Dad demanded was damn near painful; I always preferred hands-on learning over being glued to a desk. Maybe IamADD?
“I went out with Kendra last night,” I admit quietly.
Cory snorts and digs into the cooler for a Gatorade.
“Was it a real date this time, or are you two still making things unnecessarily complicated?”
Like a Rubik’s Cube.I can’t believe I ever thought things between us could be simple.
“Who are we talking about?” Henry asks, giving up the charade that we’ll actually go back to playing instead of skipping straight to post-game drinks.
“Kendra Gray,” Cory answers, still giving me the side-eye.
Henry frowns.
“You better not be messing her over. She’s been through more than enough.”
I bristle at his chastising tone.
“Of course not. You think I would mess her over after everything that Andre asshole did?”
“I can’t discuss details of the case,” Henry replies, snapping into lawyer mode. Then he sees my face and softens. “But I think it’s safe to call Andre an asshole, yes.”
He looks me over, suddenly impressed.
“Kendra Gray, huh? You did good, kid. She’s an amazing woman.”
“And cute,” Adam adds, though he averts his eyes when I frown at him.
“It’s no big deal,” I lie, trying to seem nonchalant. I’d much rather shout it from the top of the Empire State Building, but I doubt Kendra would want me getting into details with my brothers. Especially given how strangely last night ended…
“No big deal?” Cory scoffs. “You’ve been drooling over the woman since the day you two met!”
“Longer if you count when he was still living in Spain,” Adam mutters, then stops cold. I told him about the billboard in confidence, and he just blurted it out to everyone!
Two pairs of eyes look back and forth between Adam and me, shocked.
“Sorry, man,” he says with a wince. “It just slipped out.”
I sigh, resigned to letting them in on the whole pathetic saga. As much as I can while respecting her privacy, anyway. I don’tmention my suspicions about her assault, or say anything about Andre they couldn’t read online, but I do tell them about the billboard, that night in Little Italy, The Met.
They listen with rapt attention, asking clarifying questions like,Did you seriously go to all her shows in the city?(Yes, like a stalker),When did the billboard first go up?(Almost two years ago now.), andWhy didn’t you take her home that first night?I laid everything out, right up until I left her apartment last night.
“I’m sorry, but that was a major fumble,” Adam says, shaking his head.
“What are you talking about?” Cory cuts in. “She literally told him that last night was a fluke and she wasn’t looking for anything serious.”
Ouch!Hearing it put so bluntly is doing a number on my ego.
“I hate to agree with Cory,” Henry says, wiping the back of his neck with a towel, “but she hasn’t even been divorced a year. Getting into a relationship now isn’t the best idea.”
