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I held Bobby’s hand, feeling much better now that he and Andy were here together. They still looked like they had their issues to discuss, but for now, that would have to wait. They were both mature enough to set their priorities straight. Something I was eternally grateful for. I knew that my brother could hold a grudge, and Andy seemed just as hotheaded. At least for now, their anger was directed at Dennis and not at each other.
“The restraining order?” I asked.
“I got Jeremy working on it,” Bobby said, patting my hand. “Once that’s in place, we can breathe a little easier.”
“I’ll breathe easier when Dennis disappears from my life completely,”
I said.
“This shouldn’t have happened, Andrea,” Bobby said. “I told you, your plan sucks. I could have thrown him off your trail for another week or two at least.”
“You calling him would have brought him here earlier,” I said, knowing that Dennis would have instantly seen through Bobby’s lies.
“What’s done is done,” Andy said. “Let’s just figure out the game plane here, okay?”
“I think she should stay with you,” Bobby said. “Dennis will probably come back to the house. I don’t want her there when that happens.”
“Or all three of us could be there,” Andy suggested. “Then, if he does come by, we could show him a thing or two about what it means to be on the receiving end of a beating.”
“I don’t want that,” I cut in, frowning in disbelief at how stupid he sounded.
“It’s the least of what he deserves,” Andy said.
“He’s the violent one, not you,” I countered. “I just want him to stay away from me, not beat him up.”
“Andrea, seriously, you –”
“No,” I cut him short. “You’re not going to stoop down to his level. Neither of you is. I’ll stay with Andy, and Bobby, you’ll ignore him if he comes back to the house. Let the police deal with this, and just make sure Jeremy hurries up with the restraining order.”
“The voice of reason?” Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Whatever,” I said. “Promise me. Both of you.”
Bobby and Andy looked at each other. “Fine,” Bobby said. “I’ll try not to kill him the next time I see him.”
I looked at Andy, and he sighed and shook his head in frustration. “Fine by me,” he said. “I’ll keep my fists to myself.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Andy looked at me, shook his head again and said, “So what are we eating?”
***
Andy didn’t keep that promise.
We finished lunch, keeping the conversation light. Both Andy and Bobby were trying to get my mind off Dennis, and it worked. Until we paid the check and walked out of the coffee shop.
Dennis was waiting outside, leaning against Bobby’s truck, smoking a cigarette that he snubbed out on the truck hood when he saw us. His smile was far from charming, and for some reason, he looked a lot more confident. As if he were sure that neither Andy nor Bobby would put up much of a fight.
“Now, if I had known this was a family reunion, I would have joined you for lunch,” Dennis said.
Bobby’s hands balled into fists and he took a step forward before I stopped him. If Dennis was feeling confident, I was definitely not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared. If there was one thing I knew he hated the most, it was knowing that I wouldn’t cringe under his gaze.
He looked at me, his smiled widening, and winked at me. “Your brother’s suddenly grown a pair, sweetheart,” he chuckled. “Yesterday he was hiding inside the house like a pussy.”
“I’m here now,” Bobby countered, making to move again. I squeezed his arm, urging him to stay put.
People walking past us had begun to hurry up, sensing that something was happening. From inside the coffee shop, I could see some of the guests watching us intently. If a fist fight broke out, I doubted anyone would do more than film the whole debacle and post it on YouTube. I wondered if anyone would have the decency to at least call the police.
