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See, maddening.
Shaking off my thoughts, I exit the bedroom and pull a container out of the fridge. I carefully open hamster cages and give them some of the fresh veggies I prepared. I cut them in long thin sticks because watching how they wrap their little paws around the sticks makes me laugh. They’re not mine. We gave them to Mia. But Colton’s terrified of them — he had to be piggybacked out of a room they were in — so they stay with me.
The pet store sells little pellets for them, but they look happier when I give them real food. Mia — Evie and Colton’s little girl — loves to feed them, so I'll try to steal her away later so she can give them supper. Maybe I can read her a story tonight. I like how she leans on me and the fan of her breath as she drifts off, her body getting heavier.
I pull open my front door at 7:45 am, only glancing briefly at Zach's door. We’ve lived across the hall from each other for years, so up until a few weeks ago, I would have opened it and let myself in. Chatted with him while he got ready for the day, then gone downstairs together. It’s a routine I enjoyed. It anchored my day.
But not anymore.
Not since I walked in on him and Maya in the kitchen naked. I could have happily lived the rest of my life without seeing my brother's ass flexing. Just thinking about it makes me a little nauseous. And Maya still blushes a little when she looks at me.
That part is funny.
I ride the elevator in silence, watching the floor numbers light round down, amusing myself by picking out the prime numbers as they pass.
We built this tower. All nine of us were scattered through the city before this, and I didn't like it. Building us a place of our own was the only logical solution. Now we have the top floors of a high rise for our own amusement and, down here, a private, secured parking area just for us.
I do the same thing this morning that I've done every morning for months. Taking a quick look around me, I pull out a spare key to Becca's old car, open the door, and pop the hood. She's getting suspicious, hanging out in the garage with Micah a little more, reading up, hoping to figure out what's going wrong with her car. So I'm getting creative.
A spark plug there. A disconnected battery here. All little things that so far she's been unable to fix. Of course, Kade knows exactly what's going on, but he doesn't want her driving this piece of junk any more than I do. So he tells her he'll work on it, and she catches a ride, and I can breathe for another day.
Logically, I know that this car is safer than a lot of others on the road. We're mechanics, so of course, the engine is in peak form, but that's not the point. The safety features in vehicles have gotten an upgrade in the twenty years since this car was brand new.
She needs the safety features. She’s Kade’s world, his wife, so she has to be safe.
All the women do.
All my brothers do.
We live in a chaotic, dangerous world. There are a lot of things that are out of my control, but vehicle safety is not one of them. At some point, Becca will get frustrated enough with her car breaking and let Kade buy her a new one.
Or I arrange to have it stolen and scrapped.
I don't understand why she's fighting this so hard. We're rich. Billionaire rich. I check on our investment accounts every day, and every day, like clockwork, we're richer. Why shouldn't we spend our money on safe cars for the people we love? Her behavior is illogical
Satisfied that she’s safe for another day, I unlock my van and slide in, starting it up and pulling in front of the elevator doors. It's heated down here but still cold, and I don't want Maya catching a chill. Or Abigail.
Speak of the devil. Abigail strolls off the elevator with her pink hair, and giant earrings that catch the light even in the dim garage. The earrings hurt my eyeballs.
"Abigail. Hello."
She grins and wiggles her eyebrows at me. "Hey Jonas, how you doing? What were you up to last night? Are you so excited it's the last day of work? I feel like a kid on the last day of school. I can't believe you guys are giving us the holidays off. That's amazing. I'm so excited for the tree. Aren't you? I can't believe you guys haven't had a Christmas tree before. How does anyone celebrate without a tree?"
I just stare at her, her words battering at my brain. "Why do you talk so much? How do you have any air left?"
She snorts and climbs into the back of the van. "I love Christmas. And I had three coffees this morning."
I briefly consider my options. Kicking her out of the car would be my first choice. I don't want to listen to her chatter the whole way to work. But if I kick her out, Maya will be upset with me. And I like Maya. I like it when she smiles at me, and if I'm mean to her friend, she won't smile anymore. Abigail is her friend. Employee. I guess both. Either way, Abigail’s temporary visit to Chicago has turned permanent and apparently, I’m stuck with her.
I settle for turning the music up...a lot. Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 fills the van. Abby scowls at me, but thankfully settles into her seat and leans her head against the window.
We sit peacefully, the strains of the symphony letting my whirling thoughts calm, until the elevator doors open again, and Maya and Zach step out. They're holding hands, as usual.
Zach opens Maya's door, and she slides in with a smile for him, then turns and gives me one of my own. And yep, her cheeks pinken.
Still funny.
The smile she gives me is different than the one she gives Zach, but it still feels good. “Morning, Jonas,” she says, “Let's get this show on the road!" She turns down my music, and turns to greet Abigail as I pull out of the garage. If any of my brothers had touched the volume, I would have spent the entire ride planning my revenge. But with Maya, I just let it pass.
