I have a little money left over from the nest egg our parents left each of us. It would’ve been more had I not just bought a new car, but purchasing this car moves me one step closer to being treated as an equal to my brothers.
Kane Construction is a multi-million-dollar company; my brother, Leo, is a top chef in the city, having worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants; and Alex owns his own boxing gym. Most of the time, I feel miles behind all of them, especially considering I’m the youngest and the college path doesn’t allow for many business ventures.
Roman claims I’m not mature enough to work with him. I call bullshit. Sometimes I wonder if he just wants to keep what Dad left us all to himself.
“I’m twenty-two, Roman, going to a few parties here and there is part of the deal. I’m graduating next month. What else do I have to do to prove I’d make a good business partner?” I run my hand down my face, trying to find a reprieve from my eyebrows being pinched together for too long.
“Considering you called me drunk off your ass at two o’clock just last Wednesday morning, I’d say you still have some growing up to do.”
“That has nothing to do with my business sense. I told you, we could expand Kane Construction to make it more profitable. We have the residential sector locked down, and together, we could break through to the commercial space, which you know is huge in this market.”
Not wanting to hear my ideas for the twentieth time,he says my name in the “dad” tone I rarely hear him use with my brothers.
“Theo, I’ve heard all about your ‘ideas.’ Your degree isn’t comparable to my time as CEO. Maybe in a few years we can?—”
“I-I have a girlfriend.” What the fuck did I just say?
“A what?” I don’t think I’ve ever heard Roman so shocked.
“A…A girlfriend. Been going steady for about six months now. She’s really helped me change into a more responsible version of myself.” I guess we’re going with it.
When the other end of the line is silent, I continue, “She’s helped me set some goals, cut back on the partying, and even has me going to bed at a decent time every night. Last week was merely a slip-up. She chewed my ass out for it too.”
There’s a long pause. When he finally speaks, his response makes my head spin. “Well, I can’t wait to meet her at the lake house this summer.”
It’s my turn to be silent now as he continues, “I’d love to meet the young woman who has helped my little bro become such a responsible young man. As a matter of fact, I’ll make you a deal.” My grip on the phone tightens in anticipation. “If you prove to me over the summer that you truly have become more responsible, with your new girlfriend in attendance, of course, then I willconsiderletting you work for my company.”
“Deal.” I accept his offer with a little more desperation than I intend. “I can’t wait to sign the offer letter that comes my way at the end of the summer. My girlfriend will be so excited she’s invited.”
“It’s settled then. You and your new girlfriend will be in attendance when we visit the lake house in July. I’m sure Alex and Leo will be thrilled to hear about this development.” Fuck, Alex is going to give me so much shit for this.
He ends the conversation with, “Answer the fucking group chat next time. Love you.” I respond with a quiet “love you” before he hangs up.
Now, where am I going to find a woman I can convince to visit a secluded lake house with my three brothers and me this summer without her thinking I’m going to end up burying her in the woods?
3
THEO
It’s been roughly two weeks since my talk with Roman, and I still haven’t found a woman who's willing to be my fake girlfriend. It’s not exactly the easiest thing to ask a woman, even one who I have a history with. I’m not sure I can even remember the last time I had a serious girlfriend, if ever.
Sitting at the dining table, the words in the textbook in front of me start to blur as my mind begins to wander. I take a bite of the sandwich I’ve made for lunch as I contemplate how to spend the next hour. I should probably focus on my finals, but it’s hard to do when I’m running out of time to find a fake girlfriend. I still have a little over a month before the lake house, but I have a feeling I’ll go through a few rejections before I find a woman who will agree to my proposal.
Deciding to take a break from studying, I open the dating app on my phone. I swipe left on any woman whose profile photo is of them at a party. While I have nothing against those women, that isn’t exactly what I’mlooking for. Knowing Roman, he’d see right through me if I picked a party girl to be my girlfriend.
“Why’d you swipe on her? She was hot,” Matt says out of nowhere, standing next to me. He’s eyeing my sandwich as I take a few chips off my plate and bite into them. A toasted turkey with Swiss cheese and every vegetable I could fit on it. I may not know how to cook as well as my brother Leo, but I know how to make a mean sandwich.
I wave Matt off as he takes a seat next to me. “I agree, but she didn’t look like the type of woman who’d agree to a fake-dating scheme.”
He chuckles. “I still can’t believe you told Roman you have a girlfriend. What were you thinking?” He grabs half my sandwich and takes a bite, following up with a handful of chips that he also takes from my plate. Looking at him, I can tell by the sweat stains on his gray T-shirt that he just got back from the gym. Having food around Matt after a gym session, you really can’t expect to keep more than half for yourself.
Grabbing my plate, I slide it away from Matt, explaining, “The only reason I said anything was becauseyourdumbass decided to get in my face and yell ‘TOGA PARTY’ when I was on the phone with Roman.” I make a show of looking like I’m contemplating my next words. “So really, this is all your fault if you think about it.”
Jessie comes through the back door, making his entrance by exclaiming, “You find a girlfriend yet, Theodore?” His favorite way of fucking with me has always been to call me by my full name. He learned that little habit from my brothers.
Ignoring him, I move from my seat to help him withthe grocery bags he’s just brought in. Matt follows shortly after he sees me pull out his favorite protein bars from one of the bags. Jessie has been out since this morning getting the supplies we need for the party next weekend. With graduation in a couple of weeks, it’s the last weekend we have before we’re all thrown out into the “real world.”
As I’m unpacking the party supplies, I realize something. “Jessie. You only got seltzers, beers, vodka, and Jell-O mix. What exactly is everyone supposed to eat at this party?”
