Free Love Me Sweet (A Bell Harbor Novel) by Tracy Brogan

they’d become nonexistent. His involvement in the family had become superfluous. A rolling sense of unease rose up and he swallowed it down. Maybe that’s what all those unanswered phone calls were about. Shit. Maybe he was a lousy son, and a lousy brother. No wonder his mother had been so pissed at him last night. “When did Mom lose her job?”
    “About three years ago. Now she’s working at Gibson’s grocery store.”
    “I didn’t know that. When did Scotty get arrested?”
    “A while ago but it’s all handled. I took care of things, and now he’s doing great at Fort Jackson. All he ever wanted to be was a soldier like Dad, so they’re kicking his ass but he loves it.”
    The waitress brought their drinks and Grant took a big swallow. To wash down the size-eleven foot he’d put in his mouth. “Scotty’s a soldier now. I guess I have been gone a long time. Maybe I should’ve checked in a little more often, huh?” He tried to make a joke of it, but it fell flat.
    “It would’ve been nice.” Tyler’s mouth said nice , but his tone said you’re a dickhead . And all of a sudden, Grant felt like one. The world he’d left behind hadn’t frozen in place. Everyone had changed, grown up, suffered through turmoil, and he’d missed it all. Maybe somewhere down deep, that had been deliberate.
    “I’m here now. Does that count for anything?”
    Tyler paused. The frown lines eased a bit. “It is nice to see you. I wasn’t sure you’d make it to the wedding.”
    Grant felt some relief at the change in tone. “I would’ve come sooner but I didn’t get the invitation until about a week ago, and as you can imagine, it’s a bit of a hike from the Philippines. Mom said you tried to call me, though. I never got a message.”
    Tyler took a drink and set the glass down firmly. “I never tried to call.”
    That foot in his mouth went and kicked him in the throat. “You didn’t?”
    “No. I didn’t figure you’d care that much.”
    Grant’s jaw dropped, and the foot kicked him again. “Not care? My brother is getting married and you think I wouldn’t care? It’s not as if I’ve stopped being part of the family. Right?” It shouldn’t have been a question. It should have been a declaration, but at this moment, he wasn’t so sure. “Look, I know I’ve been shitty about keeping in touch, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you guys. I’ve just been busy working.”
    His brother nodded, as if Grant’s words were of only moderate interest, but a curve started to form around Tyler’s lips.
    “Well, like I said. It’s nice to see you. Aimee calls you Bigfoot, by the way.”
    “Bigfoot?”
    “Yeah, you know, like a mythical creature that people say they’ve seen in the wild but no one knows for sure if it’s real. That’s you to them.”
    “Great.” God, was there anyone in his family who was actually happy to see him?
    “Just thought you should be prepared. If you’re thinking there’s going to be some kind of a big parade to welcome you home, you might be a little disappointed.”
    Apparently Grant had died without knowing it, and had come back as a punching bag. His brother was throwing hook after hook, and it was starting to piss him off. Eight thousand miles. That’s how far he’d come, and for this? If he’d wanted to get treated like shit, he could’ve stayed in the jungle with Miranda and Blake.
    “Wow. Guess I’m wondering why you invited me at all.”
    Tyler rolled his shoulders. “My fiancée insisted on it. Her parents had a fight that lasted twenty-three years, and she said if they could work through that, then you and I should be able to figure this out, if we put in a little effort. You interested?”
    Was that an olive branch his brother was waving in his direction or a spear about to skewer him?
    “Well, considering the fact that I didn’t even know we had a problem, I guess, yeah. I’m interested. I quit my job to be here, you know.” That wasn’t