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“How many is a few?” I ask even though I don’t really want to know the answer. “And why are we supplying the beer?”
Max invited everyone. I get it. He doesn’t like to be left out. Now that Finn and Lo are together, he’s the odd man out a lot. When him and Finn were both single, there wasn’t a time when you saw one of them but not the other. They were attached at the hip. They have been since they were in diapers.
Which means Max is pulling out all the stops if he has Finn to himself for the weekend.
Their bromance is a little disturbing at times. They finish each other’s sentences easier than most married couples. Max is the one who told me where I could find matching shirts for me and Lex because he’s bought them before for him and Finn. It was a gag gift, but still. I know Finn kept the shirt. He’s torn the sleeves off and wears it when we work out all the time. It saysI’m with stupid.
“We’re not supplying all the beer. Everyone is bringing their own, but instead of just tonight, Max wants to stay the entire weekend. Something about taking advantage of guy time. Fishing or some shit.”
“Does he even know how to fish?” I ask, glancing at my brother over my shoulder.
“Doubt it. He was at the store buying a fishing pole when he called me.”
He’s gone off the deep end. We need to get him laid. Then find him a girlfriend so he’s not so miserable and taking it out on the rest of us.
“I agree,” Declan says. I must have been thinking out loud. Not that it matters. I’d say it to Max’s face if he were standing here right now. “Or we can just ride it out until school starts and he gets busy with frat bullshit. You know he’s going to have his hands full then.”
“True.”
A few more weeks and classes start back up. I’m not excited about it. Lex’s schedule is jam-packed compared to mine. And she’s the type of girl that takes the early classes whereas I scheduled all mine later in the afternoon, wanting to sleep in. I won’t be dragging my ass out of bed before noon if I don’t have to. Which means the only time we’ll get to see each other will be while she’s studying at night or when she’s not working.
But we’ll find a way to make it work. To get through it.
My first thought was to ask her to move in here so at least I’d have her in my bed every night. Knowing it would freak her out, considering the thought alone freaked me out a little, I held back. Plus, it’s too soon for all that, and having our own space is a good idea. She knows she’s welcome to stay here any time she wants. All she has to do is say the word and I’ll go pick her up.
Because she sure as hell won’t let me buy her a car.
I already offered to do that, and she didn’t speak to me for two days.
It felt longer . The thirty-seven unanswered texts and seventeen voicemails I left her didn’t help my case. Not at first, when I was begging her to reconsider. It wasn’t until I apologized that she even texted me back. It felt like I walked into a brick wall the moment clarity hit me.
She’s made it clear where she stands on our financial differences. And I pushed her. With good intentions, but that’s not how she saw it.
“What do you have left to do?” Dec asks, turning on the faucet and lathering his hands with soap. “I can help you finish up so we can get on the road. I already threw all the gear in the back of my truck.”
After giving him the rundown of what I have left to prepare, we switch places so I can pack. By the time we’re out the door an hour later, Max is blowing up Declan’s phone, wondering where the hell we are.
“Text him back and tell him to shut the fuck up or I’m going to turn the truck around and he can fend for himself the next few days. I don’t give a fuck.” Declan’s seething as he tosses his phone in my lap. When I turn it over, I see why.
MAX: Hurry the fuck up! You have all the beer and food. I’m starving.
MAX: The girls are gone. Quit whacking it and get on the road.
“Damn. Maybe getting him laid is the best plan after all,” I note as I type out a short reply.
ME: On our way. Pull the stick out of your ass.
“Just need to find someone willing to put up with him.”
“Any ideas?”
“Nope. I wouldn’t wish him on anyone right now. Whoever does try to nail him down needs to be a strong-willed woman, and I sure as hell hope she gives him a run for his money.”
Max isn’t a bad guy he’s just... temperamental. Jesus. It sounds like I’m talking about a toddler instead of a grown-ass man.
As soon as we pull into the campgrounds, Declan’s phone is ringing. I grab it from where I tossed it in his center console and answer when I see it’s Finn.
“You guys almost here? I’m about to shove Max’s fishing pole down his throat if he doesn’t stop bitching about needing a beer.”
