Rory takes her helmet off and my brother’s smile turns appreciative. “What’s a girl like you doing with a guy like my brother?”
I sigh. “Graham, this is my fiancée, Rory.”
Rory offers him a chin lift.
“Nice. When’s the big day?”
“We haven’t decided yet.” Actually, that gives me an idea. “Weddings are expensive, man. Gotta collect my money.”
My brother’s eyes turn sharp. “I ain’t got no money for you. But I can hook you up for the bachelor party. Or bachelorette party.”
Rory ignores him and wanders over to the other side of her bike, leaning down to check something. Or maybe she’s faking it and my brother’s making her nervous. Unease slips through me, and I wonder if bringing her was a mistake.
“It’s been two years, Graham. You were supposed to pay me back in six months.”
I know he’s got money. He does have a regular job on top of whatever dumbass stuff he does on the side, plus a nice new truck. And the money was for a dispensary that he never opened.
We argue for a while, and then my phone buzzes in my pocket and I check it.
My Queen
Say $12,000 and act like you don’t want it.
I look around. I don’t see Rory anywhere. What the hell is she talking about?
I respond with a thumbs-up emoji, though, and she must have been waiting for it, because ten seconds later her voice calls out, “Hey. What’s the deal with this?”
Graham and I both turn. Rory’s next to the garage, lifting a cover on an old SUV. The grass has grown up around it and the paint is an ugly brown color.
My brother shrugs. “I’ve had it for a while, just been sitting there.”
“Does it run?”
“I start it up every few months.”
Rory contemplates the vehicle and then glances up at me. “Babe, you know my nephew needs a ride. Maybe your brother could offer you a good deal on this one and you can forgive some of his debt. Since he’s not using it.”
Babe. She called me babe. Sure, it’s an act for my brother but I’ll take it.
Also . . . she has a nephew?
“You want your nephew to drive that thing? It’s a piece of shit. And just because Graham starts it up every so often doesn’t mean it runs well.”
“I didn’t think you’d want a car,” my brother interjects. “But maybe your Rory has a good idea here.”
Rory takes the cover completely off. It’s . . . not an attractive vehicle. Graham obviously doesn’t have the cash, so he’d rather give me a piece-of-shit instead. Fuck knows what I’m gonna do with this thing, but I trust Rory.
“That isn’t gonna pay for our wedding, babe. We need cash.”
Rory puts her hands on her hips and scrunches up her face. “What do you think this is worth, anyway?”
I make an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe twelve thousand?”
My brother starts walking to the SUV, shaking his head. “Look, since you’re my brother and you did lend me money, I can go as low as fourteen.”
“Twelve.” Rory stands firm. “If it can make it home.”
My brother rubs his chin and I hold my breath. Will he think it’s worth it to get me to stop bugging him? I’m skeptical, because what incentive does he have to give me anything?
