AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Connor was back. “Dad called. Wants you to babysit. Apparently, Gail needs a break.”
Ah. Gail Chianese O’Rourke, their stepmother, four years their senior, not so lovingly known as Gail-the-Tail-Chianese-Rhymes-with-Easy-Hyphen-O’Rourke.
“A break from what?” Colleen asked. “From spa appointments? From shopping? A break from having breaks?”
“I don’t know. Ask him to call you on your cell next time. Hey, Paulie, anything else for you?”
“Uh, I’m good, thanks,” she said, shifting to take a ten from her pocket.
“On the house,” Connor and Colleen said in unison.
“Thanks.” She stood, tripped a little over the chair; Con grabbed her arm and Paulie flushed again. “Well. Thanks, Coll. You rock.” With that, she headed out into the beautiful spring night.
“I’m fixing her up,” Colleen said.
“Oh, God,” Connor muttered.
“What? You have something against true love?”
“Do you have to ask?”
The bar was emptying; the sidewalks, few that there were, tended to roll up early in Manningsport. Connor sat down with her. The only folks left were on the volunteer fire department, who felt that O’Rourke’s was their home away from home.
“Con, you think Mom and Dad screwed us up forever? I mean, neither one of us has a significant other.”
Connor shrugged. He hated talking about their parents.
“You should go out with someone. Jessica Dunn, maybe. Or Julianne from the library. Or I could fix you up.”
“I’d rather hang myself, but thanks.”
“If you do, can I have your car?” She gave him a look. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He grimaced, but hey, the twin telepathy was alive and well. “Don’t have kittens, okay? But actually, I’m seeing someone.”
“What? Since when? Who?”
“No kittens, Colleen.”
“Well, you’re my twin, my family, my coworker! We share a house!”
“Another life mistake.”
“Connor,” she said more calmly, “how are you seeing someone and I don’t know about it? Who is she? How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because of this. I didn’t want you to go crazy and give me advice or start naming babies.”
“When have I ever done that?”
“An hour ago. You told Faith to name her baby after you.”
“Well, so did you.”
Her brother crossed his arms. “It’s not serious. Not yet.”
“I can’t believe you kept this from me. God, those three minutes you have on me ruined you. I should’ve been born first, and I would’ve been, if you hadn’t shoved me out of the way.”
“Okay, we’re done here. You wanna kick out the fire department, or shall I?”
