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“I’m not you,” Joey said. “So, I don’t know how you feel about her, or about Heather, or about any of it. But I whatever you decide to do, I got your back.”
Danny slumped in his chair, relieved by his brother’s words. “That means a lot to me.”
“I got you, man.” After a pause, Joey said, “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“How did it happen? I mean, when did it go from thinking to doing?”
After another swallow of beer, Danny put the bottle down. There wasn’t a reason to whitewash anything for Joey. “I’ve always thought about Lauren. Hard to stop after the band hit it big.”
“Fair enough.”
“But I was too messed up… I don’t know. I assumed she hated me. Maybe I’d be better off if she did.” Danny offered a bitter laugh. “When Cole wrote the paper, it brought up a lot of memories. Honestly? There’s part of me that’s always wondered if I should’ve gone to LA.”
“Then you saw her at the Sandoval interview.” Joey rested an elbow on the chair back.
“You saw it, too?”
“Don’t be stupid. Anyone who’s a Kingmakers fan watched that interview.”
“Yeah. And I wanted to go,” Danny said. “Ididwant to see her again. Figured what harm could it do? I thought we’d hug, catch up for a few. Go our separate ways.” The chair creaked when he leaned back, and he drained the rest of the beer in a single gulp.
Silence gathered at the table again, and Joey took it in stride, waiting patiently for his brother to continue. Eventually he pushed the conversation along.
“And then there was the big reveal.”
“That fucking disaster.” Just the thought of it got Danny riled up. “I want to make this clear: last couple of years, me and Heather, we’ve been having problems. I don’t want you—or anyone—thinking that it was all sunshine and roses before Lauren came back.”
“Understood.”
“Heather’s always been a little jealous. But she started acting crazy after that TV spot. And I swear to you… I wasn’t with Lauren, not then. I got so mad that my own wife wouldn’t trust me or listen to me—I shut down.”
“So, when did it start?”
Before he answered, Danny stood up and gestured. The living room would be more comfortable than the hard kitchen chairs. Joey moved to the sofa and put his feet up on the coffee table. From his recliner, Danny continued the story, sharing details like running into Lauren getting pizza and then choosing to not tell Heather. He admitted his strategy for avoiding fights hadn’t worked the way he planned.
“You know,” Danny said, “I finally thought, maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m the one making myself crazy. If I could talk to Lauren for a while… catch up, maybe talk about how we left things back in high school. I thought I’d stop thinking about her so much. Get some‘resolution’.” He air-quoted the word. “So, I went to see her. I guess part of me wanted to see if she felt the same…”
His voice faded as he frowned, thinking about that night.
“Did you go hoping something would happen?” Joey asked.
Danny tried not to flinch at the question. “Honestly? Part of me did. Everyone already thought I was sleeping around. I’d been convicted, so I thought maybe I should do the crime, you know?”
Joey’s expression stayed neutral.
“You think I’m an asshole.” Danny’s voice was bitter. He leaned his head back into the chair’s padding, feeling very alone. He wouldn’t blame Joey for thinking he was a reprehensible human being. He certainly thought he was.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Didn’t have to.”
The brothers eyed each other across the coffee table until Joey said, “I asked to hear your side of the story. I’m not going to force my opinion down your throat.”
Danny appreciated that but turned his face away for a second so Joey wouldn’t see the shine in his eyes.
“Did Lauren know you were coming?”
