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“What exactly did you sign me up for, Mal?”
“Chill, Charles.” Mal yanked the front door of the Sage Building open. Charlie followed him inside. “Everleigh bought some furniture from IKEA. Told her we’d put it together for her.”
“First graders can put IKEA furniture together,” Charlie complained. “I don’t even want to know what you’re gettin’ out of this favor.”
“She’s not home.” Mal glanced at him as he punched the up arrow at the elevator bay. “Told her we’d take care of it.”
“Where is she?” Charlie stepped onto the elevator and leaned on the wall as Mal pushed the button for Everleigh’s floor.
“She drove to Branson for a few days. Her mom’s there, so they’re gonna hang out a bit.”
“Why didn’t her mom come here to see her?”
“Fuck am I? Her keeper?” Mal shrugged. “Maybe they like Branson.”
Charlie bit off further argument. He had nothing better to do, so slapping some furniture together for his brother’s girlfriend wasn’t an inconvenience. When the elevator stopped at the fourth floor, Charlie followed Mal down the hall to Everleigh’s apartment.
“Never thought I’d see the day you had traded keys with a woman,” he mumbled as his little brother unlocked the door and pushed it open.
“Me neither,” Mal answered. “But I’m not mad about it.”
“You guys still just burning up the sheets? Or you think it might be more?”
“I don’t know what more feels like, but this is pretty fuckin’ great. So, I’m not gonna rock the boat.”
Charlie couldn’t argue with Mal’s logic. He wandered around Everleigh’s living area, impressed with the homey feel she managed to pull off without clutter or frills. A dove grey sofa sat under the window on the far wall. While it didn’t look new, it was in better shape than Charlie’s sofa. A modern-looking coffee table in front of the sofa was home to a laptop and a magazine. One framed piece of artwork hung on the wall perpendicular to the sofa—tasteful and simple, Charlie thought he’d seen one like it hanging in a discount store.
He liked that Everleigh had decorated the place with pretty things that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. He liked seeing Everleigh’s space, being allowed to come inside and peek into her life. Hell, if he had to admit it, he was jealous as fuck of his younger brother for having the damned key to get in here. For being able to go home after work and maybe find Everleigh there waiting for him. Charlie didn’t know if Mal and Everleigh spent all their time naked, between the sheets or if they watched movies or went for walks or played games. He didn’t want to know.
But just the possibility of Mal having all of that made him itch for the opportunity to have the same things in his own life.
A chance with Tatum.
Fat chance.
She’d talked to him last week. Checked on him in the coffee house. Asked to see 515. She’d looked at him so intently before walking out of the restaurant, Charlie felt like she was reading his soul. Didn’t matter. He had nothing to hide. However, she must not have been impressed with what she saw in him, because once again, she’d walked away from him.
“So, what’re we putting together?” he asked when he’d circled the entire room. Mal was nowhere to be seen. “Malachi. Get the fuck out of the kitchen. We’re not here to raid her fridge.”
“Nope, we’re here to put her new kitchen table together.”
Charlie snorted and entered the kitchen with a shake of his head. Mal already had the big cardboard box on the floor and a box knife in hand.
“You bring tools?” he asked Mal as he sank to his knees there on the linoleum floor.
“No.” Mal didn’t spare him a glance. “Everleigh said she has a nice set on the bottom shelf of her pantry.”
“Where’d she get a nice set of tools?”
“Home improvement store, I’d imagine,” Mal answered. “Like most people.”
“Smartass.”
Charlie pulled a flap of cardboard aside as Mal tore the box open. When the entire box lay open, exposing the four table legs and the bag of screws and the table itself, Mal stood to get the tools.
“How many chairs did she get?” Charlie asked him.
“Just two for now.” Mal plunked a little blue toolbox down on the floor beside him. “Not enough room for more.”
