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I can tell by Viv’s tight shoulders she didn’t know Dee was borrowing her dress. It’d piss me off if someone rummaged through my closet to borrow my clothes without permission.
“It’s really pretty.” Dee smooths a hand down the pale blue fabric. The dress is too long on her. She’s a few inches shorter than Viv, and she doesn’t quite fill out the bustline.
“Yes. It’s one of my favorites,” Viv replies carefully.
“What can I pour you to drink? I have wine, beer and—” I offer automatically before remembering they’re in recovery. “Shit.”
“Shit sounds good. I’ll have that,” Walt says with a laugh.
“I love Pepsi,” Dee says.
“I have Coke.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Water is fine.”
“Still or Perrier?” Vivian offers.
“Rich people, am I right? Viv, you fit right in.” Dee laughs. Walt and Viv exchange glances. I wonder if Dee knows she’s about to have dinner with the one and only Walter Steele, Junior.
There’s warm, crusty bread in a basket in the center of the table. I invite Walt and Dee to help themselves while I grab the main course. Vivian offers to fetch the drinks, following me into the kitchen.
“Water for you as well?” She pulls Perrier bottles from the fridge.
“Bourbon, preferably. But I understand if that’s an issue around Walt.”
“I have wine in my apartment and it didn’t bother him. But Dee…” Vivian lowers her voice.
“You sound unsure.”
“I have to look out for my brother. He hasn’t been great at looking after himself.”
“We’ll check for missing silverware after they leave.” I kiss her forehead and smile. I don’t miss the eye roll she gives me as I bypass her to serve our guests.
Vivian
I don’t mind that Dee borrowed my dress. Okay, I do, but I wish she would have asked. I would have let her borrow it if she’d asked. She didn’t though, just like she didn’t ask if she could move into my apartment with Walt and eat the groceries I paid for, and that’s the problem. She’s as entitled as if she’s an extension of Walt, but she’s not. She’s an interloper.
“How goes the job search?” Nate asks, his eyes shifting from Walt to Dee. She looks at Walt expectantly.
“Not great.” Walt tears a piece of bread off and butters it generously. “I used to work in an office and now it’s the last place I want to be.”
“You did?” Dee asks, which makes me wonder what the hell they talk about all the time.
“Sort of,” I answer for Walt. He frowns. “He worked for our family’s company part-time.”
“I’d rather work outside.” My brother gives me the stink-eye.
“I have an opening at Owen Construction if you’re interested,” Nate says. Walt’s eyes go wide with interest. “It’s a starting position with a decent salary. Travel is required, but the company will reimburse you. You’d be based outside of Chicago.”
“Back home,” my brother says, and the longing in his voice breaks my heart. I know he misses our old life. Our family. He has better memories of it, probably because that office job he alluded to was really, really part-time. Plus, whenever he returned from a stint in rehab, he was treated like the prodigal son come home.
“You’d be required to have a sponsor and attend AA meetings regularly. I’d need proof. And weekly check-ins with the project manager. Drug screenings too.”
Walt’s gaze shifts to mine. “What is this?”
“An offer. You haven’t found a better one.”
“I’m not a criminal, Viv.”
