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CHAPTERTHREE
HOLDEN
“Why aren’t you out there dancing with Chloe?” Seth said as I walked up to him and our uncle David after shoving some wedding mints into my mouth.
“Why don’t you ever have a date?” I shot back.
“It’s less trouble to go places alone,” my brother said. I didn’t remember the last time I’d seen him with a date, now that I thought about it.
“There’s something to that,” David said with a laugh. He was my mom’s younger brother and had been single for a few years after a tough divorce. “Though it does get lonely.”
The reception was in full swing, with dinner being over and the dancing having started close to an hour ago. Chloe was out there with the women, Hayden having taken her under her wing again. The North daughters-in-law had gotten Faye back out on the floor for the Chicken Dance, which had just ended.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Seth said, both of us watching the dance floor antics from the sidelines, a place I wasn’t used to being. I was having trouble summoning up my usual fun-loving self tonight and was content to sit out yet another song.
My brother’s persistence was getting on my nerves. Hell, everything was getting on my nerves, and I hated that. I wanted to snap out of it and try to salvage the night, but mainlining these sugary mints was easier. I might’ve identified my problem, but that wasn’t making it any easier to shake off my bad mood.
“I’m not dancing with Chloe because Chloe’s dancing with Tony Geneva,” I snarled. Tony, my dad’s best friend, was nearing seventy years old and had a heart of gold. I’d seen him ask Chloe for a dance. It’d made me smile because he was such a ham. “Also because we’re here as friends. There’s nothing between Chloe and me. You know that, so quit being a dick.”
“Maybe there should be,” Seth said.
“She’s a pretty one,” Uncle David said. “So your dad said something about you having an investor interested in your brewery?”
Seth excused himself, probably fed up with hearing me talk about the brewery I was hoping to open with my friend Kemp. We were somewhat obsessed with it, and the process of finding investors was a roller coaster.
“We have someone interested,” I told him. “I’m trying not to get my hopes up, because we’ve had a few before who seemed interested but then flaked, but…”
“Your hopes are up,” David said with a hearty laugh. “Maybe this is the one then. I’ll cross my fingers for you. God knows the world needs your beer. I don’t think I’ve sampled one that was less than fantastic.”
“Thanks, Uncle Dave. It’s a process, and you’ve missed out on some of the early, less-than-fantastic versions. Going to take some trial and error to get them right on a large scale, but Kemp’s got the skills.”
“Well, I hope the investor comes through for you. Wish I was filthy rich enough to toss some funds your way myself.”
“Thanks.” I took a drink of my soda—I wasn’t even in the mood for a beer tonight, being a good-mood drinker and not one who used alcohol to brood. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Of course,” my uncle said.
I debated whether I wanted to give airtime to my thoughts, but since I wasn’t snapping out of it on my own… “Does it bother you that my dad is with someone besides your sister?”
“Oh, hell. You’re going straight to the tough stuff, huh?” He took a drink then, straight whiskey, I was pretty sure, and not a small drink. “Lord, do I miss my sister.”
I swallowed around a lump in my throat. Apparently I missed my mom too. I didn’t stop to think about her as often anymore, not wanting to let the sadness in, but it was hard not to tonight.
“Your dad treated my sister as well as any guy could ever want his sister to be treated. He loved her dearly, no question about it.” He pressed his lips together, took another big swallow of liquor. “Simon made my sister’s life happy and good. I couldn’t ask for more than that. He deserves to find more happiness, and if Faye gives him that, then I’m all for it. Wouldn’t have stood up for him if I wasn’t.”
I couldn’t argue with any of that, but before I could sort through it, the song ended, and my other brother, Cash, walked off the dance floor with his date. The woman headed toward the restroom, and Cash came and joined us. To be honest, I was relieved at the interruption even though I was the one who’d brought up the topic of my mom.
“Is this a love connection?” I asked Cash, grinning and silently counting the seconds till his outburst. It was less than two.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Cash said, scowling. Someday his face was going to get stuck in that scowl. “Just a date for the wedding.”
“Does she know that?” I asked. “Because she was practically climbing you on the dance floor.”
“Can’t help it women can’t resist me,” he said without cracking a grin. I was pretty sure he believed his own bullshit.
Uncle Dave laughed, shook his head, and said, “I’m going for another cupcake. See you two later.”
As he walked away, Cash took David’s spot next to me, his hands in his dress pants pockets as he peered out at the dance floor. Chloe was now dancing with the North women as a group. The five North brothers made up a noisy group, standing near the bar, surrounding their mom and my dad. A roar of laughter arose from all of them at once.
