“Yes.”
Paul straightened to a sitting position, with some difficulty.“Did you fuck Gwen?”
“Only once, while you were in the hospital.”
“You’re sick.”
“I know.”
Paul couldn’t tell if he was serious.Then Kyle cracked a smile, and they both started laughing like idiots.
“I didn’t, but I would have,” Kyle said, when they sobered.“I’m not as noble as you.”
“You’re an asshole.”
Paul started a new wresting match, and Kyle got tangled in the garden hose.He was vaguely aware that Vanessa had stormed outside.She kicked Paul with her bare foot.He grunted at the mild sting of pain and released his grip on Kyle.
“You’re both assholes,” Vanessa said.“Clearly.”
Kyle chuckled, rolling onto his back.
“Sorry,” Paul said.“Are we keeping you up?”
“Yes, you are!And you smell like a brewery.Go to bed and sleep it off.”
They both lumbered to their feet, too drunk to feel chagrined, but not so drunk that they didn’t follow her instructions.
Chapter Seventeen
Vanessa greeted KyleMcPherson with a cup of coffee the next morning.
Paul’s brother had stumbled onto the back porch about an hour after she woke up.He’d stood with his back to her, facing the lake.His arms were braced wide on the porch railing, his hair a rumpled brown disarray.He looked like an unsteady boat passenger trying to get his sea legs.As she filled two mugs, she studied his broad shoulders and tall form.His physique was similar to Paul’s.Almost identical, in fact.
Emily wasn’t up yet, so she walked outside with the mugs.She used her hip to open the screen door.Kyle turned his head to watch her approach.His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw shadowed with stubble.The family resemblance wasn’t quite as apparent from the front.
“Paul’s still asleep?”she asked.
“Yes,” Kyle said.“He’s going to be useless today.”
She offered him the coffee mug.
“Bless you,” he said as he accepted the cup.He took an experimental sip.“This is how Paul takes it.”
“Do you want sugar?I’ll trade you.”
He exchanged mugs with her, and seemed to find the sweeter version more palatable.Vanessa didn’t mind the bitter cup, Paul style.She hid a smile, remembering how they’d spent the previous morning, as she settled into the wooden chair.
Kyle studied her with a curious, somewhat bleary gaze.His eyes were a brighter blue than Paul’s, and not as serious.He had a relaxed, carefree vibe.He also reminded her of Bennett—suave, handsome, full of shit.
“You were both drunk as skunks last night,” she said.
His brows rose.“Were we?I can’t recall.”
She sipped her coffee while he drew a vape pen from his pocket.He put the device to his lips, inhaled the smoke, and exhaled in a scent-free puff of vapor.
“What are your plans for the day?”she asked.
“I have to drive back to Houston.”
