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“Why me and not Ian or Proctor?” he said.
I nabbed a splash of one of Johnny’s aftershaves after having a quick smell of it to check the strength. Some of them could probably walk off with the intensity they gave off. I grabbed a light woodsy scent that took my fancy and dabbed it on.
“You owe me, or have you forgotten?” I chuckled, remembering how I got him out of the shit with his mother last week. The unexplained dent in her car magically explained by a driver who hadn’t stopped. Obviously, it had nothing to do with the speed racing Cooper had been doing to impress a girl with and cutting the corner too sharp and causing a spin into a car. He was lucky it was only a dent and nothing else.
“Right,” he muttered. “Then it’s quits, yeah?” he questioned.
“Yeah.” I chuckled. “But Cooper, don’t tell him I asked, okay?”
“Yeah, I know,” he muttered. “The bloody code and all. See you later.” His sulky tone was obvious as I put the phone down.
Thankfully, now I had the chance of bloody getting myself a much-needed night with a girl rather than having to watch everyone else for once.
After Johnny’s parents passed, it came to light that when he turned twenty-two, his inheritance would be available to him. Johnny had jumped through hoops to prove what his intentions were and to make sure the capital was invested wisely.
I was shocked to discover that Paula and Trevor had even included me in the equation. Unlike Johnny, I hadn’t found a venture I was happy to pour my outlay into as of yet. It was a constant battle of wills that Johnny and I had. Johnny thought that having a business showed character in a man; something a woman could desire but also a foundation for life. If you invested young you could’ve made something of yourself by proving that hard work paid off. That in the end it was the person’s brains that would’ve made any business succeed, even if it fell into a deep abyss of debt. All you needed was skill. We just didn’t seem to see eye to eye about it. I believed that finding the right opportunity played a massive part in the decision of investment. It wouldn’t have mattered if I held on to my inheritance one or ten years, ensuring I knew how to make the business a success was the most important factor.
Harlow was infuriated that she still had a couple of years left to wait for her inheritance to become available. She had known for years how she planned to use it.
Johnny offered to support her, as did I, but she was determined that her life was her own. She said she would manage on her own terms. She wasn’t a charity case. Even though we wouldn’t dare think of her in that manner.
Johnny had a habit of taking his time getting ready, my patience waring by the minute I needed a distraction.
“Come on, man. One of them chicks you pull could’ve been dressed quicker than you,” I shouted to him.
“Hey, it takes time to look this good you know,” he replied.
“Well, I took half the time you do and the girls swoon for me. It only takes the right words to make them fall at my feet. Forget the rest,” I sniped back. I seriously wanted to get out of here now and check out the girls at the venue.
“Yeah, right,” he muttered. “You know they all want me,” he shot back.
I took a swig from my beer bottle, picking at the edges of the label before I said something I would regret.Cocky shit.
I mean a quick shower, deodorant, clothes and maybe a touch of wax in the hair, that’s all it really took for an average guy.
Well, that’s all it took for me.
Not Johnny, though. Appearance meant everything to him. He thought it was the first characteristic that anyone would judge him on.
I got it. I was by his side as he went from carefree brother to full-time parent in a blink of an eye. He had to grow up and lock away the lifestyle he had been used to. But now that was all different, he had choices.
Everyone thought Harlow had the toughest gig going, but they had forgotten about the man who was left to pick up the pieces. He felt like everyone was judging his every movement as they weighed his suitability to be Harlow’s guardian every time they saw them together. Johnny couldn’t help noticing their accessing gazes from afar, scrutinising each moment in public including the way he spoke to Harlow when he took control of a situation. I told him he was best ignoring the busy bodies as the only people that had a say were the officials involved, but that hadn’t helped settle the worry swimming inside. In Johnny’s eyes he had become the village's main attraction, and everyone was waiting for him to make a mistake. Except Johnny was made of a stronger substance, an ox on the outside, and even though judgement hurt him he never allowed the fears of not measuring up as a parent to become visible. Personality factors never came into the equation. First impressions were what mattered most to Johnny.
Johnny’s phone started to ring while he was still in the bedroom.
“Will you answer that?” he asked looking flustered as he popped his head out the door with a pile of shirts laid across his arms.
He seemed to be struggling with the decision of which one to wear.
It was the name that stopped me in my tracks as I glanced at the screen before I shouted through to him.
“Johnny, it’s Harlow!”
I connected the call to answer her, making sure it didn’t reach Johnny’s voicemail service. I calmly answered the phone cautiously knowing she wouldn’t have expected to hear my voice. This was a rarity, my heart thumping harder as panic soared within me. I hoped she was reaching out to form bridges, finally seeing that having us in her life was a positive. That, as her family, Johnny always had her best interests at heart. My gut screamed that this wasn’t just a casual chat. It was always Johnny who made the effort. Whenever we found time to speak, she always diverted the attention and managed to make excuses as fast as the line had connected.
“Hi,” she said quietly.
“Harlow, how’s everything? Miss you a lot,” I said, her nervousness on the phone made me feel a niggle of uncertainty in the pit of my stomach. “What’s wrong?”
