AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maybe when her sister name-dropped Rick, that had been her sister’s way of warning me, but I was too stubborn to listen. But at least I found out now and not after I poured my heart out, only to have her reject me.
My knee bobbed up and down as I sat at my laptop and sent a few emails about a property that was getting renovated. I’d recently bought a small apartment complex on the outskirts of Seattle, and it needed to be completely rehabbed. I think the technical term for the previous owner was slumlord, and I certainly wasn’t going to let that continue.
It was one of the few things I excelled at besides being the fun uncle. My family had been lucky in the beverage industry, and my grandparents had built an amazing business. But there was no denying that once my cousin took over, the company grew in all ways.
The truth of the matter was that we were all well taken care of, but I never wanted to just sit and twiddle my thumbs. I didn’t have the savvy that James had when it came to running the beverage company, and I was fortunate enough to have the means to try things that interested me. So far, I hadn’t burned through any of my inheritance, and I planned on keeping it that way.
My phone buzzed, and I saw Nina, my sister, appear on the screen. I answered it on speaker, and she groaned.
“You weren’t supposed to pick up. I wanted to leave you a message.”
I chuckled. “Do you want me to hang up and we try this again?”
She laughed. “No, but here’s the news. Mom and Dad are coming home early from their trip. They decided they want to celebrate their anniversary by renewing their vows.”
“Okay. That’s different for them.”
“Anyway, I’m supposed to tell you that two weeks from Saturday is theirs and to find a date. Mom has all kinds of fantasies about her and Dad dancing with her kids.”
I groaned, sliding my head into my hands. “Can’t we just dance together?”
“Ew. No. You’re my brother. Like it’s hard for you to find a date. Why not bring Emily? Mom and Dad love her.”
“I think she’s interested in someone, and I don’t want screw that up.”
She fell silent and cleared her throat. “Weren’t you kind of into her?”
I laughed. “Not just kinda, but yeah… I… I don’t want to get in the way of whatever it is she wants, and she’s made it pretty clear that I’ll forever be in the friend zone.”
“This doesn’t sound like my brother.”
“I met the guy she’s into this morning, so it made things pretty clear.”
“Well, things change. Don’t give up. Don’t get down. And remember, two Saturdays from now.”
“Sounds good. But why couldn’t Mom just text me this?”
“They’re headed out for one last boat trip and wouldn’t have reception.”
“Ah, gotcha.” I nodded, thinking about my parents.
Their vision of a boat would count as a yacht in most people’s world. But that was the thing about my parents. They were sometimes oblivious, quirky, and in their own bubble.
My sister hung up the phone, and I nodded, realizing that was about how most conversations in our family went. They weren’t really deep, just surface level.
The only person in my family I’d ever felt like I could have a real conversation with was James. It was probably why we’d become so close when we were young.
To see Emily and her family last night at the hospital, surrounding Mimi and just so close, made me realize what I wanted. I didn’t want to have surface-level encounters with my own family. I wanted someone I could share my soul with and confide in, tell them about my dreams, insecurities, hopes…
That person had been Emily.
And it still could be as long as I didn’t screw anything up by trying to make us more than what we were supposed to be.
I thought about Rick. He had a good reputation, had a great business, and seemed like a nice guy.
And Emily deserved a nice guy.
But she deserved even more than that.
