AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t start, okay? Just don’t.”
Zac rolled his eyes. “I’m not starting, Luke, I’m just asking.”
Silence.
Too bad there wasn’t an eject button under Luke’s seat, though it would probably be a bad idea to get rid of the driver when the car was going nearly fifty miles an hour.
“Sorry.” Luke blew out a breath. “Summer and I went to San Miguel.”
“Summer?” Zac couldn’t hide his surprise. Summer was about the last person he’d picture his brother with. She was sweet and wholesome and West Coast, while Luke was...none of the above. “Whose idea was that?”
“Hers.”
Another surprise. If Luke messed with her, Zac would—
Okay, wait, one step at a time. “So what happened? You lost track of time?”
“The date ended badly.”
Zac’s stomach sank in dread and he clenched his fists. “How badly?”
“It was like the conversation just took a dive. You know? You start out great, and then suddenly you’re swirling down a toilet and you have no idea how to back up or get out of it.”
Zac snorted, his anger cooling into sympathy at Luke’s bewilderment. Yeah, he knew about that. “You like her?”
Luke shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but his face was slowly turning pink. “She’s okay.”
“She’s great, actually. If you do anything to—”
“I’m not going to do anything to her.”
“Okay.” Zac made himself back off. Another thing their dad did far too often—expect the worst of Luke. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” He slowed the car to a reasonable speed. “What would you do? And don’t say, ‘Nothing.’ That’s your wimp style, not mine.”
The question was so unexpected Zac had to keep himself from asking Luke to repeat it. He’d even overlook the wimp comment. Mr. Know-It-All was asking his too-rigid, too-serious brother for advice? This was a first.
“I’d apologize.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Luke grimaced. “Well, I did lose my temper, but man, she gave it right back to me.”
“Apologize, anyway.”
“For what?”
“For fighting, for accusing, for existing, whatever it takes. You let a misunderstanding stand like that, and it weighs on you. Especially with someone who could be a good friend, like Summer.”
“That is completely messed up. Why should I— Hey, isn’t that Bodie and Chris going into the A-Frame?” Luke pointed, and then glanced at Zac, who felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach all over again. “That sucks, huh?”
“Not a good night for the Arnette brothers.”
“I thought you guys did okay last night.”
“We did.” Zac shook his head with exaggerated weariness. “Women, huh?”
“Women!” Luke smacked the steering wheel, grinning. “But you know what you need to do, right?”
Zac was walking right into a trap. “What?”
“Apologize to her.”
“Why?” The word came out on a chuckle as he did his best impression of his brother in full outrage. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Dude.” Luke started laughing, too, deepening his voice to match Zac’s. “Apologize, anyway. For existing. For not being a massive prick like Bodie! You let that shit stand and it weighs on you, man. Especially with someone you are completely wussy in love with like Chris.”
“Aw.” Zac reached over to tousle his brother’s hair, as he’d done when Luke was much younger. “You are just so adorable.”
“Dude! Do not touch the perfect strands.” Luke was giggling like his old self, free and unself-conscious. “We are discussing serious business here. We must make a pact to apologize to our completely unreasonable women who hold our balls in their hot little hands.”
Zac cracked up. He’d forgotten how funny his brother could be. And in this case, wise. Zac wasn’t going to give up on Chris—of course he wasn’t. She couldn’t possibly enjoy her date with Bodie any more than she had her date with Gus. In fact, odds were she’d enjoy it a lot less. Zac kissing her last night had probably freaked her out and she was having a beer with Bodie in a twisted attempt to protect herself. If Zac stayed patient, his plan could still work. And he might as well practice what he preached and be a better role model for Luke. “Yeah, okay. I’ll apologize if you will.”
