Page 17

A sleek, white Tesla pulls into the driveway and Molly steps out with an iPad in hand. She’s tiny and cute with thick brown hair and bangs. Molly is one of the few people I’ve seen that can actually pull off bangs. She’s wearing a pink sundress and strappy heels that clack against the pavement as she walks toward us with a warm smile on her face.

Her step falters when she sees my shirtless brother. I don’t miss the way she looks at him and how her cheeks turn the same pink color Brooks’ were a moment ago. Brooks must have noted her discomfort because he walks back inside the garage and tosses his shirt back on.

She chuckles. “You caught me off guard, Brooks. I’m not used to seeing you so casual.” Drew and I snicker at her comment. The only way we know Brooks is… casual.

Brooks shoots us a perturbed glance before turning his attention back to Molly, his smile firmly back in place. His posture is straight and he even runs a hand through his messy hair a few times like he’s trying to look more professional in front of Molly.

He gives her a sweaty side hug. “You look great. Where are you off to?”

“I’m meeting Todd for dinner tonight,” she answers.

Brooks’ shoulders droop for a moment before he straightens his spine again. “Oh, fun. So I need to sign the contract for the new gluteal implants?”

“Yeah, sorry it’s last minute.” She unlocks the iPad and types in the passcode. “I printed off a hard copy for you, it’s on your desk. But my contact for the plastic surgery center was adamant that the contract be signed as soon as possible.”

“Got it.” He leans over and takes the iPad from her and uses the Apple pen to sign the document she had pulled up. “Done.”

“Thanks.” She grins at him before looking over his shoulder at myself and Drew.

Brooks suddenly seems to remember we’re here and turns around. “Oh sorry, this is my brother-in-law, Drew.” He gestures toward Drew and she reaches forward and gives him a firm handshake. “And you’ve met my brother David a few times, right?”

“Nice meeting you, Drew. And David, good to see you again.” She nods in my direction.

“You too. It’s been a while.”

An awkward moment passes before she speaks again. “Alright, well, I better head out. Todd hates it when I’m late.”

I swear I hear Brooks swear under his breath. But I’m probably delirious from the physical exertion I’ve just been through.

“Have a good time. See you tomorrow,” Brooks tells her with a strained smile.

Drew and I say our goodbyes and she waves before getting back in her Tesla and driving away.

“How have I never met your business partner?” Drew asks, the look on his face showing he’s just as curious about Molly as I am.

“She’s usually busy with her boyfriend,” Brooks responds before ripping his shirt back off and walking back over toward the weights. He grabs Drew’s fifties and starts lunging like a maniac.

“You don’t like her boyfriend?” I push further.

He drops the weights abruptly. “The guy is awful. He strung her along all through college, and I’ve even seen him out with other women.” He takes a deep breath. “I tried talking to her about him, but she just gets defensive and swears he’s going to propose any day… but he never does.”

Drew nods and grabs some weights. “You seem pretty passionate about the subject.”

“Molly is my best friend. I don’t want her to get hurt,” Brooks says defensively. “Now let’s get back to work.”

Brooks starts lunging away from us and I give Drew a glance that says, I have no idea what his problem is.

Drew shrugs his shoulders and we start lunging again. Not even a half hour later, Brooks says he has to get home and go through the contract Molly dropped off. He’s been unusually somber ever since she stopped by.

We watch his truck pull out of the driveway then turn back to each other. “What’s up with him and Molly?” Drew asks the question we’re both wondering.

I shrug. “You think he has a secret crush on her?”

“Definitely,” he answers quickly, and we both laugh.

We finish our sets of lunges and Drew sets up the squat rack for me. The bar is forty-five pounds by itself, so I’m not sure why he’s adding weights to it.

“So, how are you feeling about your trip? It’s coming up.”